Ana Abrunhosa stressed that the reduction will be part of a "more complete" programme of mobility and accessibility to encourage the use of public transport.

"The commitment is to reduce tolls [on the interior highways and on the A22]. We are going to study what reduction in tolls we can do as part of a broader programme", she said, adding that the mobility and accessibility study should be completed in the first quarter of 2023

"Tolls in interior territories are a very high context cost, we never denied that", she said, stressing, however, that the reduction will have to be "sustainable", to last over the years.

Ana Abrunhosa also admitted to being aware that there have been calls to scrap the tolls completely in the interior but she said that "there are no conditions" to adopt this measure.

The minister of Territorial Cohesion also acknowledged that the measures that encourage the use of own vehicle are "in counter-cycle" with the need to encourage the use of public transport, but recalled that the interior has no alternatives.

"In the interior there are no alternatives in terms of roads and there is also no public transport as on the coast. The idea is to reduce [tolls], but it is not the solution. The solution is to promote the supply of public transport", she stressed.