New deadline for the Sustainable Mobility Plan: what changes and which companies are affected in 2026

Sustainability no longer advances only at the pace of corporate strategies, but also at the pace of global crises. The recent Comprehensive Response Plan to the Middle East Crisis brings the deadline forward by one year to have a Workplace Sustainable Mobility Plan in place, which now becomes mandatory before the end of 2026.

What until now could be planned with some margin becomes an immediate priority. For many organisations, this means revisiting roadmaps, reallocating resources and, above all, accelerating decision-making in an area, mobility, that connects directly with operating costs, emissions and regulatory compliance.

What is Royal Decree-Law 7/2026 and how does it affect corporate mobility?

The change stems from an emergency instrument: Royal Decree-Law 7/2026 of 20 March. Approved in a context of high geopolitical volatility and pressure on energy prices, this regulatory package aims to cushion the economic effects of the Middle East crisis. Among fiscal, energy and business support measures, the government also amends Law 9/2025 on Sustainable Mobility to accelerate its application in 2026.

The logic is to reduce energy dependency, especially on fossil fuels. That largely involves transforming how people and goods move. And there, companies play a central role.

What is relevant is not only the content of the decree, but its nature: as a royal decree-law, its application is immediate. There is no long adaptation period. Political urgency is transferred directly to the business fabric.

We have analysed in detail what data your Sustainable Mobility Plan needs to comply with RD-Law 7/2026.

New deadline: 5 December 2026

The adjustment introduced by the decree directly affects the implementation timeline for Sustainable Mobility Plans, key instruments for reducing the emissions associated with corporate transport (employees, logistics, fleets). Specifically, it reduces the deadline to have an approved plan from 24 to 12 months.

Main regulatory implications

• Deadline shortened by one year to have an approved Workplace Sustainable Mobility Plan (WSMP). In other words, it must be ready before 5 December 2026.
• Greater pressure on companies that have not yet started the process.
• Possible clawback of public aid: companies that received the direct aid provided for in the decree and do not have the plan in place will have to return the amounts received.
• Alignment with more demanding short-term climate targets.
• Reinforced role of mobility within ESG strategies.

Which companies are required to have a Workplace Sustainable Mobility Plan (WSMP)?

Although the timeline accelerates, the conceptual framework of mobility plans remains the same.

Companies with more than 200 employees, or more than 100 per shift, still have to address:

• The analysis of the commuting patterns of employees and other users.
• The promotion of public or shared transport.
• The promotion of active mobility (such as cycling or walking).
• The encouragement of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.
• Integration with urban mobility plans and teleworking.
• Road safety measures.

In other words, there is no radical change in the “what”, but in the “when” and the “how”. And that is what makes the difference. Because many organisations have not yet solved the main challenge: having reliable data, coordinating internal areas and translating these general guidelines into concrete, measurable actions.

From theory to execution: the real bottleneck

In this new scenario, the risk is not being unaware of the regulation, but not being able to implement it in time.

To have their Sustainable Mobility Plan ready before the end of 2026, companies face three common frictions:

• Lack of visibility over real mobility patterns.
• Fragmented internal processes (sustainability, HR, operations).
• Difficulty measuring impact and justifying decisions.

With less time available, these obstacles become critical. The difference between complying or not will largely depend on execution capacity.

How to digitalise your Mobility Plan with Manglai

This is where technology stops being a complement and becomes an enabler. Manglai allows companies to approach the Sustainable Mobility Plan in a structured, fast way aligned with regulatory requirements:

• Automated diagnosis of corporate mobility, with real data on the carbon footprint.
• Identification of priority measures, tailored to the context of each organisation.
• Continuous monitoring and reporting, key for compliance and decision-making.
• Integration with sustainability goals, facilitating audits and communication.

In a context where deadlines are getting shorter and pressure is increasing, it is not just about designing a plan, but about making it viable. If you want to start from reliable transport data, you can rely on Manglai’s carbon footprint solution. Because this time, sustainable mobility is not a roadmap for the future: it is an immediate requirement with a direct impact on the business.