Sánchez admits that "it is true" that he raised the tolls to the EU one day after presenting them as a "hoax"

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has admitted on TVE that “it is true” that he proposed to the EU the payment for the use of highways, just one day after presenting it as a “hoax”. In statements this Friday to the public channel, the socialist candidate stated: “It is true that this possibility is included in the Recovery Plan.”

The day before, he omitted that reality in statements to the Sixth and presented the plan as “a hoax by Mr. Feijóo and Mr. Abascal”. However, Sánchez describes this section of the Plan as a “possibility”, despite the fact that the European Council decision of June 2021 states “the creation of a payment mechanism for the use of State highways, which will begin to operate from 2024, in accordance with the principle of whoever pollutes pays” as a true commitment of the Spanish Government and not a survey. This was recalled this Thursday by the economic spokesperson of the European Commission.

As Sánchez has specified on TVE, what is happening now is “a change of position” on his part, because “it is also true that in the negotiation that we are making of the Addendum, that possibility is already withdrawn”.. The Addendum in the request for an extra 94,000 million European funds in which the Government takes the opportunity to try to modify previous commitments.

“Reality is dynamic and we have changed that position with the European Commission. It is what is being negotiated,” the PSOE leader declared, without making it clear whether it will be possible to back down and with what other formula he will finance the huge investment necessary to modernize and maintain the Spanish road network. Sánchez has justified the change of position, because “things have happened between 2021 and 2023, we have overcome the pandemic and we are suffering a war”.

He has assumed that if he continues to govern, the Sustainable Mobility Bill will not incorporate payment for the use of roads, although the European Commission has not yet given an answer and each commitment is linked to obtaining European funds. In this specific case, the fifth payment conditional on the commitments acquired by December 2023 as payment for use.

The European Commission corrects the Government on tolls in 2024

On the other hand, when the elections of July 23 have not yet been held, thoughts are already directed to the day after, to what would happen or with whom an agreement will be made.. The scenario that is drawn for the PSOE, according to the known surveys, is that if there is a possibility that Pedro Sánchez could be invested, he must once again have the support of the nationalist forces. ERC and Bildu have already warned that “they will raise the price” if the socialist governs again. Sánchez, a few hours after voting, tries to distance himself from the independentistas so as not to scare away that moderate and undecided vote that he is trying to capture in this final stretch.

In the PSOE they have been trying to attract, according to the data from the last known CIS, almost a million undecided voters, among those who voted for PSOE and PP in 2019.. A very important basket that could be key to tipping the balance of governance. Sánchez tries to distance himself from groups such as ERC or Bildu, although he admits that he will agree to laws with them again if it is for socioeconomic measures such as those that have been put in place this legislature.

The PP affirms that the European Commission has “denied” Sánchez and there will be tolls in 2024

The socialist candidate has rejected in an interview on TVE the possibility of a referendum or an amnesty. “The independence movement asked for an amnesty and it has not had it, what it has had are conditional pardons,” the socialist candidate intervened, who in that letter of introduction to the center and moderation that he has been playing in recent days has stated: “The independence movement is an out-of-date ideology from a political and effective point of view when it comes to being able to solve the serious and common problems that humanity has.”

Regarding the nationalists' request to hold a referendum or Bildu's notice that he intends to bring the right to decide to Congress in the next legislature, Sánchez rejects the idea and insists that in his five years in government no consultation has been held, while when the PP governed there were two. It's an old debate, which the right always brings out to see if they can scare some PSOE voters.”

In this campaign, Sánchez tries to install an idea that prevents voters from fleeing from the center: he has not governed with ERC and Bildu, he has agreed to laws because he did not have an absolute majority in Congress. is the message. To govern is to have ministers from a party. I have agreed with Yolanda Diaz's party. Feijóo has agreed with Vox because there are advisors from this party in community governments and town halls.”