Spanish government backtracks on accessibility fund

Although the new law is to go-ahead, the details are still to be negotiated with the Economic Development Ministry. Ports such as Barcelona, which would have to theoretically pay around €40m into the fund would automatically receive this back to help pay for access upgrades of its own.

The fund was earlier criticised by Artur Mas, president of the Catalan government, as being “stuff and nonsense”, while Sixte Cambra, president of Barcelona port authority, suggested that the €50m that the port had already invested in rail access – the Economic Development Ministry having contributed a further €50m – should already be seen as a payment into the fund.

The CCOO union has also rejected creation of the fund. Instead, the union advocates a system of consensual financing in which the National Ports Authority, port authorities and Economic Development Ministry will all be co-participants. This method, it argues, would not jeopardise the financial stability of ports and port employees and will do much to preserve the existing self-sufficient port system.