In June 2022, on World Bicycle Day, six EU Member States signed the European Bicycle Declaration. With this, they called on the European Commission to develop an EU cycling policy, allocate more funding for cycling promotion, prioritise cycling within existing policies and to designate 2024 as the European Year of Cycling, among other measures. Since then, eight more Member States have added their signatures, with the most recent one being Slovakia, which signed on 14 March 2023. This marks an important step in the journey towards achieving more and better cycling in the EU.

Scaling up ambition at home and internationally

Signatory of the Declaration and Slovak Transport Minister Andrej Doležal said that boosting the development of cycling is a priority for his ministry and that a common European strategy would facilitate the further financing of cycling infrastructure. The Ministry of Transport and Construction announced the signing of the Declaration together with Cyklokoalícia, an ECF Member in Slovakia which has in recent years become an important cycling advocacy NGO and has made a significant impact on the development of national cycling policies. Some of its most impressive successes include changing the Road Traffic Law in favour of walking and cycling, improving the National Road Safety Strategy and lobbying for more funding for cycling.

Building on recent successes, expanding future ambitions

The growing support for the European Bicycle Declaration is an important boost for ECF’s efforts to advocate for an EU Cycling Strategy, which recently also received the support of the European Parliament. At the signing of the declaration, Minister Doležal said, “I am convinced that this act will contribute to the adoption of a common European cycling strategy and may open the door to further funding. I am delighted that we have joined the club of 14 countries that are serious about promoting cycling and from whom we still have a lot to learn.”

Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Mobility Georges Gilkinet, who has been a driving force in the campaign for the Declaration, welcomed the news as a big win for Europeans’ health, the climate and more liveable cities. The Declaration acknowledges the significant increases in cycling in recent years, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, as well as the huge benefits it brings in terms of environment, health, efficiency and the economy.  

A European joined-up approach: what lies ahead? 

Despite many international declarations and joint statements in recent years, such as the EU Cycling Strategy (2017) and the Pan-European Masterplan for Cycling Promotion (2021), the Declaration regrets the lack of an EU-wide approach to developing the role of cycling as an active mobility option. However, with the momentum that is now building on the back of the European Parliament’s resolution on developing an EU cycling strategy and the growing support for this Declaration, the case for a common cycling policy at the European level has never been stronger. Along with our members, we at ECF are ready to cooperate with and support the EU institutions to implement an EU cycling strategy and eagerly await the inter-institutional European Cycling Declaration which was recently announced by the Commission.

Slovakia joins 13 other EU Member States who have signed the European Bicycle Declaration, now representing over half of Member States. For more information on the Declaration, click here.
Cyklokoalícia is an ECF Member organisation in Slovakia. It is a civil society organisation that supports the development of bicycle transport. To read more about Cyklokoalícia, click here. 
Interested in learning more about progress in cycling advocacy in the EU? Join Plenary 1: Leading the transition on Tuesday 9 May at Velo-city Leipzig 2023, where we will be joined by Minister Gilkinet and Daniel Mes, Member of the Cabinet of Executive Vice-President on the European Green Deal Frans Timmermans, among others. Register here!