On Thursday, 8 December, the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) welcomed to its premises a delegation from Greece’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, led by the Deputy Minister for Transport Issues, Mr. Michalis Papadopoulos. The Deputy Minister and ECF CEO Jill Warren agreed to work together, along with ECF’s two Greek national members, on ways to improve cycling in the country, in particular on road safety conditions to encourage more Greek citizens to cycle for transport and leisure.

At the top of the agenda, ECF and the Deputy Minister discussed his recent signing of the European Cycling Declaration, an EU member state initiative led by Belgium to promote cycling as a sustainable and efficient mode of transport, providing positive impacts on EU economies. One of the declaration’s main requests is for the European Commission to develop an EU-level strategic policy on cycling that identifies how the EU can contribute to increasing cycling’s modal share. The strategy aims to channel more EU funding to member states to build cycling infrastructure and conduct cycling promotion campaigns. Greece is one of the newest EU countries to join this coalition that already includes, France, Slovenia, Belgium, Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Jill Warren, CEO of ECF, said: “We applaud Greece for joining this growing coalition of EU member states to promote cycling and urge the Commission to adopt an EU-level cycling strategy. More cycling is essential for the achievement of the EU’s climate goals, especially the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from road transport. More cycling also delivers other important co-benefits including better health, less air and noise pollution and improved quality of life.  We need more countries across Europe to follow Greece’s example and embrace cycling, with increased support from the EU so that funds, expertise and guidance are delivered to countries as strategically as possible.”

Deputy Minister Michalis Papadopoulos said: “The European Cycling Declaration, that calls for the development of an action plan for cycling at EU level, is an important initiative. All members, regardless of the degree of maturity in bicycle use, can contribute to achieving this common European objective. We want the Greek Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport to be a part of this effort, and we expressed our wish by signing the European Cycling Declaration.”

Deputy Minister Papadopoulos also discussed with ECF his interest to improve road safety conditions for people who cycle for transport and leisure in Greece. His ambitions include plans to work with municipal authorities to create plans for safer cycling and to support the building of safe cycling infrastructure throughout the country. To help progress on this, the Deputy Minister announced his interest to develop a joint campaign on road safety for cyclists in partnership with ECF’s two Greek members, the Hellenic Urban Cycling Federation and Cities for Cycling.

Papadopoulos said: “Greece, in recent years, has been implementing coordinated actions, so that the bicycle is equally integrated into the transport system. Our country is a member of the EuroVelo Network and has set up a National EuroVelo Coordination Center. The objective of the Ministry is to promote in a coordinated manner the use of environmentally friendly modes of transport, and is expressed within the Greek Public Policy Guide for Cycling. The policy document establishes the main pillars that will frame the National Action Plan for Cycling.”

Warren said: “We are very pleased about Greece’s ambitions to improve road safety for their citizens who cycle for transport and leisure. ECF stands ready to support the Greek government and our two national members in Greece on the development of a road safety campaign.”

People’s perception of safety, along with actual safety standards, are among the key reasons why they choose to cycle or not in their daily lives. High-quality cycling infrastructure along with diminished volumes and speeds of automobile traffic are the key ingredients for making the roads safer for people who want to cycle. ECF looks forward to supporting its two national members in their advocacy to ensure Greece develops a national cycling plan, which is currently in progress, and to support Greece with accessing EU funds that it can use to build and maintain quality cycling infrastructure in the country.