The ÚOHS has published the opinion of the European Commission on the NK competition

Brno - The Antimonopoly Office today published the full text of the European Commission's opinion on the competition for the design of the new National Library building. The document, which is available to ČTK, was received by the office a month ago. Based on it, the library's management recommended canceling the competition won by architect Jan Kaplický. According to the Commission, it would not be possible to assign the preparation of the project documentation directly to Kaplický based on such a competition.
    The EK's opinion primarily states that the library should not have announced an architectural competition for the design, but should have assigned a public contract. The Office for the Protection of Competition previously recognized the exception that the National Library was trying to apply.
    "Given that the contracting authority did not use the relevant provisions of the directive for competitions, it cannot further invoke its provisions on the use of the negotiated procedure without publication in relation to the assignment of contracts following the design competition," stated Ugo Bassi from the General Directorate of the EK Internal Market and Services in the opinion.
    Based on his opinion, the Czech antimonopoly office recommended that the library cancel the original competition. "Our opinion is currently non-binding; however, if the library were to proceed further according to this competition and assign the preparation of the project documentation to Mr. Kaplický, we could intervene," said Jindřiška Koblihová, then Deputy Chairwoman of the office and Director of the Public Procurement Department, in August.
    Problems surrounding the competition for the new National Library building are likely to cost the director of the library, Vlastimil Ježek, his position, according to information from ČTK. The Ministry of Culture has so far denied his dismissal, but Minister Václav Jehlička has already hinted that it is one of the possibilities.