For the first time after two years, ECF and its member organisations gathered in Berlin for an in-person Annual General Meeting. The meeting was hosted by ECF Member German Cyclists’ Association (ADFC). “We were delighted to welcome the ECF delegates for this year’s AGM to Berlin” said Rebecca Peters, ADFC National Chairwoman “The ADFC is proud to have hosted the productive networking sessions and exchanges of ideas, while also showcasing highlights of recent cycling infrastructure in the German capital and joining forces with our European partners to further empower cycling advocacy.” 

In his opening address, ECF President Henk Swarttouw welcomed the delegates and underlined the importance of the bicycle in times of crisis:

“After a pandemic-related break, I am pleased to welcome our members, in person, to our 2022 Annual General Meeting. We want to thank ADFC for their warm hospitality here in Berlin. Despite the sad and distressing events currently taking place, it is heart-warming to see that delegates from our Ukrainian and Russian members are able to maintain their commitments to cycling, showing the power of cycling to build bridges and to connect people. Indeed, much like we saw during the pandemic, the bicycle is once again proving to be a vital and reliable tool within our daily lives, even during the most trying of times. Across Europe, our member organisations’ hard work is bearing fruit and they are ensuring that increased investments in cycling continue to be made. Our members are the heart of ECF. Together we will keep working towards more and better cycling for all.”

Rebecca Peters ADFC National Chairwoman, Ann-Kathrin Schneider ADFC, Christoph Schmidt ADFC, Jill Warren ECF CEO, Bettina Jarasch Deputy Mayor and Senator for Environment, Mobility, Consumer and Climate Protection in Berlin, Bernadette Felsch ADFC, Henk Swarttouw ECF President, Joachim Lohse ADFC.

Berlin: enabling green mobility for all

Bettina Jarasch, Deputy Mayor and Senator for Environment, Mobility, Consumer and Climate Protection in Berlin gave the Keynote Address. In her speech, she shared Berlin’s ambitious plans to boost cycling.

“The question that now arises in Berlin is how can we enable mobility for all and achieve our climate targets.” said Jarasch “My answer is clear: We must move away from being a car-friendly city and become a people-friendly city. Developing cycling infrastructure is the highest priority for the Berlin mobility policy. Our goal is to complete 2400 km of cycling routes in Berlin by 2030.”

“Berlin is in the middle of a mobility turnaround not only on the roads but also in people’s minds,” added Jarasch.

#BikesForUkraine

Travelling to Berlin from Kyiv, ECF Ukrainian Member representatives Anastasia Makarenko and Natalia Kniazeva of U-Cycle, presented their #BikesForUkraine campaign.

The campaign aims to increase the mobility of Ukrainian volunteers and make humanitarian aid more accessible to those who need it most. The bicycle remains the only reliable mobility option for aid delivery and the movement of personnel tasked with providing critically important services.

The Ukrainian delegation, Anastasia Makarenko U-Cycle and Natalia Kniazeva U-Cycle, delivered a presentation on the use of bicycles by civilians in the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

ECF Members elect four Board members

At the AGM, ECF members elected Jan Vermeulen as Treasurer, and Camille Thomé, Francesco Baroncini and Angela Francke as Board members

Jan Vermeulen is an avid cyclist and has been the Mayor of Deinze, Belgium, since 2012, during which time he has overseen numerous progress initiatives to improve cycling in the city whilst working closely with local cycling NGOs. He has served as Treasurer since October 2021 and was re-elected for a new term of three years.

Camille Thomé was also re-elected for a second three-year term.  As CEO of Vélo & Territoires, a local-authorities membership organisation, Thomé manages the coordination of the national cycle route network.

Describing himself as a “daily cyclist dad”, Francesco Baroncini is determined to ensure a better world for future generations through cycling advocacy. He has previously served as CEO of FIAB, where he led them to become one of the most important voices for cycling advocacy in Italy. Francesco was also re-elected, for a new term of three years.

Angela Francke is a Professor of cycling and sustainable mobility at the University of Kassel was newly elected to serve a three-year term. Francke studied transport economics with a focus on traffic psychology, traffic management and logistics, traffic ecology, marketing and tourism management. Moreover, she wrote her PhD thesis on urban pricing schemes. One of her most recent fields of research looks at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mobility behaviour.

In one of many insightful presentations, ECF Policy and Development Director Philip Amaral engaged with the assembled delegates.

The cycling community continues to grow: ECF welcomes six members

ECF welcomed six new member organisations. Joining the ECF community are: Cycling UK, Biciklo.me, Marakli t’Biciklave, and Tüm Bisiklet Dernekleri Federasyonu (TUBIDEF) as Full members, as well as Polish union of active mobility (PUMA) and Cycling & Health Tech Industry R&D Center (CHC) as Associate members.

The AGM programme also included workshops that ranged from successful cycling campaigning and cycling data collection to a knowledge transfer session on ECF Member successes from the last year. To wrap it all up, a bike tour through the German capital brought two days of knowledge sharing and inspiring exchanges between the international cycling community to a close.