Brussels said, in a statement, that the investigation follows a notification from a consortium led by Mota-Engil, which includes subcontractors such as Portugal CRRC Tangshan Rolling Stock Unipessoal, and participated in a Lisbon metro tender launched in April 2025 for the design, construction and maintenance of the new Violet Line, which will connect Odivelas to Loures, in the Lisbon district.
According to the European Commission, there is “sufficient evidence that Portugal CRRC Tangshan Rolling Stock Unipessoal may have benefited from foreign subsidies that distorted the internal market, justifying an in-depth investigation”.
The investigation now wants to assess whether such subsidies gave the company an undue advantage in the tender and, depending on the conclusions, the community executive may impose corrective measures, prohibit the award of the contract or issue a non-objection decision.
Metropolitano de Lisboa assured “full cooperation in the investigation”, as well as compliance with the regulations in question, highlighting that it determines that all procedural stages of public procurement “can continue, with the exception of the award of the contract”, the company’s note also reads.