Government official answers question to commission over TV spot tender

The government's plenipotentiary for the European Union (EU) information campaign Slawomir Wiatr, yesterday explained to the Sejm European Commission why the contract for producing 50 TV spots was awarded to a small company, Agencja Z&T, which has ties to the ruling Democratic Left Alliance (SLD). Wiatr said that the tender for the contract was carried out in a simplified form due to time constraints. That pressure resulted partly from the fact that the media criticized the government for delaying the start of the campaign, said Wiatr. However, opposition deputies countered these argument by saying that the pressure of public opinion cannot serve as a sufficient excuse to simplify tender procedures. "Such actions can be justified when something like a natural disaster occurs, not a discretionarily chosen date for commencing the campaign," said Jacek Protasiewicz from the Civic P latform (PO). (Zycie, p.3) T.J.