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Controversial Measures for a Time of Crisis, by Virginia Pérez Domínguez (Av2 Mon, 2010-11) - 325 words

The African revolutions which are taking part these days in Libya, Tunis, Egypt and Yemen are having some consequences in European economies and one of them is a raise in fuel prices — around €112 per barrel. Some countries are taking partial measures to save money and Spain is one of them.

These measures consist of lowering the public transport tickets prices — a 5% less — and reducing the speed limit to 110 km/h on Spanish roads. This action could possibly work positively because we would be able to save around €1400 million in fuel. Moreover, by reducing our speed limit just a little, every driver would be able to save a 15% in fuel, which is pretty good for everyone and especially for our private economies.

However, most Spanish people believe that the Government is trying to trick them with these measures.  It is believed that the Government is intending to collect a great deal of money from the fines of people who drive over the new speed limit. It is a €100 fine, so that would be a large quantity. The European Commissioner for the Automotive Industry considers this will not ensure good road safety and that it only contributes insignificantly in saving. What the European Commissioner proposes is more efficient and less pollutant cars for everyone. In addition, they believe that it is of paramount importance to create new educational campaigns for a change in driver’s bad habits.

As conclusion, we can see how the country is divided in two sides: people who agree and people who disagree. For the time being, people need to comply with the new measures. Meanwhile, it might be interesting to consider the changes proposed by European Commissioner.

In any case, we need to see what happens with the African revolutions, in order to analyze their consequences, so that later we can decide what the most appropriate course of action is.