The Galician Federation of Freight Transport (FEGATRAMER) has launched an initiative to challenge in court the well-known and much-discussed nullity of the AP9 concession on the basis of its illegality, as declared by the European Commission more than five years ago.
Galicia is structured around the Atlantic corridor that connects Ferrol, Coruña, Santiago, Pontevedra, Vigo and Portugal, facilitating the movement of people and goods and consolidating a logistics corridor that is essential for the competitiveness of Galicia's productive fabric.
In addition to its role as basic transport infrastructure, the AP-9 is a strategic element for the future development of the region. It is key to attracting investment, boosting tourism and promoting business cooperation, and its continuity towards Portugal makes Galicia a privileged gateway for trade with
the Portuguese market and the European area, thus reinforcing the geostrategic position of the community in the north-west of the peninsula.
Since its construction in 1973, it has been a toll motorway in order to recoup the €1.428 billion invested, with its first concession ending in 1994 with a compensatory extension of 10 years until 2004, but the Administration extended the term for another 25 years and it was sold for around €1 billion to a consortium of companies whose economic objective was to reach €98 million per year to amortise the purchase and the outstanding capital.000 million euros to a consortium of companies whose economic objective was to reach 98 million euros per year to recoup the purchase and the outstanding capital.
These two extensions are contrary to European law, and for this reason, various groups, including FEGATRAMER, have taken legal action to demand that the route be made free of charge.
These claims highlight the illegality of the process due to the profit motive behind the operation and the absence of announcements or tendering procedures. Therefore, we request the immediate cancellation of the tolls and the reimbursement of the amounts paid to the concessionaire, as the contract
would be considered null and void.
It is clear that, from the transport sector's point of view, the AP9 toll road being free of charge will result in lower logistics costs for goods originating in or destined for our region. For a product that is of particular concern to us at Rios Sangiao, namely the transport of fresh milk from farms to factories, it
would be hugely beneficial to be able to pass on the savings to our customers and provide a much more competitive service.
This has been the work of Sr. Concejo
