In 2019 and 2020, government representatives concluded 28 bilateral (interstate) contracts of total value is EUR 4 billion, show the results of the research conducted by the Toplica Research Centre for Democracy and Human Rights. All these contracts were concluded directly, which means that the state did not try to compete at a more favourable price.
According to the director of the Toplica Centre for Democracy and Human Rights, Dragan Dobrasinović, this means that for the Serbian government, competition is the number one enemy of the state. In fact, all contracts were concluded directly through various institutions and countries.
In 2020, the National Parliament of the Republic of Serbia ratified 17 international financial agreements worth EUR 2,021,975,800.
“Most contracts have been concluded with the Council of Europe Development Bank (four), whose total value is 494,000,000 euro, then with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (4) worth 201,800,000 euro and with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (3) worth 200,000,000 euro,” Dobrasinović adds.
In 2019, out of a total of 11 contracts/agreements, Serbia concluded four with the European Investment Bank, three with the Chinese Export-Import Bank, one with a European Council Development Bank and one with the Russian Federation.
Individually, the most valuable contract in 2020 was concluded between the Republic of Serbia and the Government of the Republic of France worth 581,000,000 euro.
“The subject of the agreement is cooperation in the area of priorities and strategic projects for the development of the Republic of Serbia, such as in capital infrastructure and projects in the energy sector. The funds refer to the study phase and the subway project worth up to 454,000,000 euro and the project of automation of the electricity distribution network in the Republic of Serbia (with the participation of the public company Elektroprivreda Srbije – EPS) worth up to 127,000,000 euro,” the Centre’s research says.
Dragan Dobrasinović says that is another indication that the state prefers jobs without competition. “For the Serbian government, competition is the number one enemy of the state. This can also be seen in public procurement procedures where jobs are assigned usually without competition.”
(Nova, 28.06.2021)
https://nova.rs/vesti/biznis/za-dve-godine-strancima-poslovi-vredni-4-milijarde-evra/
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