a little over a year we collected which would seem impossible for Spain to have achieved in its relations with Europe. Country It meant that Brussels had decided to stop demanding that Spain once and for all impose its road tolls as a monetary measure.
The history of European pressure for our country to establish road taxes goes back a long way. If we look back, we will find the Popular party already studied in 2012 the formula for making the taxes of the Spanish roads. then in 2018 This possibility has been confirmed again.
We are currently testing the chapter open in 2021. Then the Government, already by Pedro Sánchez PSOE president, to seek a commission. new financing of their roads for the exchange of up to 70,000 million coins a Generation money.
The message was therefore clear; It would be three years for the use of roads in Spain. Indeed, three years have passed. And although some taxes have increased in value, others have disappeared and what is clear is that there was no special system of payment per-privation that had not been imposed before.
Now the European Commission has given the ultimatum to Spain and seven other countries. The information was collected by the EFE Agency in Brussels. In addition to Spain, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland and Portugal have two months to “respond and take the necessary measures” in the second level of the company’s prejudice procedure for not fulfilling the promises.
And the European Commission announced: if the measures are not amended, the European Commission “may refer the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union”.
25 years late
The European Commission alleges that these countries, including Spain, have not fulfilled the European directive Eurovignette. Directive from 1999. This measure had the purpose of establishing the basis of the payment of the use of the way for the State to make the conservation of these expressed funds.
This directive It was revised in 2012 and the CO2 emissions emitted by the vehicles will be determined in smart driving systems, with the aim of encouraging the adoption of clean cars and heavy vehicles in these countries.
Since then they had more noise than concrete actions. Last year, shortly before the elections, the Popular Party declared that voters should “pay their way”. These are the words of John Bravo, financial spokesman for the group, in a presentation at a conference by the Institute Communication Study.
In these words he pointed out Recovery and Resilience Plana document from the Government of Spain as a guarantee of continuing to receive the aforesaid European aid. Soon also Pere Navarro, director of the DGT; opened the way for the application of these new taxes.
However, the general election passed and the waters seemed to calm again in September with the newspaper Country published the news that the European Union had withdrawn its commitment to tax deduction in the short term. However, the information is certain that they would not be implemented in 2024, but nothing has been written after that.
Now the European Commission is focusing on that future. Before the Europeans take the final step and bring Spain and the other seven countries identified before the European Court of Justice, if the toll system or new funding for roads expires on March 25, they explain. RUNNERS.
That same year, Oscar Puente, minister of transportation, already lowered the balloon probe that “roads should be paid for by tolls or tolls” and urged the country to reach an “agreement” to establish a system of tolls. One that has been on the table for some time and for which there is no concrete method on the table.
The attempt to give some example was always very obscure, as it turned out Pere Navarro in 2021 when he said that “the man who has a way to get by every day and is exempt from paying labor, otherwise they will crack him” or “a granny when she comes to the doctor”, and should not pay. . But it was never black and white, which exceptions would apply and how they would be monitored.
Spain is out of season duty to show the face on the first day of April If you do not comply, you must respond to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). Just like one chapter before An example is procrastination.
A chapter that has a lot to write about, since the Government has stated that it does not intend to “apply new taxes or change the current system”, in the collected words. Europe Press.
Everything indicates that we will not see tolls on Spanish roads until the spring arrives, but we are waiting to know how the government will respond and whether we will continue to ignore the European requirements, or on the contrary, if the proposal is implemented which is the peak for the use of Spanish roads.
Photo | Araf Khan
In Xataka | Order or pay a fine: Spain already has a toll where you cannot pay at the window
