Vox has requested an independent audit from the European Commission regarding community funds allocated for railway safety in Spain following the Urda (Toledo) accident.
The Vox delegation in the European Parliament has demanded an independent audit from the European Commission on the European funds intended to modernise railway safety in Spain, as reported by Europa Press. The party wants to know whether community aid was used to renew the signalling system of the Madrid-Sevilla line after the Urda (Toledo) accident, and whether the commitments linked to those works were fulfilled.
Vox also indicates that it will request an urgent debate on the matter at the next plenary session of the European Parliament. If non-compliance is confirmed, it additionally proposes the possible return of the funds.
MEP Jorge Buxadé has submitted a parliamentary question directed at the community executive. In it, he asks for the identification of the European funding linked to the modernisation contracts of the line and the documentation that the Spanish Government presented to prove compliance with those commitments. He also requests clarification on whether Spain certified the effective replacement of the security system in the affected section.
According to the party, it has not yet been determined which contract financed the actions at the accident site. It is also unclear whether the funds came from NextGenerationEU or the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Vox points out that the main contract for the modernisation of the signalling, formalised in October 2021 for nearly 94 million euros, had an execution period of 52 months. With that timeline, the new system was supposed to be installed by early 2026. According to the party, the section was still using the LZB system when the accident occurred, preceded by a computer failure.
Buxadé also requests that the Commission demands the Government publish the current contractual timeline, justify possible extensions, and provide evidence that the LZB system remained operational during the works.
“Millions of euros were committed to modernise our safety systems, but on the day of the accident the new system was still not operational. What works were actually carried out? What did the Government certify to Brussels? Where is the money?” questioned the Vox delegation.
This initiative adds to the complaint that Vox has filed this Thursday with the Supreme Court against the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, for alleged crimes of homicide and serious injury due to gross negligence following the Urda railway accident.
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