Overview
- The procurement review chamber in Upper Bavaria, which received the filing Thursday, April 16, has opened a case with a five-week deadline to rule.
- Munich may not sign admission contracts for the Paulaner Festhalle and the Schottenhamel tent while the review is underway.
- WE Gutshof GmbH, led by restaurateur Alexander Egger, argues the two prime slots must be awarded under EU procurement rules, which would trigger an EU-wide tender.
- Officials say they see no sign the Oktoberfest itself is at risk, and they add that any chamber ruling would not directly change other tents or other fairs.
- Large tent operators warn that an EU-wide tender could erode local tradition and the Munich-only beer practice, while Egger’s lawyers say they will appeal to Bavaria’s higher procurement court, and possibly the European Court, if they lose.