Minister Árpár Érsek (source: SITA)
Transport Minister Árpád Érsek (Most-Híd) stopped the competition on the so-called Atlas of Passive Infrastructure. The system was supposed to collect and show data on the location of the telecommunication, roads and energy infrastructure, which would have allowed it to cover more than was stated by the EU.
“The competition on Atlas of Passive Infrastructure was prepared in a way that it could not be financed from the EU funds,” Érsék said, as quoted by TASR. “We also found technical flaws that aided our decision to not sign the agreement.”
The Atlas of Passive Infrastructure was originally designed to map and show data on the infrastructure necessary for spreading the high-speed internet. The project, however, was planned in a way that would allow it to collect more technically and financially demanding information on gas and electricity networks and roads.
The competition, worth €48 million, was launched by previous transport minister Ján Počiatek (Smer) in August 2015, with the idea that it would be funded by the Operational Programme Integrated Infrastructure.
Érsek’s decision follows the earlier recommendation of Deputy PM for Investments and Informatisation Peter Pellegrini (Smer) to stop the competition, TASR wrote.
