The European Commission has been asked to intervene to resolve a dispute encountered by Irish construction firms, Sisk, SIAC and Roadbridge, under the Polish Roads Programme.

Fine Gael MEP Brian Hayes said the dispute goes back to 2012 and in excess of €250 million has been lost and many hundreds of jobs have been lost in Ireland.

Speaking in Strasbourg, in a speech to the European Parliament, the Dublin MEP said: "Firstly, I would like the Polish Roads Authority to engage with the complainants in a fair and honest way. Secondly, I am asking the Polish Roads Authority to enter into independent mediation to resolve this dispute."

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He also explained that construction companies from five other Member States (Austria, France, The Netherlands, Germany and Portugal) encountered similar experiences working on the Polish Roads Programme. Exceptionally, the Ambassadors of all six countries, including Ireland, sent a joint letter to the Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Economy in June 2013 expressing concern over how the Polish Roads Authority handled these contracts.

"These companies have requested the European Commission's direct intervention in the dispute," MEP Hayes said.

"This is a fair request. Given, that the EU is the main source of financial support for the Polish Roads Programme, it is therefore obliged to ensure that EU funds are managed effectively, which unfortunately seems questionable or certainly warrants investigation in this case."

(CD/MH)