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CRRC abandons EUR 610 million Bulgarian train tender amid EC investigation

Wednesday, 27 March 2024, 07:33

The photo is illustrative

The photo is illustrative

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The European Commission has closed the investigation of a public procurement for the supply of Chinese trains to Bulgaria. This happened after the Chinese company CRRC Qingdao Sifang Locomotive Co withdrew from a public procurement tender organized by the Bulgarian Ministry of Transport and Communications.
The public procurement tender concerns the purchase of 20 electric “push-pull” trains, as well as their maintenance over 15 years. The estimated value of the contract is around BGN 1.2 billion (EUR 610 million), Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton said in a statement published on the Commission's website. CRRC Corporation Limited is a Chinese state-owned rolling stock manufacturer. It is the world's largest rolling stock manufacturer in terms of revenue. The Commission initiated an in-depth investigation due to suspicions that the Chinese company had received foreign state subsidies that "distorted" the internal European market.