Russia is ever closer to building a nuclear power plant in Hungary

The European Commission on 17 November 2017 closed an infringement procedure which had been launched to investigate the possibility that Hungary was in breach of EU public procurement rules concerning the expansion of the Paks nuclear power plant.

The reservations concerned the non-transparent method of selecting the firm without holding a tender to implement the investment (Russia’s Rosatom). Eventually, though, the European Commission accepted Hungary’s argumentation that in the case of the Paks nuclear power plant only one firm met the criteria “for technical and safety requirements”, and this provided the grounds for the exclusion of EU public procurement law. In 2014, Hungary signed an intergovernmental agreement with Russia followed by a contract with Rosatom to construct two nuclear blocks at the Paks nuclear power plant (2400 MW).

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Europe’s radioactive embrace http://www.europeansources.info/record/europes-radioactive-embrace/

ESO: Background information: Commission clears investment in construction of Paks II nuclear power plant in Hungary http://www.europeansources.info/record/commission-clears-investment-in-construction-of-paks-ii-nuclear-power-plant-in-hungary/

ESO: Background information: Nuclear deal between Russia and Hungary http://www.europeansources.info/record/nuclear-deal-between-russia-and-hungary/

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