2021 was another significant year for cycling throughout Europe and the world. As the COVID-19 pandemic rolled on for its second year and the European cycling boom continued to flourish, world leaders and policymakers took heed of the advocacy of the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) on several occasions, resulting in some big results for cycling in Europe and beyond.

As we wrap up for the holidays, ECF looks back on some of the key advocacy successes of the year!

ECF’s open letter to governments at COP26

November saw COP26 take place in Glasgow, Scotland. Upon reading the conference programme, it was clear that the focus of COP26’s designated Transport Day was going to be centred heavily on the electrification of motor vehicles with no mention of the importance of active mobility in the combat against the climate crisis.

In response, ECF and key partners started building a global coalition of pro-cycling civil society organisations to co-sign an open letter to governments attending COP26, calling for them to commit to boosting cycling levels in their countries in order to mitigate the climate crisis. The coalition peaked at 350 signatories – including ITDP, PeopleForBikes, UCI, UITP, World Cycling Alliance and Greenpeace – and the campaign proved a resounding success.

Not only was the letter widely reported on by high-level media such as Financial Times, BBC, Forbes, Sky News and many more, it helped secure a last-minute recognition of active travel and public transport in the official COP26 Transport Declaration, following a final push from Matthew Baldwin, Deputy Director-General of DG MOVE. While it’s a far cry from what’s needed to reach our climate goals, it’s an important recognition in international diplomacy that can be built upon at COP27 and a major step in the direction of ensuring that cycling is recognised as a powerful tool against the climate crisis.

Successful ECF campaigns influence major EU policies

In December, following several years of campaigning, ECF could welcome the European Commission’s “Efficient and Green Mobility” package as “effectively the Commission’s strongest commitment to cycling to date.” The package, which notably includes a new European Urban Mobility Framework (UMF) and a revision proposal for the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), for the first time makes the development of cycling – alongside walking, public transport and shared mobility services – a priority in urban mobility.

In the same week, the Commission published its revision proposal for the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) with provisions that represent yet another significant advocacy success for ECF: bicycle parking spaces are to become mandatory in all new and renovated buildings in the EU that also provide car parking.

2021 also saw ECF and partners successfully pushing the European Parliament and Council to exclude e-bikes from mandatory motor vehicle insurance, overturning a Commission proposal which would have dramatically slowed the uptake of e-bikes by making them less affordable and less accessible. Another advocacy success saw e-bikes being incorporated into the list of goods for which reduced VAT rates in the EU can be applied, meaning member states will soon be able to apply reduced VAT rates on the supply, rental and repair of both conventional and electric bicycles.

With these major developments in EU policies for cycling, years of campaigning by ECF and its Members and partners are paying off in a big way. To keep track of the many new opportunities for cycling, ECF this year also launched its “Money for bikes” tracker, an online tool which allows users – businesses, public entities and citizens – to browse through almost 300 tax-incentive and purchase-premium schemes for cycling across Europe, making bicycle purchasing across the continent easier.

Key events in the world of cycling

September 2021 saw the return of Velo-city, the world cycling summit, following a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The four-day conference took place in Lisbon and online, and gathered thousands of cycling advocates, cities, decisionmakers, researchers and industry leaders to meet, debate and shape the future of cycling across the world.

Velo-city 2021 Lisboa was hailed as a major success, with high-level speakers praising the content and execution of the event and the important role it played in strengthening the global cycling community at a crucial time. One of many notable speakers was European Commission Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans, whose assertion that “the cycling revolution is on the way, and it’s going to become stronger” was the perfect ending to the first day of a highly memorable conference.

Read highlights from Velo-city 2021 Lisboa: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

ECF’s biannual EuroVelo and Cycling Tourism Conference took place in Barcelona in October. As the most important cycling tourism event in the world, it convenes experts from all parts of the tourism sector to discuss, share experiences and form partnerships that will help realise the incredible potential of cycling tourism. Despite the trying circumstances of the pandemic, this year’s event became the largest-ever EuroVelo conference, a real mark of the growing global interest in cycling tourism.

