Brussels gives green light over Lusoponte

The European Commission has given the green light to French multinational Vinci and Portuguese construction giant Mota-Engil for the management and exploration of Lisbon bridge toll company Lusoponte.

The commission, which gave its approval on Thursday, arrived at the conclusion that the proposed transaction would not be a problem in terms of monopolies or competition.
Lusoponte hold the concession for the two bridges that straddle the River Tagus in Lisbon – the 25 April Bridge in Alcântara and the Vasco da Gama Bridge that connects the north and south banks of the river at the city’s east district of Parque das Nações where the Expo ’98 was held.
In a statement issued that day, the EC informed “The European Commission has approved the acquisition of the joint control of Lusoponte by Lineas (from the Mota-Engil Group), both headquartered in Portugal, and by Vinci, headquartered in France”.
The new shareholding structure of Lusoponte has now been approved by Brussels after the Italian group Atlantia (Autostrade) left the group.
Lusoponte has the concession for the two bridges until March 2030.
Lineas, (Mota-Engil) manages stake holdings in companies that operate exclusively in the public and private sectors in motorway concessions, as well as companies involved in PPP contracts for road, rail and airport concessions in Portugal, Spain and Brazil. It has a 50.7% share in Lusoponte through Lineas.