There was a public invitation to tender and the choice was simple.

I have the impression that the honourable Member believes the public invitation to tender in connection with the tunnel has already started.

Before a public invitation to tender is issued, there will be an environmental impact assessment in accordance with the provisions of Directive 85/337.

I read in some of the Commission's documentation that it issued a public invitation to tender and selected a professional communication agency with offices in nearly all the Member States.

This is to be achieved, among other things, through innovation and by using public invitations to tender and procurement in such a way as to actively promote the conversion to a green economy.

Many small and medium-sized enterprises are excluded from public invitations to tender, both in the Member States and, in particular, when it comes to EU tenders, where large undertakings are given priority.

What is needed to do that is a fair system of public invitations to tender, proper competition law and, finally, if these businesses are to be willing to become active in these countries, their investments have to be protected.

Another important step in the right direction would be to put out public invitations to tender several times in a given year, to safeguard the fundamental principle that sufferers from disease really should get the most modern and the most effective medication available.

As we know, the devil is in the detail, so we would like to know the following, Commissioner: what are the specific subjects of the negotiations when it comes to public invitations to tender in the services sector or in connection with labour migration?

The three-year contract, which includes performance and availability guarantees, follows the completion of a public invitation to tender by Reseaux Associes pour la Recherche Europeene on behalf of the Cosine development project being carried out under the Eureka research programme.

As regards universal service, we need clear definitions of universal service provisions, especially with respect to what has to be financed by the operator and what by the State; and finance by the State raises the question of whether there is to be a public invitation to tender.

Help us by giving preferential treatment to fair trade products in public invitations to tender, and breathe fresh life into Article 23 of the Cotonou Agreement, whereby fair trade in collaboration with ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) States is to be accorded important status and supported.

I would just like to ask the Commissioner whether I can conclude from this that social clauses may be included in public invitations to tender, provided that they do not give an advantage to a particular firm, but simply seek to create opportunities for a particular social group which faces difficulties on the labour market?