The Parliament of Navarra has approved a reform to the Organic Law of Reintegration and Improvement of the Foral Regime of Navarra (Lorafna) that will allow the community to fully assume the competence of Traffic and Road Safety. The reform was approved with a large majority, with 45 out of 50 seats voting in favor. The right-wing groups, PP and Vox, were the only ones to vote against it, claiming that transferring this competence would mean the expulsion of the Guardia Civil from Navarra. The Supreme Court had previously annulled the transfer of this competence based on a recourse by a Guardia Civil association, stating that it could only be transferred through a reform of the Lorafna or an organic law.
The Government of Navarra, led by the socialist María Chivite, had agreed to transfer this competence to Navarra, and a text for modifying the Lorafna was agreed upon with the Spanish Government in April of this year, leading to the approved reform in the regional Parliament. The reform states that Navarra will retain full powers and competencies in Traffic, Motor Vehicle Circulation and Road Safety, in addition to the functions of executing State legislation and traffic surveillance and control, effectively transferring these competencies to the Police Foral. The reform has the support of the three governing parties in Navarra, as well as EH Bildu and UPN, with the regionalist party defending the transfer and denying the expulsion of the Guardia Civil.
PP and Vox continue to argue that the exclusive assumption of Traffic and Road Safety competences by the Police Foral will lead to the “expulsion” of the Guardia Civil from Navarra, despite the availability of options for Guardia Civil agents in the region once the transfer is complete. The President of the Navarre PP insists that the reform will result in the immediate expulsion of the Guardia Civil Traffic unit from Navarra, despite historical claims for these competences by the region’s political groups. The transfer of these competences, already in place in Euskadi and Catalonia, has been an ongoing demand of Navarra, and previous agreements to transfer them have not materialized.
With the transfer of Traffic and Road Safety competences effective from July 1, 2023, Navarra had already acquired certain responsibilities, such as authorizing the opening of medical centers for examinations, educational campaigns on road safety, and the collection of fees for traffic-related services. The reform will also allow the transfer of the surveillance of Navarra’s roads to the Police Foral, currently managed by the Guardia Civil. The reform aims to establish a comprehensive framework for Navarra’s autonomous management of Traffic and Road Safety competences, aligning with the historical demands of the region and the will of the current Government.
