State accounts threatened by highways Douro Litoral – Daily News – Lisbon

The dealer Douro Litoral has a balance of replacement request the amount is about 0.8% of the wealth produced by the country

the concessioned highways to the Douro Litoral are one of the major fiscal risks to 2016, according writes on Friday the Journal News , based on the government’s stability program António Costa .

These highways, the A32, the A41 and A43, are so little used that won the nickname ghost highway. The Douro Litoral concession seeks to be compensated by the state for lack of traffic on these roads, since the concession contract brings with it registered a minimum value for the viability of the road. Checking up a traffic volume below this, the State must pay compensation, called financial replenishment, the concessionaire -. And the Douro Litoral is now demanding a worth 1,350 million euros

There more than two years it expects a decision of the arbitral tribunal on the value of financial replacement in the case of the Douro Litoral concession, and a replacement for the amount stipulated by the company, which represents 0.8% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Portuguese, It makes it impossible to reach a deficit of 2.2% of GDP for this year, as the Government provides.

Despite assume that this is a possible risk, as the financial balance of replacement Douro Litoral arises identified as such in the government’s stability program, it is nonetheless a small risk, according to the executive. “Most of the requests have not been accepted,” reads the program, “to conclude that there is no basis for the payment of compensation or damages.”

Journal News , the Douro Litoral, which is technically bankrupt, declined to comment on the arbitration process that is taking place, out of respect to the court. “The Douro Litoral is confident of its arguments,” he added the representative of the company.