Motorways: Bruno Le Maire auditioned on March 22 at the National Assembly


Europe 1 with AFP

The Finance Committee of the National Assembly is going to hear the Minister of the Economy, Bruno le Maire, about the motorway concessions. A sensitive subject while Le Canard enchaîné accuses the minister of having “stifled” a report from the General Inspectorate of Finance which would propose to reduce toll rates by 60% on nearly two-thirds of the network.

The Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire will be heard on March 22 by the Finance Committee of the National Assembly on the sensitive subject of motorway concessions, we learned from Bercy on Tuesday, confirming information from the media. Context. The government also plans, according to Context, to launch a “public work” in the spring on the future of motorway concessions, while the Senate’s Sustainable Development Committee is also planning hearings on this subject from March 29.

A “stifled” report?

In January, The chained Duck had found a report from the General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF) of 2021, which would point to the profits made by the concession companies and would propose to reduce toll rates by 60% on almost two thirds of the network. The satirical weekly accused the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, of having “stifled” this report. Most of the motorway network was privatized in 2006 and most of the motorway companies are controlled by three groups, the French Vinci and Eiffage and the Spanish Abertis.

Asked about the rise in the price of motorway tolls and the profitability of concession companies, the Ministry of the Economy replied that it was studying the possibility of shortening the duration of concessions. The government claims not to have published the IGF report because it “is used to prepare and support” its arguments in existing disputes with motorway companies, which are contesting a 2020 decision to index the tax on electricity. planning on inflation to finance the Seine-Nord Europe canal.

The Transport Regulatory Authority (ART) had proposed in January to the State to favor shorter contracts, to leave it greater leeway, while the main concessions will expire between 2031 and 2036.



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