Jean-François Calmette was the guest of France Bleu Roussillon, this Thursday morning. This lawyer and lecturer at the University of Perpignan publishes the book Highways, a matter of state, published by LGDJ. While several presidential candidates propose to renationalize the French highways, Jean-François Calmette considers the idea unrealistic. “Break the current contracts with the dealers, I don’t believe it, he explained into the microphone. I don’t think it can be done before the end of the contracts. The termination would cost 40 billion euros to the state.“
According to the lawyer, the possible option would be to do not renew motorway concessions when they came to an end, in the 2030s. “But here too, it seems complicated because the State, I think, is incapable of maintaining this kind of infrastructure.“
So, if it is necessary to keep motorway concessions, Jean-François Calmette believes that more regulation in the awarding of contracts, and more transparency. “And why not new methods of attribution. As for the hertzian frequencies, one could set up an auction.“
Other countries, like Spain, have renationalized their highways. Since the beginning of September, the AP7 motorway, which runs from the Franco-Spanish border to Barcelona, is thus free.