The Government of Spain promotes the environmental sustainability of the state's roads

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The Council of Ministers has presented the Energy Efficiency Strategy for the State Road Network, which aims to halve its energy consumption, currently at 145 million kilowatt hours per year, at a cost of nearly €30 million.

The planned investment of €510 million until 2028 will modernise the lighting system, generate savings in energy demand, cut maintenance costs and mitigate dependence on fossil fuels. To prioritise road safety, the criteria for a section to be lit remain unchanged.

Savings and sustainability in the state road network

The Minister for Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez, answers questions from the media, at the press conference after the Council of Ministers | Pool Moncloa/Fernando Calvo

The Minister for Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez, pointed out that the strategy is an unprecedented boost to the environmental sustainability of the state's roads and motorways in the fight against climate change, thanks to which 76,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions will cease each year, a saving equivalent to the annual consumption of 30,000 vehicles or the annual energy consumption of more than 65,000 homes.

"We are not the largest country in Europe in terms of size, but we are the best communicated thanks to our road network, with more than 26,000 kilometres. Now we also want to be leaders in knowing how to look after, maintain and exploit this network that connects us, in the most efficient and sustainable way", said the minister.

Sánchez considered that the planned actions will also be a boost for the recovery, modernisation and revitalisation of the economy and employment, as it is estimated that more than 7,500 jobs could be created.

Some of the measures to be taken are the modernisation of all lighting with LED technology, allowing for the adjustment of lighting according to the number of vehicles on a road at a given time.

Pilot projects will be developed in tunnels so that they can be self-sufficient in electricity through, for example, solar farms such as the one already underway in Alcantarilla (Murcia), or with solar panels, as in the Folgoso tunnel in Pontevedra.

Solar panels will also be installed in road maintenance centres to increase their energy self-sufficiency and the entire fleet of the General Directorate of Roads will be made up of "zero emission" or "eco" vehicles.

Modernisation of transport SMEs

The Government of Spain has approved the transfer of €110 million to the autonomous communities and the cities of Ceuta and Melilla for the modernisation of road transport within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.

The funds will be earmarked for the call for grants for small and medium-sized private road passenger transport companies and those involved in road freight transport, with the aim of boosting digitalisation, sustainability and connectivity. Eligible projects may be subsidised up to 100%, with a maximum of €25,000 per company.

Minister Raquel Sánchez estimated that 17,000 small and medium-sized transport companies will be able to access this aid and that more than 3,600 jobs will be generated, with a contribution to GDP of €260 million.

Improving housing plans

The Executive has approved the Royal Decree amending several regulations on housing, such as the State Plan for access to housing 2022-2025, the State Housing Plan 2018-2021 and the aid programmes for residential rehabilitation and social housing of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.

Raquel Sánchez indicated that technical improvements have been introduced in all of them with the aim of fine-tuning procedures and "ensuring that aid reaches those who need it as fast as possible".

One of these measures will facilitate the contribution of the Sociedad de Gestión de Activos Procedentes de la Reestructuración Bancaria (Sareb) to the public housing stock. Specifically, the minister explained that in the current budget for 2022 there was an allocation of €10 million to subsidise the acquisition by the autonomous communities and cities of housing from Sareb for affordable or social rentals. The amount of this subsidy was previously 60% of the purchase price or cost and will now reach 100%.

Raquel Sánchez has reaffirmed her department's and the Government of Spain's commitment to housing policy and has expressed her confidence that the Bill on the Right to Housing, now in parliamentary procedure, can be approved before the end of the year.

She also highlighted the creation of the Youth Rental Voucher, the Rehabilitation Plan and the Affordable Rental Housing Plan, which plans to incorporate more than 100,000 homes for this purpose. "We already have around 98,000 underway and there are already 25,000 with families living in them," she said.

Adaptation to the new CAP

The Government Spokesperson and Minister for Territorial Policy, Isabel Rodríguez, during her speech at the press conference after the Council of Ministers | Pool Moncloa/Fernando Calvo

The Council of Ministers has established the basic national rules for the support of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023-2027 for the wine and beekeeping sectors.

The sectoral programme for the wine sector has an earmarked budget of €202.1 million per year between 2024 and 2027. The allocation for the aid programme for the beekeeping sector will be €19 million per year.

The Government spokesperson and Minister for Territorial Policy, Isabel Rodríguez, has highlighted the importance of both sectors in our country. Spain is the leading honey producer in the EU and the third largest wine producer in the world and the second largest exporter.

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Report

The Executive has analysed the 2022 Sustainable Development Strategy Progress Report, which monitors the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is the third report prepared by the Government of Spain and will be submitted to the UN.

Isabel Rodríguez has described this document as an exercise in accountability and evidence of the Government of Spain's commitment to the SDGs throughout the legislature, which has once again been reflected in the General State Budget Bill for 2023.

In this respect, Rodríguez thanked the parliamentary groups for their support, which will allow the parliamentary processing of the budget in the Lower House of Parliament to continue.

Non official translation