Spain At Loggerheads With Brussels As Eu Insist On More Toll Roads In 2024

A conflict between Spain and the EU has arisen over the subject of tolls on Spanish roads.

A spokesperson for the European Commission reminded Spain of its proposal to introduce highway tolls, something that the Spanish minister of transport is resolutely against, according to La Voz de Galicia, Thursday, July 20.

In Spain, there are currently 36 toll highways that cover more than 2,600 kilometres, and the idea is to extend this payment to highways Also.

Speaking on behalf of the European Union’s Economic Commission, Veerle Nuyts, confirmed that the Spanish recovery plan approved by Brussels included a commitment to adopt a law on sustainable mobility and transport financing. Hence an implemented system of paying for the use of roads is to be introduced in 2024.

Today, the Minister of Transport, Raquel Sánchez, responded in the strongest possible way: ‘I categorically deny, for the umpteenth time, that the Spanish Government is going to implement a system of payment for motorway use. We are not going to do it.’

At a press conference in Brussels, Nuyts explained: ‘We understand that the Spanish plan refers to a mechanism of payment for the use of roads that will begin in 2024 in line with the polluter pays principle.’ However, Nuyts stopped short of saying that the EU will force the measure to be applied from January 1, 2024.

Instead, she diplomatically side-stepped the issue and confirmed that they would evaluate this measure together with the executive ‘when Spain’s fifth request for payment is reached, so it is not a discussion for today.’

The Spanish Ministry of Transport insists that it is renegotiating with Brussels the document in which it committed itself to introduce tolls. Ministerial sources explain that Spain ‘is talking to Europe to redefine this milestone’ and that all options are open. Everything from postponing it, eliminating it or modifying the initially proposed toll system by looking for an alternative that would allow roads to be maintained without having to pay tolls.

The controversy over this issue was reopened last week when the director of the DGT said: ‘What I can tell you is that next year, by imposition of Brussels, we will have to put tolls, Brussels demands it from us,’ a statement that was later vehemently denied by the Minister of Transport.

This has led PP officials to accuse Pedro Sánchez’s government of ‘lying’ about motorway tolls after Brussels corrected the government.

The secretary general of the PP, Cuca Gamarra, said that Brussels has recognised that the Spanish government ‘undertook to impose tolls on roads’ and added that it is confirmed that ‘he (Sánchez) lied’ in the face-to-face meeting, ‘just as he has been doing for five years.’

Meanwhile, the Government recalls that during its time in office, it has removed the tolls on 1000 kilometres of motorways.