“Work on the new connection is ongoing, it is important for all political leaders and politicians who are talking about the railway issue to know what is actually underway”, stated Pedro Nuno Santos, in Madrid, after a meeting with the general secretary of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) and the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez.

The PS leader defended that new railway projects have advanced in Portugal, with the socialist governments of António Costa, ”after decades of abandonment”, and within cross-border connections, and despite the high-speed line between Lisbon and Vigo being considered a priority.

Pedro Santos highlighted that “a very important investment is in progress on the Spanish side” for fast train rail connections between Madrid and Badajoz, and similarly on the Portuguese side, with the aim of connecting Évora and the border with Badajoz with an average speed of 250 kilometres per hour.

The PS leader recalled that connections with Galicia are considered a priority, through the north of Portugal, due to “the projected demand” being ten times higher and because the relationship between Galicia and northern Portugal is “very close” in an economic and social context, which is also important for Portugal.

“However, it does not beat the Lisbon-Madrid connection, which is currently underway”, he stressed.

Among the topics discussed between Pedro Sánchez and Pedro Nuno Santos were the fight against the extreme right and the articulation of positions in the European Union, as well as bilateral dossiers, such as river management and rail connections.

Regarding the water management issue, as the border regions of both Spain and Portugal are facing drought, the PS leader stated there is currently no action to revise the Albufeira Convention, which regulates the management of rivers shared by both countries, however, he intends to take this issue “to the forefront of the European debate”.

After Madrid, on January 31, the PS secretary general will attend a series of meetings in Brussels with officials from the European Parliament and the European Commission.