PM attends conference encouraging Polish firms to bid in EU tenders

The value of the EU public procurement market amounts to EUR 1.5 trillion annually, or 16% of the Union's GDP. Since May 1, Polish companies have equal rights to bid in this sector. "This is a huge chance for them," assured Tomasz Czajkowski, president of Public Procurement Office (UZP), during a conference organized by the institution. Prime Minister Marek Belka addressed conference participants and said that Polish companies can pose real competition to EU firms, but they must first learn how to operate on the public procurement market in the Union. "They need to learn about the internal regulations of each country, as EU directives only present general frameworks," said UZP deputy president Włodzimierz Dzierżaniowski. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B2) M.M.