The Sustainable Mobility Law in Spain is facing a new stage of revision after the deadline for partial amendments has closed.
More than 1,000 amendments are expected to be submitted, according to the Director of Political Strategy at beBartlet, Diego Gago, who believes that this figure indicates two issues:
“On the one hand, it demonstrates the great interest that it has aroused in sectors, entities, associations and parliamentary groups, as well as the desire to improve the project through a consensus between all the parties involved.”
He said the government should “reach out” to the various parliamentary groups.
For what reason?
To include improvements that do not necessarily respond to ideological differences, but to the opportunity to consolidate the impact of regulations on sustainable mobility.
Given the possibility that the law is not approved this year, Gago suggests:
“It would now be interesting to have a calm and peaceful debate on the various amendments that have been tabled.”
At this stage, it highlights the importance of changes aimed at decarbonising mobility and including all transport systems, including taxi and VTC services.
In this sense, this first Sustainable Mobility Law must advance not only the sustainability of transport, but also measures that reduce the average age of the vehicle fleet.
What are the next steps in the legislative process?
“After the amendments have been submitted, the committee will be formed, where the Government will inform the parliamentary groups of the proposals it is prepared to include without prior debate,” explains Gago.
This phase will take place behind closed doors, before moving on to the parliamentary committee where the remaining amendments will be debated and voted on.
The estimated time for approval of the law now extends to the first quarter of 2025.
At this point, it is worth mentioning that the urgency of passing the law is not limited only to national expectations, but also responds to the requirements of the European Union for the provision of funds for sustainable mobility.
If the law does not come into force, Spain will be risking 10 billion euros.
Carlos Bravo, environmental consultant, tells Mobility Portal España:
“A delay of up to three months would not represent a problem for receiving that shipment.”
However, he clarifies that this information is not confirmed by written regulations.
“The European Commission will not say ‘if it is not there by 31 December there is no money’, because it is currently being processed and we are already in the final phase,” he says.
What has been the path of the Law so far?
Since it was presented in the previous legislature, the project has overcome obstacles such as the rejection of the amendment presented by the Popular Party (PP), with 176 votes against and 168 in favor, which allowed the text to continue its course in Congress.
According to Bravo, the PP’s amendment “did not make much sense in the terms in which it was proposed.”
This is because, by not proposing an alternative project, “the strategy turned out to be somewhat weak and the rejection was predictable.”
In this context, the Government is now able to improve the law through amendments that include decarbonisation objectives and align them with the National Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC).
Bravo and other sectors have also criticised the support that the Law gives to the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in maritime transport, a fossil fuel that contradicts sustainability objectives.
The roadmap for the Sustainable Mobility Law poses significant challenges for the Government, especially in the Senate, where the Popular Party could delay the approval of the legislation by up to two months.
