Latvian lawmakers vote to bar offshore firms from participation in public tenders

RIGA, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Latvian lawmakers on Thursday voted to bar offshore firms from participating in public tenders, local media reported.

The draft amendments to the Public Procurement Law were proposed by the right-wing National Alliance, a junior partner in Latvia's center-right coalition.

The new legislation, which the Latvian parliament passed in the final reading on Thursday, will prohibit companies in which more than 25 percent belong to entities registered in low-tax or tax-free countries or territories from tendering for public contracts in Latvia.

Companies registered in low-tax or tax-free countries or territories will not be able to participate in such tenders either, and enterprises hiring subcontractors registered in offshore territories will also be excluded from public competitions.

The draft amendments to the Public Procurement Law were passed despite some lawmakers voicing concerns that they might contravene the European Union's regulation and that the president might return them to the parliament for revision. Enditem