As part of the EU Green Week 2021 in June, ECF hosted “Celebrating Cycling Cities: Sharing Europe’s Best Practices,” an online event that saw over 1,300 participants register to see politicians and officials from European cycling cities and EU institutions share best practices on how to shape more cycle-friendly urban mobility systems. High-level speakers included Daniel Mes, Member of Timmermans’ Cabinet, Dutch State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management Stientje van Veldhoven, Dublin Lord Mayor Hazel Chu and many more.

Cyclists love trains: How bike-friendly are Europe’s rail companies?

All aboard! Everyone’s favourite mobility combination – bicycles and trains – was back with a bang in 2021. Continuing on from 2020’s advocacy success which saw the introduction of a minimum requirement for four bicycle spaces on all new and refurbished trains in the EU, ECF published “Cyclists love trains” in July, a comprehensive analysis and ranking of the bicycle friendliness of 69 long-distance European train companies and services.

The report, which singled out Europe’s best- and worst-performing railways, was an immediate hit, garnering a lot of attention, notably among mobility experts, politicians and the general public across social media.

Speaking at the report’s online launch, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Georges Gilkinet said that bike-and-train travel was a winning combination and that the event “puts cycling and rail back at the heart of mobility policies in Belgium and throughout Europe.” Echoing this, Member of the European Parliament Anna Deparnay-Grunenberg underlined the fact that bikes and trains are “a really perfect match for sustainable tourism, for greener mobility of the future.”

Cycling becomes mainstream in EU countries’ COVID-19 Recovery Plans

The EU’s historic €750 billion recovery fund represents a major opportunity for member states to seize upon the enormous recovery potential of cycling to boost green economic growth and jobs. Throughout 2021, ECF and its Members advocated for national governments to prioritise cycling investments in their National Recovery and Resilience Plans.

To support this advocacy, ECF published several analyses of the role of cycling measures in each country’s draft Recovery Plan as these developed and changed over time. While ECF’s first analysis in April showed an almost complete neglect of cycling across most countries’ plans, momentum started to build behind prioritising and investing in cycling, pushed by the targeted campaigning of ECF and its Members. By the time member states submitted the final versions of their Recovery Plans to the European Commission, cycling had become a mainstream transport priority in most countries!

New allies and partners in cycling

2021 saw ECF form several new alliances, partnerships and networks. In February, ECF launched the Women in Cycling network – which aims to help women get more visibility, impact and leading seats in the cycling sector – together with Cycling Industries Europe (CIE), Velokonzept, Mobycon and CONEBI at a virtual event in February. The network was strongly represented at Velo-city 2021 Lisboa, notably for an all-woman panel discussion where – for the first time in Velo-city history – ten female speakers took the stage together.

In September, ECF became a nonprofit partner of 1% for the Planet, an alliance of more than 6,000 business and individual members that give back to support environmental nonprofits. This means ECF is now eligible to receive donations from 1% for the Planet members, placing the organisation among a diverse, global network of environmental organisations that work to solve the world’s problems.

In December, ECF joined forces with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on advancing cycling tourism. ECF and UNWTO strengthened their relations during 2021, with several senior UNWTO figures speaking at the Velo-city and EuroVelo conferences, and finally agreed formally to enhance and facilitate their cooperation on promoting active, sustainable and green travel through cycling.

A new President, a new Board, a new beginning

In April, ECF announced a changing of the guard, as Henk Swarttouw was elected President by our Members at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). He succeeded Paris Deputy Mayor Christophe Najdovski, who had served as ECF President since 2018. A passionate cycling advocate and former Dutch career diplomat, Swarttouw began his tenure with much aplomb, vowing to lead the world’s most influential cycling advocacy organisation by working with our members and partners towards more and better cycling for all.

Also elected at the AGM were new ECF Board Members Francesco Baroncini, Sidsel Birk Hjuler, Judit Tóth and Sir Graham Watson, who join Lars Strömgren and Camille Thomé. Later in the year, ECF’s Members elected Jan Vermeulen to the Board as ECF Treasurer.