Varteks has not been officially notified of the termination of the contract with the Universiade Belgrade

The Varaždin-based Varteks has not yet received any official notification regarding the potential termination of the Contract concluded with the Universiade Belgrade. We cannot comment on media information at this time. If we receive a notification from the Universiade Belgrade, we will certainly respond, Varteks representatives stated today.

The Serbian Government announced yesterday that the Organizing Committee of the 25th Summer Universiade, which will be held in 2009 in Belgrade, has decided "to amicably terminate the contract with the company Varteks from Varaždin, which was concluded by the Universiade Belgrade 2009."

At yesterday’s meeting, the Organizing Committee dismissed Executive Director Srđan Bošković and appointed Zoran Jovanović to that position, and agreed to organize a meeting with representatives of the best Serbian companies in cooperation with the Cabinet of the Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia and the Serbian Chamber of Commerce. The meeting has two goals – "to secure sponsorship for the Universiade and to present the business opportunities that the organization of the Universiade opens, which will be conducted through a transparent tender procedure with benefits for domestic participants, in accordance with the Public Procurement Law," the Serbian Government’s statement said.

At the beginning of June this year, Varaždin’s Varteks signed a Business Cooperation Agreement with the company Universiade Belgrade 2009 d.o.o., whereby Varteks becomes the exclusive supplier of official clothing and footwear for athletes, members of the organizing committee, and officials of the Universiade that will be held in 2009 in Belgrade.

However, this contract has provoked numerous reactions in Serbia, and in September, the inspection of the Serbian Ministry of Finance announced a review of this contract due to violations of the Public Procurement Law. The company Universiade Belgrade 2009, whose founders are the Government of Serbia and the University Sports Association of Serbia, was criticized for awarding the uniform production contract worth three million euros to "Varteks" without a public tender. (Hina)