An amendment to the Public Procurement Act approved by the Cabinet on Thursday should restrict the access of the so-called P.O. Box companies to public tenders. The Government wants to see the bill approved in Parliament as soon as possible in order to enter into force as of 1 January.
The bill will allow only companies that will be able to disclose their owners up to the level of private persons to take part in public tenders. The only exception will be companies listed on stock exchanges in the EU, the European Economic Area or the OECD, and their subsidiaries. “If a company features a public official holding more than 10 percent of the shares, this company will automatically be excluded from public procurement,” said Prime Minister Robert Fico, describing the bill as ‘very tough’.
