FCC Construcción took part in the 3rd Infrastructure Forum: ‘Opportunities, financing models and public-private collaboration’, organised by El Economista. Specifically, the director of Spain, Portugal and industrial area of FCC Construcción, Jose A Madrazo, participated in the round table called ‘The challenges of boosting investment in infrastructure’, where he addressed issues such as the need for investment in infrastructure, the state of the current infrastructure, the risks of lack of investment and the effects after the completion of the Next Generation funds.

The main companies in the infrastructure and concessions sector in Spain agreed on the urgency of modifying the regulatory framework to address the growing investment needs, especially in areas such as water, transport and energy transition. The volume of planned projects, which exceeds 150 billion euros in planned infrastructure and another 130 billion in modernisation and regulatory adaptation, requires a model capable of mobilising resources effectively. 

FCC Construcción called for stable regulatory frameworks and greater administrative flexibility to successfully execute infrastructure investments. It warned that political cycles and increasing judicialisation can slow down essential projects and discourage private participation. It defended the concession model as the only way to meet investment needs without compromising budgetary stability. Public-private partnerships were suggested as a mechanism to accelerate the implementation of infrastructure, thus guaranteeing its long-term maintenance. A call was made for greater realism in the tender documents, both in terms of deadlines and tariffs, and the insufficiency of many concessions to cover energy and personnel costs was given as an example. 

In addition, a new framework for dialogue with the authorities was advocated to enable projects to be treated as national assets. In this regard, there were calls to review the mechanisms for dispute resolution, to incorporate technical improvements without penalties and to facilitate regulatory changes when there is consensus among the parties.