Bill to extend transparency to public tender subcontractors

The Justice Ministry has drafted a bill that will oblige some subcontractors hired by successful bidders in public tenders to provide information regarding ownership, the financial daily Hospodářské noviny reports. According to the paper, senior government officials have not been overly in favour of extending transparency requirements to the level of subcontractors, but in some cases the information is likely to be mandatory. Deputy Justice Minister Filip Melzer was quoted by the paper as saying that firms with a certain share of given tenders would be obliged to provide more specific details. The government has not yet decided on the cut-off or level for eligibility. Firms with anonymous share-holders, meanwhile, would reportedly have several months for owners to be registered. The lower house is likely to begin debating the bill in February.