Matos Fernandes, Minister of Environment and Energy Transition, has confirmed that Spanish trucks carrying fuel have been supplying a number of stations across the Algarve. The Minister confirmed that this has "happened throughout this week", but is "absolutely legal".
"I cannot say whether this is happening right now, but it has happened over the course of these past days, as has happened at other times when there was no strike," said the minister, at a time when this is we are already on the fourth day of the fuel truck drivers’ strike.
This situation was first revealed by SIC, which in one report showed Spanish trucks, driven by drivers also from Spain being escorted by GNR to supply a BP station in Monte Gordo that had been out of fuel for several days.
But the minister, when faced with this issue, reaffirmed that it seems to him to be “absolutely legal in the light of European law”.
Matos Fernandes also revealed news about the Emergency Network of Gas Stations (REPA) that the Government has put in place.
"For the first time, over the course of these four days of the strike, diesel has been in stock in the Algarve as normal at all REPA network stations," he said. In the minister's opinion, the "great effort we have made to ensure everything runs smoothly has been successful and there is fuel to enable people to travel safely". At a time when the Algarve triples its population this has been a constant concern of many tourists as well as residents.
As for minimum services, Matos Fernandes said that “they are being met” and, in some cases, “have already been exceeded”. "Distribution has begun to take place normally," he concluded.
