The European Commission has launched an initiative that marks a big step forward on the way to get cycling recognized as a way to improve the physical well-being of Europeans.

The Commission proposes to promote physical activity in Europe across all different policy sectors that could contribute to getting more Europeans moving, which also includes transport and mobility. The initiative also recognizes that physical activity can contribute to improving people’s mental well-being.

The Commission says the implementation of the measures could be funded from the Erasmus+ program and that funding could start as early as 2014 if the proposal is adopted (see info box).

“The initiative is an important step on the road to increasing physical activity. For the EU this is a critical area because we’re facing horrific costs, human and economic, if things don’t change,” says ECF policy officer Dr. Randy Rzewnicki. “On the other hand, our recent study on the economic benefits of cycling shows that the benefits are huge. Europeans who are cycling regularly are already saving the European health system more than €120 billion a year.”

An advocacy success for ECF and its partners

ECF and its partners ISCA and Now We Move have been lobbying for an all-around approach to sport and exercise for a long time already. While policy makers have previously recognized that there is considerable potential for improving European citizens’ health in the transport sector, for example, there have been few initiatives to turn these insights into political action in the past.

What’s more, the initiative is based on the WHO guidelines for physical activity, which ECF has adopted and been promoting for many years.

“I’m particularly happy that the benefits to mental health are being cited in the proposal, as it shows that the European authorities understand how important physical activity is to general health and well-being,” says Dr. Randy Rzewnicki. “But it’s at least as important that the Commission proposes a truly cross-sector approach to physical activity.”

ECF has been involved in the process and lobbied these points for many years on an international level. Most importantly, ECF has worked with the WHO, the HEPA (Health Enhancing Physical Activity) Europe Contact group, as a stakeholder on the Platform of the European Commissions’ Directorate General for Health and Consumers (DG SANCO), and has managed the LIFECYCLE project, which was funded by DG SANCO.

The next part of the story will come next week from the EU Sport Forum 2013 and the Informal Meeting of Ministers for Sport where ECF is participating for the first time.

About the Author

Karsten Marhold works as Communications Assistant at the European Cyclists’ Federation. He has a masters degree in European history and cultures and is a researcher in European Integration in Brussels. His interests focus on cycling as a sustainable form of mobility and the corresponding EU policies.