Dubrovnik airport must repay €22m to the European Union due to irregularities in public procurement procedures. The repayment relates to the airport renovation project, which 13 years ago was one of the most significant projects financed by European funds.
The renovation was worth €230m, with nearly €160m in non-repayable funds coming from European funds. The airport must therefore return approximately 14 per cent of the non-repayable funds secured from the European Union.
Irregularities were identified in 10 public procurement procedures, relating to procurement processes and the signing of main contracts, mostly between 2013 and 2017. Among the procedures, the one for the aircraft fuel supply system stands out, where incorrect pipes were installed. Instead of adequate pipes for aviation fuel, sewage pipes were laid, rendering the entire system non-functional.
A serious international company specialising exclusively in underground hydrant systems for JET A-1 fuel delivery at the apron was engaged for this work. The building permit for the underground hydrant aviation fuel system was issued on 3 September 2018, and works on the facility were carried out from September 2018 and completed during 2019.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) received information from national authorities in 2022, but decided not to take up the case because the reported facts were outside its temporal jurisdiction. The Airport Administration claims it has invested significant funds in a system it cannot use.
