Hayes raises Irish construction disputes in Poland in European Parliament speech

Brian Hayes MEP called on the European Commission to intervene in an effort to resolve difficulties encountered by Irish construction firms, Sisk, SIAC and Roadbridge, under the Polish Roads Programme, in a speech to the European Parliament yesterday evening (Monday).

Speaking in Strasbourg, the Dublin MEP said: “Irish construction companies Sisk, SIAC and Roadbridge have been involved in a long-running dispute with the Polish Roads Authority regarding a number of contracts. This dispute goes back to 2012 and in excess of €250 million has been lost and many hundreds of jobs have been lost in Ireland.”

“Firstly, I would like the Polish Roads Authority to engage with the complainants in a fair and honest way. Secondly, I am asking the Polish Roads Authority to enter into independent mediation to resolve this dispute.”

The Fine Gael MEP explained that construction companies from five other Member States (Austria, France, The Netherlands, Germany and Portugal) encountered similar experiences working on the Polish Roads Programme. Exceptionally, the Ambassadors of all six countries, including Ireland, sent a joint letter to the Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Economy in June 2013 expressing concern over how the Polish Roads Authority handled these contracts.

“These companies have requested the European Commission’s direct intervention in the dispute,” MEP Hayes said.

“This is a fair request. Given, that the EU is the main source of financial support for the Polish Roads Programme, it is therefore obliged to ensure that EU funds are managed effectively, which unfortunately seems questionable or certainly warrants investigation in this case.

“In the interest of safeguarding the integrity of the EU’s single market, it is important that the Commission takes decisive action to resolve these disputes regarding an EU-funded roads programme,” Mr Hayes added.