Public procurement is the process by which governments as well as other bodies governed by public law purchase products, services and public works. The European Union has adopted legal tools to introduce a certain standard of procedures across its Member States. Nevertheless, there are challenges that remain to be addressed. This article focuses on one area directly connected to both transparency and integrity – conflict of interests. The article first analyses the concept of conflict of interests and how the EU has approached solving conflicts of interests within public procurement. The second part of the article looks into the specifics of two countries that continue to have challenges in addressing conflicts of interests – Romania and Slovakia.