EU funds will not pay for one more kilometre of road in Portugal. The European Commission has made it crystal clear that further investment in road infrastructure is not a priority for the country.
Instead Portugal should focus on using the latest injection of European money on projects that create greater impact on the regional economy.
The priorities for projects funded by EC grants are now the green and digital economies, research and development, support for SMEs and job creation programmes.
"Portugal has invested heavily in roads in the past, such infrastructure now should not be a priority," said Shirin Wheeler the spokesman at the European Commission responsible for regional policy.
It was the hope of many mayors in the north and centre of Portugal, which asked Brussels for yet another allocation of funds for the construction and renovation of several highways, that the allocation of huge grants would continue indefinitely.
Shirin Wheeler said that now Portugal’s state budget needs to sort out the country’s roads, "EU money can not do everything, there is a point where you have to make political choices," said the official in a frank discussion with Portuguese media which pointed out that many roads, despite having been funded by the EU, have been delayed for years, have not been started, or finished.
"Road construction creates money for a few months, but it does not create jobs that feed families in the future," said Wheeler when asked about the possibility of Portugal obtaining financing for yet more infrastructure.
Indicating that this issue "is not unique to Portugal" Wheeler said there may be future investment in roads provided it is included in a national strategy and is part of a trans-European network.
At the moment Portugal is in negotiations with the European Commission over its investment strategy for the fifth and final Community Support Framework.
Brussels has shovelled money at Portugal’s road network for years and now its regional policy has changed direction.
