The Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) and the Interreg CHIPS project are to organise a high-level stakeholder event, discussing the place of Active Mobility in the next Funding Period, 2021 – 2027. The key challenge that will be addressed in the session is: How can we unlock larger and better EU investments in walking and cycling?

A range of stakeholders have kindly agreed to speak with us at the event, including:

• Florin Biban, Secretary of State for Road Transport, Ministry of Transport, Romania;
• Boguslaw Liberadzki, European Parliament Vice President;
• Matthew Baldwin, DG MOVE Deputy Director General;
• Dr Vincent Leiner Team Leader on Transport at DG REGIO;
• Christophe Najdovksi, ECF President, Deputy Mayor of Paris;
• Camille Thomé, Director, Vélo & Territories;a
• Heather Allen, Trustee, Walk 21.

The most recent Agenda is available here.

In addition, In a practitioner session participants will hear about best practice examples of high quality cycling projects from West Pomerania, Navarra and Flemish Brabant. These are three projects that have delivered world class infrastructure, with huge benefits to EU citizens. 

It is not too late to participate in the event, although you will have to be quick, as registration closes at midnight on the 29th of March.

Event Registration

600 million Euros were invested into walking and cycling from EU funds during the Multi-annual Financial Perspective (MFF) 2007 – 2013. Thanks to the ECF ‘6bn campaign’ ECF activated many regional authorities to submit cycling projects, bringing the total EU investment in walking and cycling to an estimated 1.5 bn Euros during the MFF 2014 – 2020. To give some context, about 1.5 % of EU transport investment currently involves active mobility.

With 56 national environment and transport ministers endorsing the Graz Declaration on the 29th October 2018 and hereby, “acknowledging active human-powered mobility (cycling, walking, etc.) as an equal mode of transport”, Member States committed to continue to invest into cycling during the next MFF.

Graz Declaration: "Starting a new era:  clean, safe and affordable mobility for Europe" on funding:

“Integrating active mobility in the current and future European funding and financing schemes to enable the extension and improvement of infrastructure for active mobility, including the development of a Trans-European Cycling Network (TEC), and, in particular, to support Member States' programmes for active mobility. This infrastructure development should cover all types of bicycles and ensure multimodal connectivity with public transport and new mobility services.”

With negotiations on the 2021 – 2027 MFF in their final stages, it is important to identify opportunities for EU investments in active mobility now. This high-level stakeholder event will focus on the possibilities for, advantages to, and previous practical examples of European investment in Active Mobility.