Green MEP and chair of the TRAN (Transport) committee of the European Parliament, Karima Delli, teased a major announcement on an EU-wide cycling declaration and inclusion of cycling in the EU’s industrial strategy. Speaking in Lyon, she declared that “cycling will no longer be considered a hobby but a mode of transport in its own right,” adding that there was “undeniable appetite among local elected officials” and that “Europe has levers for action to support cities and metropolises to activate these actions.”

The next day in Copenhagen, European Commission Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans, speaking ahead of the Grand Départ of the Tour de France, said that funding priority would indeed be given to cities and regions that prioritised cycling, walking, and public transport when submitting proposals to receive infrastructure investments. He said the Commission “can and we should go further and adopt even new initiatives to promote more cycling in Europe”, adding that when it comes to achieving climate neutral cities, “It's simply impossible to do [so] without cycling.”

Cycling is increasingly being recognised as a key solution to so many of the challenges facing our societies, including climate change, energy dependence, inequality, sustainable economic development, and public health, and so it is only right that EU officials are expressing stronger support for cycling at this time.

Cycling advocacy organisations welcomed the announcements, with European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) CEO Jill Warren stating, “This is a great day for cycling in Europe. We particularly welcome the joined-up approach outlined by EVP Timmermans that should incorporate a number of our longstanding policy demands.” ECF stands ready to engage constructively with EU institutions on achieving more and safer cycling for all.

The cycling declaration announced by Timmermans brings Europe another step closer to developing a pan-European cycling strategy, something ECF has long been advocating for as essential to enabling more and safer cycling at the levels needed to more effectively realise and leverage cycling’s many benefits – including for the climate, congestion, road safety, public health, social inclusion and the liveability of our cities and towns.

At the European level, a coordinated cycling strategy would help unlock much more investment to accelerate cycling’s further development as a sustainable and healthy mode of transport and leisure. It is precisely for this reason that ECF is advocating for the stronger integration of cycling in the EU’s flagship TEN-T policy and the inclusion of the EuroVelo cycle route network into the TEN-T network.

Map displaying the considerable compatibility between the proposed TEN-T Transport network and the developing EuroVelo long-distance cycle route network.
 

Earlier in the year, on World Bicycle Day on 3 June, Belgian Deputy Prime minister Georges Gilkinet called for an EU-level cycling strategy. Now with this latest announcement from both the Commission and Parliament, it appears that momentum towards a strategy is building.

Both Delli and Timmermans acknowledged the importance of the cycling industry and underscored the need to foster sustainable manufacturing jobs in this key growth sector. Delli stated that the bike must now be “made in Europe”, and Timmermans pointed out how “our industrial capacity should be also geared towards bikes”. Further, spillover effects from the development of new industries around electric vehicles will also benefit the bicycle industry.

In his response to the announcements, Cycling Industries Europe CEO Kevin Mayne spoke for the industry, saying “We are committed to delivering thousands of high-quality green jobs in Europe and we look forward to working with the Commission to place our industrial strategy into the EU Cycling Declaration.”

This recognition of cycling as a mode of transport in its own right and as a driver of sustainable economic growth is a welcome step in the right direction that has the potential for accelerating the further development of cycling across Europe. We look forward to working with the Commission and Parliament to ensure the stated ambitions are supported by concrete actions. ECF and our partners stand ready to engage constructively and lend our support and expertise to the EU institutions as work develops.