The choice of a Chinese consortium as the main contractor for the construction of the Peljesac Bridge has raised awareness in Brussels, because it would be the first time that a Chinese building consortium would have the benefits of European Union funds.

Brussels have announced that monitoring, if the Chinese get the job, will be drastic, and the possibility of part of the EU funds being withheld in case of irregularities has been mentioned. According to available information from the Croatian media, several large European construction companies have been lobbying in Brussels to prevent the Chinese from entering the Croatian market.

Croatian Roads had decided that the offer from the Chinese consortium, China Road and Bridge Corporation, was the most favourable and for the first phase of the construction of the Peljesac Bridge with access roads, and that the European Commission will finance 85 percent of the project.

Of the three bids submitted for tender of the public procurement contract, the China Road and Bridge Corporation, with a bid of 2.08 billion Kuna were selected as the most attractive and they will have a deadline of 36 months to complete their works.

However, the process was then placed on hold as the Italian, Turkish and Austrian construction companies that had placed bids for the Peljesac Bridge all lodged official complaints.