ECF welcomes EU Transport Ministers commitment to cycling

07 Oct, 2015
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

The first informal Council meeting of the EU and EFTA Transport ministers on the subject of cycling, the so called “EU Cycling Summit", has resulted in the “Declaration of Luxembourg”, an acknowledgement of the benefits of cycling and a call for the EU to develop an EU level strategic document on cycling. Speaking on behalf of ECF and the wider cycling community in Europe ECF Secretary General Bernhard Ensink told the summit “We welcome the proposal of an EU strategy for cycling. We can see the impact that will be achieved when 15 directorates of the EU Commission work together with 28 member states and 4 EFTA countries. ECF is eager to support this collaboration and coordination of policy and resources to double cycling in Europe.” The meeting and a declaration on cycling is an initiative of the Luxembourg Presidency of the European Council, led by the Luxembourg Transport Minister François Bausch.  The Declaration calls for a cycling strategy that will show EU-wide policy benefits of cycling while identifying policies, funds and funding instruments that will increase cycling and foster cycling related employment in the EU. It also recommends that the EU and all Members States establish cycling focal points, which would be a big step in developing cycling policies across the EU. ECF has been closely cooperating in the development of this declaration and is very happy with the achievement of a significant milestone for cycling. Bernhard Ensink said “We are a big step closer to our ambition for all EU policies to recognise the strategic importance of cycling as a transport mode. We congratulate the Luxembourg Presidency for this achievement and we look forward to working with Commissioner Bulc to complete the EU cycling strategy in the near future.”

 

Ressources: You can visit the Luxebourg presidency photo and video galleries The official & detailed news from the Luxembourg Presidency is here A ECF background article can be found here The full text of the declaration : Declaration of Luxembourg on Cycling as a climate friendly Transport Mode Ministers photo: (1st row, l.t.r.) Dan Ťok (Czech Republic) ; Anne Berner (Finland) ; Alois Stöger (Austria) ; Graziano Delrio (Italy) ; Paschal Donohoe (Ireland) ; Violeta Bulc (European Commission) ; François Bausch (Luxembourg) ; Jaroslaw Pietras (European Council) ; Melanie Schultz van Haegen (Netherlands) ; Anna Johansson (Sweden) ; Maria Wasiak (Poland) ; Tom Cato Karlsen (Norway) ; Ivaylo Moskovski (Bulgaria) --- (2nd row, l.t.r.) Panagiotis Sgouridis (Greece) ; Peter Gašperšič (Slovenia) ; Alain Vidalies (France) ; Norbert Barthle (Germany) ; Toomas Haidak (Estonia) ; Michael Cramer (European Parliament) ; Karina Korna (Latvia) ; Alina Cazanacli (Romania) ; Roberto Bertollini (World Health Organization) ; Robert Thaler (Pan-European Programme on Transport, Health and Environment - THE PEP) ; Marios Demetriades (Cyprus) --- (3rd row, l.t.r.) Goran Štefanić (Croatia) ; Zsolt Becsey (Hungary) ; Rui Monteiro (Portugal) ; Vicente Salvador (Spain) ; Sysser Davidsen (Denmark) ; Grazvydas Jakubauskas (Lithuania) ; Bernhard Ensink (European Cyclists' Federation, ECF) ; unkn. ; unkn. ; Joseph Callus (Malta) ; unkn.    

Regions: 

Contact the author

Fabian Küster's picture
Director - Advocacy and EU Affairs

Contact Us

Avenue des Arts, 7-8
Postal address: Rue de la Charité, 22 
1210 Brussels, Belgium

Phone: +32 2 329 03 80