Spain's Congress to debate transfer law for the AP-9 highway

The organic law to transfer the Autopista del Atlántico (AP‑9) from state to Galician control is scheduled for a key debate in the lower house of Spain's Congress on Tuesday, 26 April. The parliamentary working group, formed in March after several delays, aims to complete the draft by May and then send it to the Transport Commission before a full plenary vote.

The main points of contention are the amendments proposed by the PSOE and the platform Sumar. The PSOE seeks to link the transfer to "administration and exploitation" while keeping state ownership, and stresses that the highway should become free of charge for users. Sumar plans to keep its amendments, pushing for full nationalisation and has added unrelated provisions on activity‑stop protection for the shellfish sector and special conditions for overseas mine workers. The PP and Galician nationalist parties demand respect for the previous regional agreement and the withdrawal of the amendments.

If approved, the law would aim to eliminate tolls for Galician motorists and resolve disputes over previous concession extensions deemed illegal by the European Commission.