Corporación América Airports S.A. (CAAP), a major global private airport operator based in Luxembourg, has called on the European Union Delegation in Montenegro to review irregularities in the tender process for the concession of Montenegro Airports and provide its opinion to the Montenegrin government.
CAAP claims that the tender evaluation process violates both domestic and EU law, potentially undermining the fairness of the procedure and Montenegro’s reputation as an EU candidate country. The company argues that the government’s refusal to halt the tender contradicts EU principles, including Article 47 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
The tender is in its final phase, with CAAP and Incheon (South Korea) as the only bidders submitting binding offers. In the initial technical evaluation, Incheon scored 79.07 points—below the required 80-point threshold—while CAAP scored 87.84 points. CAAP maintains that Incheon’s financial offer should not have been considered.
Following alleged pressure from the government and legal advisers, the tender commission partially repeated the technical evaluation, resulting in Incheon receiving 81.69 points and CAAP 88.72 points. CAAP contends that this re-evaluation was arbitrary and non-transparent, involving inconsistent scoring and a de facto change in evaluation criteria during the ongoing tender.
The company has detailed its position in a complaint submitted to Montenegro’s Administrative Court, supported by legal analyses from DLA Piper LLP regarding compliance with EU law.
