More than two dozen EU Capitals that are pushing for a worldwide climate agreement called out to the European Union for more direct funding to tackle climate change and committed themselves to spend more on green industry innovations. ECF makes sure cycling is considered as a key solution on global and European level. In a meeting with European Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc stressed that cycling has benefits for EU citizens, the environment and the economy. Major European capitals and cities have called out ("Climate change problems are global, but solutions are local") on 26 March to the European Union that climate change should be tackled and more funds should be allocated to combatting this issue.

A worldwide climate agreement is needed

The mayors of Madrid, Dublin, Lyon, Lisbon, Valletta, Sofia, Vienna, Paris, Ljubljana, Copenhagen, Bordeaux, London, Athens, Geneva, Amsterdam, Rome, Brussels, Berlin, Florence, Bucharest, Helsinki, Milan, Luxembourg, Strasbourg, Nantes, Tallinn, Budapest, Stockholm, Nicosia and Vilnius - altogether representing over 60 millions inhabitants and a huge investment capacity (2 000 billion euro GDP) - want to join their efforts to reinforce a fast & sustainable energy and environmental transition. One of the concrete ways they will apply this is to concentrate public spending on green industry innovations and products and low carbon services. They ask to be supported more by the European Parliament (EP) and the European Commission (EC) by direct European funding and they call for a worldwide climate agreement. In a recent meeting European Cyclists' Federation (ECF) had with European Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc, the Commisioner stated: "Cycling is fun and has multiple benefits. For our citizens, the environment and the economy. It should become an integral part of our mobility mix."

EU is not ambitious enough for the transition to sustainable transport

On 26 March ECF Secretary General, Bernhard Ensink joined a meeting of transport associations, businesses and representatives of the French government, co-organized by the Partnership for Sustainable Low Carbon Transport (SLoCaT) in Paris. The fully packed room proved there is a growing demand to put transport higher on the agenda in the process to develop new Sustainable Development Goals by the UN and the preparations of the climate summit COP21. Ensink, representing ECF and the World Cycling Alliance, stressed in the meeting that the EU can be proud of the global leadership regarding successful climate actions and ambitious goals for further reductions of CO₂, but it is not ambitious enough regarding the shift to sustainable transport. "Global leadership of the EU should include a clear choice for the transition to sustainable transport. The proof of the pudding could be if the  European Investment Plan for Growth (Juncker plan) will be used for investments in the transition to sustainable transport systems", said ECF's Secretary General. More information on this topic will surely follow as we get closer to the global cycling summit, Velo-city, which also takes place in France this year: from 2-5 June in Nantes.