Author: Veronika Cukrov

The European Commission has initiated an infringement procedure against the Republic of Slovenia under case number INFR(2025)4011. The procedure concerns the alleged non-compliance of provisions in the Pharmacy Services Act with Directive 2014/24/EU on public procurement.

The amendments to the Pharmacy Services Act reportedly allow public pharmacy institutions to procure medicines without using public procurement procedures. The European Commission considers such regulation a breach of fundamental EU law principles, particularly the principles of transparency, competition, and efficiency in the use of public funds.

As part of the initiated procedure, Slovenia has received a formal notice and must respond within two months. If the Commission is not satisfied with the response, it may issue a reasoned opinion as the next step in the preliminary procedure before a potential lawsuit before the Court of Justice of the EU.

Yesterday, we attended the charity event organized by the Lions Club Ljubljana Ilirija at Križanke as donors. Once again this year, the event was carried out with great dedication and warmth, under the honorary patronage of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr. Nataša Pirc Musar, who emphasized the importance of human connection and helping those in greatest need.

This year’s focus was on the mental distress of young people – an increasingly pressing issue that is still too often overlooked.

Sincere thanks to the Lions Club Ljubljana Ilirija for your annual efforts and for your continued commitment to bringing people together and helping others.

 

 

Today, our colleague Veronika Cukrov gave a lecture at the conference “Public Procurement in Practice – Challenges, Pitfalls, and Solutions”, organized by Tax-Fin-Lex, on the use of artificial intelligence in public procurement. A look abroad showed that AI is already officially helping in some places with preparing tenders, reviewing bids, assessing risks, and communicating with bidders.

In Slovenia, things are different. Apart from the European AI Act, we don’t have much regulation, and even that does not focus on public procurement. The Slovenian Public Procurement Act (ZJN-3) can help us only through its guiding principles. But that doesn’t mean AI isn’t already in use in practice – it just means it’s being used without clear rules, in a gray area that is not subject to oversight.

Today, we celebrate the achievements, strength, and resilience of women around the world. Let’s continue to support, empower, and uplift each other—because an equal world is a better world.

To all the incredible women: Thank you for your inspiration, dedication, and impact. Let’s keep shining! ✨

#InternationalWomensDay #IWD2025 #EmpowerWomen #Inspiration #Equality

 

We are pleased to announce that the organization Leaders in Law has awarded Law Firm Cukrov the prestigious title of Public Procurement Law Firm of the Year in Slovenia for 2024/2025.

This recognition affirms our professional expertise, continuous education, and commitment to achieving the best outcomes for our clients. It serves as both an honor and a motivation to remain at the forefront of public procurement law and to continue striving for excellence.

Thank you for your trust in us.

 

 

A statement from our lawyer Veronika Cukrov regarding the event:

“The Bled Strategic Forum 2024 has come to a close! Over two insightful days, we delved into pressing global issues, from India’s future positioning to cybersecurity challenges.

Among the many memorable moments, the poignant performance of Somewhere from West Side Story by Palestinian soprano Nour Darwish, on a panel under the patronage of President Dr. Nataša Pirc Musar, stood out. Her rendition was both moving and inspiring.

Congratulations to the organizers for a flawlessly executed event! ”

 

 

You are invited to watch the invitation from Vesna Cukrov, attorney, court expert in law and public procurement, and former President of the National Review Commission, to the 13th Public Procurement Congress organized by the Uradni list.

She will once again be giving a lecture on this Congress, this time on a current and highly interesting topic related to construction projects.

Don’t miss the opportunity to join us on September 5th at the Grand Hotel Bernardin in Portorož! We hope to see you there!

Ste ponudnik, ki želi bolje razumeti in se pripraviti na postopke javnih naročil? Potem ne zamudite našega BREZPLAČNEGA webinarja, ki ga organiziramo v sodelovanju s Tax-Fin-Lex!

Kdaj? 5.9.2024 ob 9:00.

O čem bomo govorili?
– Najpogostejše napake ponudnikov pri pripravi ponudb in kako se jim izogniti.
– Praktični nasveti za uspešno pripravo ponudb.

Naša ustanoviteljica, Vesna Cukrov, Attorney at law, bo delila svoje bogate izkušnje na področju javnih naročil. Je nekdanja predsednica Državne revizijske komisije za revizijo postopkov oddaje javnih naročil in sodna izvedenka za pravo in javna naročila z licenco Ministrstva za pravosodje.

Pohvali se lahko z obsežnimi delovnimi izkušnjami v gospodarstvu in pravosodju ter je ena vodilnih strokovnjakinj na področju prava javnih naročil, investicij, gospodarskega prava in gradbenega prava. Je tudi soavtorica komentarja Zakona o javnem naročanju (ZJN-3) in prejemnica prestižne mednarodne nagrade “Global Awards 2021 winner” in “Public Procurement Expert of the year in Slovenia”.

Prijavite se na dogodek in izboljšajte svoje možnosti za uspeh na področju javnih naročil! Ne zamudite te izjemne priložnosti!

Prijavite se zdaj: https://lnkd.in/evsRgG4p

 

This week, we had the honor of delivering a lecture on the topic of “Collaboration between the Construction Manager, Design Manager, and Supervision Manager as Conditions for Recognizing References in Public Procurement Procedures.” We focused on key issues:

– What to do when a large construction project encounters public procurement formalities due to the retirement of the responsible person, with no alternative available in the market?
– How to ensure smooth project execution while complying with public procurement requirements?
– What constitutes an insignificant change in the contract?
– How is a change in the project related to the principle of proportionality?

During the training, aimed at construction managers, design managers, and supervision managers, we provided answers to these important dilemmas.

More about the lecture: https://www.izs.si/izobrazevanja/izs-izobrazevanja/?education=I-0034/2024