European Injection for a Safe and Intelligent Transport Network in Spain

Spain has obtained significant European funding of 42.1 million euros through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) to boost projects that strengthen the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). This aid package, managed by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, supports eleven initiatives submitted by public and private companies. The main objective is to develop more efficient, sustainable, and resilient transport infrastructure, where five of the projects will be executed exclusively on Spanish territory and the other six are community consortia with Spanish participation.

A crucial part of this investment, specifically 16.6 million euros, will be allocated to alleviate one of the biggest challenges in road transport: the shortage of safe parking spaces for trucks. These funds will finance the creation of Safe and Secure Parking Areas (SSPAs) in the provinces of Gipuzkoa, Huesca, and Zaragoza. This need is pressing at a continental level, as a European Commission study reveals a massive deficit of 390,057 parking spaces in the EU, a shortfall that is expected to worsen, reaching 483,000 spaces by 2040, and which also significantly affects Spain.

Safety is not the only priority. Two other projects within the same funding line, with an allocation of 3.9 million euros, focus on increasing the resilience of Spanish roads against the effects of climate change. The goal is to prepare the road infrastructure to minimize the serious consequences of extreme weather phenomena such as DANAs (Isolated High-Level Depression) and other natural disasters, ensuring greater continuity and safety of service.

Complementing these road actions, the other half of the funds, approximately 21.6 million euros, will be dedicated to six smart and interoperable mobility projects. These initiatives seek to modernize transport through digital solutions and include the development of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) for key corridors, the improvement of air traffic management with the SESAR program, and the creation of systems to remove barriers to data interoperability in intermodal rail transport, thereby improving overall efficiency and safety.

Overall, this injection of 42 million euros underscores the European and Spanish commitment to building the transport network of the future. The funding, granted in direct competition to the highest-rated projects, comprehensively addresses two key fronts: the physical safety of drivers and goods through secure parking and more resilient roads, and operational efficiency through the digitalization and interoperability of different transport modes.