Case C-66/22, Infraestruturas de Portugal and Futrifer Indústrias Ferroviárias: Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 21 December 2023 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Supremo Tribunal Administrativo — Portugal) — Infraestruturas de Portugal SA, Futrifer Indústrias Ferroviárias SA v Toscca — Equipamentos em Madeira Lda (Reference for a preliminary ruling — Procedures for the award of public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts — Directive 2014/24/EU — Point (d) of the first subparagraph of Article 57(4) — Award of public contracts in the transport sector — Directive 2014/25/EU — Article 80(1) — Facultative grounds for exclusion — Obligation to transpose — Economic operator entering into agreements aimed at distorting competition — Competence of the contracting authority — Impact of an earlier decision of a competition authority — Principle of proportionality — Article 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union — Right to an effective remedy — Principle of sound administration — Obligation to state reasons)
Date: 2023-12-21
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: administrative sanction, competition law, fine, public procurement, restriction on competition, tendering








C_202401369EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
Series C













C/2024/1369


19.2.2024





Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 21 December 2023 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Supremo Tribunal Administrativo — Portugal) — Infraestruturas de Portugal SA, Futrifer Indústrias Ferroviárias SA v Toscca — Equipamentos em Madeira Lda
(Case C-66/22, (1) Infraestruturas de Portugal and Futrifer Indústrias Ferroviárias)
(Reference for a preliminary ruling - Procedures for the award of public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts - Directive 2014/24/EU - Point (d) of the first subparagraph of Article 57(4) - Award of public contracts in the transport sector - Directive 2014/25/EU - Article 80(1) - Facultative grounds for exclusion - Obligation to transpose - Economic operator entering into agreements aimed at distorting competition - Competence of the contracting authority - Impact of an earlier decision of a competition authority - Principle of proportionality - Article 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union - Right to an effective remedy - Principle of sound administration - Obligation to state reasons)
(C/2024/1369)
Language of the case: Portuguese

Referring court

Supremo Tribunal Administrativo

Parties to the main proceedings


Applicants: Infraestruturas de Portugal SA, Futrifer Indústrias Ferroviárias SA

Defendant: Toscca — Equipamentos em Madeira Lda

Intervening party: Mota-Engil Railway Engineering SA

Operative part of the judgment







1.


Point (d) of the first subparagraph of Article 57(4) of Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on public procurement and repealing Directive 2004/18/EC
must be interpreted as precluding national legislation which limits the possibility of excluding a tender from a tenderer on account of the existence of significant evidence of conduct on the part of that tenderer liable to distort competition rules in the public procurement procedure in the context of which that type of conduct has arisen.










2.


Point (d) of the first subparagraph of Article 57(4) of Directive 2014/24
must be interpreted as precluding national legislation which confers the power to decide to exclude economic operators from public procurement procedures, on the grounds of a breach of competition rules, solely on the national competition authority.










3.


Point (d) of the first subparagraph of Article 57(4) of Directive 2014/24, read in the light of the general principle of sound administration.
must be interpreted as meaning that the decision of the contracting authority as to the reliability of an economic operator, adopted pursuant to the exclusion ground laid down in that provision, must be reasoned.






(1)  
            OJ C 207, 23.5.2022.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/1369/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)