A last-minute amendment tacked on to an omnibus bill ostensibly aims to free-up public works tenders worth 2.3 billion euros, including a fourth line for the Athens metro network.
Essentially, the amendment clarifies the legal framework for major public works projects and prescribes both incentives for arbitration and penalty for gratuitous legal challenges, thereby attempting to preclude a cascade of legal challenges that are usually filed by candidates who fail to win a tender.
Τhe development comes days after a Council of State (CoS) ruling provided the “green light” for the holding of an international tender to build line 4 in the central part of the greater Athens area. The project is the biggest public work in the country, budgeted at 1.8 billion euros.
Line 4 has a length of 12.8 kilometers and includes 15 underground stations.
