This Wednesday the coalition government faces another dizzying parliamentary session before the vote on the Mobility Law. Once again, Podemos has in its hands the possibility that the Executive saves the norm or faces another notorious failure, like the one it suffered with the rejection of the 37.5 hour day o the ttransfer of immigration powers to the Generalitat of Catalonia. At stake is also the receipt of nearly 10 billion in European aid that is linked to the fulfillment of this legislative milestone.
It may be surprising that the Executive would face difficulties with a standard for which it has achieved the consensus of non-governmental organizations, various professional associations and, most importantly, the unanimity of practically the entire investiture blockafter the introduction of about 800 amendments to the original text. This last group even includes Junts, despite the fact that the pro-independence party has posed significant difficulties for the Executive in recent years in the outcome of other key parliamentary votes. However, the piece that, once again, still does not fit is Podemos. The purple party considers that the Mobility Law, in its current wording, lacks “ambition”. However, more important is the fact that he wants to use his processing to achieve a more far-reaching objective: the paralysis of the expansion of El Prat Airport in Barcelona and also the one that affects the Port of Valencia.
Any threat from the formation of Ione Belarra has to be taken seriously, given that they have already managed to paralyze the transfer of border control powers to the Generalitat of Catalonia and The approval of the veto on arms trade with Israel is also in suspensewhose vote was delayed this Tuesday so as not to coincide with the second anniversary of the massacre perpetrated by Hamas at the Nova Festival. In the case of the Mobility Law, the purple party refuses to reveal in which direction it will vote, while ensuring that it does not have any conversations with the Ministry commanded by Óscar Puente. The Government still believes it is possible for him to abstain; In the worst case scenario, if Podemos ends up voting ‘no’, there is also the possibility of saving the text by the minimum, thanks to a possible favorable vote from UPN. But the Navarrese party does not commit, for now, to ensuring that this carom goes ahead.
What is at stake?
The support or abstention of the PP is more unlikely, but there has been speculation about it, given that the Mobility Law has several points with the potential to generate consensus. One of the most important is the bicycle use promotion planwith which all Administrations will be urged to take measures such as facilitating the parking of these vehicles or expanding the available kilometers of bike lanes.
The release of resources so that User access to public transport is done through digital channelssuch as mobile applications and creation of a National Mobility System Sustainable, that coordinates the actions of different authorities.
The points that establish the obligation, for companies with more than 200 employees, to design sustainable mobility plansthe objective of reduce flights to journeys of less than two and a half hoursand when there is an alternative to traveling by train or review of the concession map now in force for buses. However, more concern is caused by the way in which Spain would be deprived of up to 10 billion in additional European aid if, as seems very likely, the Mobility Law ends up being shipwrecked. The very credibility of the coalition government, which has made sustainability one of its main flags, would also be seriously affected.
