EU Court of Auditors warns that 'inadequate' road maintenance in Spain is a risk

The European Court of Auditors (ECA) has warned that "inadequate" road maintenance in Spain could put the network at risk. 

In a new report on EU aid for road infrastructure, European auditors say that between 2008 and 2017, the state budget for road maintenance was cut by 50% due to some 300 million euros paid to non-physical toll road operators.

Spain has received about 390 million euros of EU funds for road construction in the past six years, a figure that can be added to more than three billion euros the Spanish authorities were given for road building between 2007 and 2013.

In its report, the Court of Auditors regrets that the construction of new roads that the EU has helped fund has not been accompanied by state funding to maintain them.

The Spanish authorities put around a billion euros towards maintaining roads in 2007, but 10 years later, only half of that amount had been spent on upkeep.

Although the European auditors acknowledge that the state of roads in Spain is "generally good," they also warn that budget constraints are delaying some maintenance. This, they argue, poses the risk of accidents and a rise in congestion if their condition worsens.

The court also says that it is problematic that EU member states are not required to inform Brussels about their maintenance plans and, as a result, there is no comprehensive analysis of the overall state of the European road infrastructure.

However, the auditors also praise Spain for completing 100% of the new EU-funded road corridors, while the other countries analyzed in the report (Poland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic) have not yet done so. The Spanish authorities say that the new stretches of road built have improved service, speed of travel, and road safety.

General conclusions

The auditors conclude that funding and measures from the European Commission have contributed positively to expanding the motorway network and reducing the travel times for passengers in Europe. 

However, they add that most states in eastern and central Europe have delayed in constructing new roads and they complain of inadequate maintenance in general in the member states analyzed.