EU reprimands Slovakia over toll system
It appears that not everything was above board in awarding the contract for the electronic toll system on motorways in Slovakia. At least, that is the view of the responsible EU Commission, which reprimanded Bratislava for its handling of the tender in question. Slovakia is said to have breached two EU provisions in awarding the contract, according to the Commission, based in Brussels, Belgium. Both the exclusion of three of the four bidders and the subsequent amendment of key contract terms were incompatible with applicable EU law, the reprimand concerning electronic motorway tolls in Slovakia said.
EU reprimands Slovakia over toll system
Date: 30/09/2026
On September 27, 2007, a contract was put out to tender in Slovakia for the creation of an electronic toll system on the motorways. However, three of the four bidders were excluded because, in the contracting authority’s view—the national motorway company—they did not meet the technical requirements. As a result, on January 13, 2009, the motorway company signed a contract with the sole remaining bidder, preventing genuine competition of the kind the EU seeks to promote in public procurement.
The EU Commission might perhaps have had to accept the technical argument, but Slovakia incurred the wrath of the Brussels authorities above all by subsequently changing key contract terms. These changes were made only after the contract was signed in January 2009 and therefore could no longer be taken into account in the bids submitted by the three previously excluded bidders. It is still unclear whether Slovakia will now have to put the electronic motorway toll system out to tender again. With its requirement for tenders to be opened up across Europe, the EU aims to increase competition, thereby lowering prices and combating corruption.
Kai Rebmann
