Brussels insists the plan it agreed with the government foresees a fee in 2024

One of the toll areas on the AP-7 highway, operated by Acesa.

The European Commission confirmed that the Spanish Recovery and Resilience Plan endorsed by Brussels includes the commitment to adopt a law on sustainable mobility and transport financing and to introduce a payment mechanism for road use from 2024, although it has been barely three days and Transport Minister Raquel Sanchez has denied it “categorically”. Although there was an important nuance: the government did not deny that it was not included in the plan, and even emphasized that it asked to renegotiate this measure in the context of the war in Ukraine. Various sources of EL PAÍS confirm this This initiative to renegotiate is included in the addendum which is currently being discussed with the Commission to Adding to the plan is about an additional 8,000 million in aid and more than 80,000 million in appropriations. These sources also indicate that it is very difficult for Brussels to agree not to implement it.

“We understand that the Spanish plan refers to a payment mechanism for the use of roads that will start in 2024 in line with the principle of ‘who pollutes, pays’,” confirmed the Commission’s economic spokesperson at a press conference, Viril Noyets.

was the measure It was announced a week ago by Director General of Traffic (DGT), Perry Navarro, and later denied By the Minister of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez, who considered the controversy that arose over the possible payment of motorway tolls in Spain a “settlement” and “categorically” denied that they had been paid.

However, the executive authority of the community has confirmed that the measure appears in the plan that was approved by both Brussels and the member states and appears to be linked, specifically, to the disbursement of the fifth tranche of the plan, which amounts to more than 8,000 million euros. .

“We will evaluate this procedure when we get to the fifth request for payment from Spain, so it is not a discussion today,” the Commission spokesperson added. This was also included in the text of the plan approved by Brussels, where it was specified that the measure aims to “absorb the external costs of road transport, create incentives for greater efficiency in the sector and promote a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions”.

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