Spanish tolls?

[spigot]

Last time I was in Spain the motorways were becoming toll free.
Now I hear conflicting reports that tolls are being reintroduced because of a EU directive.
What is actually happening?
Anyone been there recently? who can throw light on this.
thanks in anticipation

 

[HurricaneSmith]

Spain was supposed create tolls on certain dual carriageway roads from March 2024 as part of the EU Recovery Plan, but so far has failed to do so.

According to The Local, the European Commission has issued Spain with an ultimatum to implement dual carriageway tolls with new regulations or face heavy fines.

https://www.thelocal.es/20241217/eu-issues-ultimatum-to-spain-over-toll-roads

 

[marchie]

I believe that the headline in the 'local blogs/journals/ex-pat newsheets' etc is rather misleading, due in no small measure to pretty poor 'journalism' [or what passes for journalism in these publications]

The EU has NOT directed that Spain charges Tolls, because the EU has no mandate to interfere with matters of national/domestic Government Competence [see the old chestnut 'EU to force UK to pay higher State Pensions']. The EU is forbidden from passing Regulations/Directives that would force Member States to change their domestic laws [no competence to do so] to harmonise with EU law [so it is impossible for the EU to set a standard level for the State Pension referred to in the preceding sentence.

The EU does have the competence to set EU wide policies, such as the Customs Union, the Euro Currency Regulations [for Euro Member States, NOT all EU Member States]. Even then, EU-wide policies/Regulations are negotiated at Commissioner Level and a general debate ensues, with each Member State represented by Judges, Finance Ministers and other specialists to ensure that the EU-wide Directives do not force Member States to fir their domestic laws to the EU Directives.

One of the EU Directives is the Recovery and Resilience Plan, which is intended to reduce and eventually eliminate the EU reliance on Fossil Fuels, partly for Climate Change, partly for Risk Management after the disruption to energy supplies that occurred after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Funds, including 'pre-financing' or start up/seedcorn funding to smooth the start of the new measures to reduce reliance on Fossil Fuels, can be released by the EU once it is satisfied that each Member State's Recovery and Resilience Plan is realistic.

Spain included a commitment to charge for dual carriageway usage as a measure to raise its share of the funds,and then received EU pre-financing/start up funding of €9 billion from the EU, with the stipulation that the dual carriageway use charging commitment would be delivered. Spain has failed to do so on several occasions, latterly citing the Cost of Living Crisis as the reason for deferring the charges again.

So it is not the EU demanding/instructing Spain to begin charging for dual carriagewy usage. It is the EU requiring Spain to honour its voluntary commitment to charge as part of its own Recovery and Resilience Plan. Whilst the outcome may be the same, with drivers being charged, the process will involve the dog wagging the tail, rather than the tail wagging the dog.

EU Competences

EU Pre-financing payment to Spain

Steve

 

[El radge]

I believe that the headline in the 'local blogs/journals/ex-pat newsheets' etc is rather misleading, due in no small measure to pretty poor 'journalism' [or what passes for journalism in these publications]

The EU has NOT directed that Spain charges Tolls, because the EU has no mandate to interfere with matters of national/domestic Government Competence [see the old chestnut 'EU to force UK to pay higher State Pensions']. The EU is forbidden from passing Regulations/Directives that would force Member States to change their domestic laws [no competence to do so] to harmonise with EU law [so it is impossible for the EU to set a standard level for the State Pension referred to in the preceding sentence.

The EU does have the competence to set EU wide policies, such as the Customs Union, the Euro Currency Regulations [for Euro Member States, NOT all EU Member States]. Even then, EU-wide policies/Regulations are negotiated at Commissioner Level and a general debate ensues, with each Member State represented by Judges, Finance Ministers and other specialists to ensure that the EU-wide Directives do not force Member States to fir their domestic laws to the EU Directives.

One of the EU Directives is the Recovery and Resilience Plan, which is intended to reduce and eventually eliminate the EU reliance on Fossil Fuels, partly for Climate Change, partly for Risk Management after the disruption to energy supplies that occurred after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Funds, including 'pre-financing' or start up/seedcorn funding to smooth the start of the new measures to reduce reliance on Fossil Fuels, can be released by the EU once it is satisfied that each Member State's Recovery and Resilience Plan is realistic.

Spain included a commitment to charge for dual carriageway usage as a measure to raise its share of the funds,and then received EU pre-financing/start up funding of €9 billion from the EU, with the stipulation that the dual carriageway use charging commitment would be delivered. Spain has failed to do so on several occasions, latterly citing the Cost of Living Crisis as the reason for deferring the charges again.

So it is not the EU demanding/instructing Spain to begin charging for dual carriagewy usage. It is the EU requiring Spain to honour its voluntary commitment to charge as part of its own Recovery and Resilience Plan. Whilst the outcome may be the same, with drivers being charged, the process will involve the dog wagging the tail, rather than the tail wagging the dog.

EU Competences

EU Pre-financing payment to Spain

Steve

Pesky FACTS