In recent months, a lot of progress has been made in the development of policies to promote cycling at the EU level. Much of this has been the result of persistent advocacy efforts by ECF to get cycling on the agenda. As so much has been happening, we wanted to provide you with an overview of the current state of play and potential future developments. At the moment, there are three main parallel developments at EU level that we are engaging with closely.

The European Bicycle Declaration

The European Bicycle Declaration was launched by Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Mobility Georges Gilkinet on World Bicycle Day 2022 as an intergovernmental initiative between EU Member States. The Declaration calls for the European Commission to create a European cycling strategy. It also supports the allocation of more funding for cycling promotion, the prioritisation of cycling within existing policies and the designation of 2024 as the European Year of Cycling, among other measures.

With the recent addition of Croatia, as announced by Minister Gilkinet at the ECF Annual General Meeting on 1st April 2023, 15 EU Member States have now signed up to the Declaration. This means that more than half the EU's Member States have declared their support for stronger cycling policy in the EU. ECF will continue our work to get more signatories and build greater political support for this Declaration.

European Parliament resolution on an EU cycling strategy

On 16 February 2023, the EU’s journey to more and better cycling gained more momentum as the European Parliament adopted a resolution on developing an EU cycling strategy. The leadership of the Chair of the Transport Committee, Greens/EFA MEP Karima Delli, as well as the persistent work of ECF and our cycling industry colleagues was key to the Parliament adopting its strongest ever endorsement of cycling. This resolution added further strength to the European Bicycle Declaration’s call for an EU cycling strategy, meaning that the idea now has significant support from both the Member States and the Parliament.

MEP Karima Delli speaking during the plenary session on developing an EU cycling strategy. Credit: European Parliament. 

The resolution also called for a doubling of the kilometres cycled in Europe by 2030, improved accessibility of cycling and for 2024 to be designated the European Year of Cycling. Importantly for cycling advocates, the resolution acknowledged cycling as a fully-fledged mode of transport, something ECF has long called on the European institutions to recognise. 

EU Cycling Declaration

On 9 March 2023, European Commission Executive Vice-President with responsibility for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, announced that an EU Cycling Declaration will be revealed before summer 2023. It is expected that this will include an ambitious cycling plan, with commitments to increase funding for infrastructure and industrial growth. While making the announcement, Timmermans was joined by both Georges Gilkinet and Karima Delli MEP, leaders in the development of the European Bicycle Declaration and the European Parliament resolution respectively. This, along with Timmermans' promise of a declaration by the Commission, Parliament and Council, represents the start of a more joined-up approach to developing ambitious cycling policies in the EU.

From left to right: Commission EVP Frans Timmermans, CIE President Tony Grimaldi, MEP Karima Delli, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Mobility Georges Gilkinet. Credit: Cycling Industries Europe. 

The declaration will likely be inspired by the European Bicycle Declaration and the Parliament’s resolution. Although it is not yet clear exactly what shape it will take, it looks like the declaration will be a strategic compass, highlighting principles, current initiatives and new ways the EU can use its capabilities to boost cycling. However, we at ECF are hopeful that an ambitious action plan will follow it to set the EU on a path towards doubling cycling by 2030.

Other significant developments

Aside from these landmark developments, ECF has also been following many other developments in the EU which are relevant for cycling. On 14 March 2023, the European Parliament voted for amendments to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive proposal from the Commission which would require Member States to implement bicycle parking in new and renovated residential buildings (with more than three parking spaces) and all non-residential buildings (over 10 or 20 parking spaces). This was the result of ECF’s lobbying of the Parliament and Council to improve the already quite ambitious language of a previous text proposed by the Commission. With the leadership of Rapporteur and Greens/EFA MEP Ciarán Cuffe, the Parliament was able to agree on an ambitious set of amendments which it will now bring into the trilogue negotiations with the Commission and Council.

In December 2022, the Parliament and Council came to an agreement on the establishment of the EU Social Climate Fund, which aims to address some of the social impacts of the EU’s green transition. While the legal text is still pending formal adoption, we were delighted to see that the compromise contains many points that are relevant for cycling. Quite significantly, it includes a legal definition of transport poverty which goes beyond the simple notion of (fossil) fuel poverty, thus paving the way for a broader range of solutions, such as supporting active mobility.

Cycling features prominently in the list of eligible measures and investments that the fund can be used for. These include improving access to bikes through financial support or fiscal measures, investments in cycling infrastructure and supporting the development of shared and active mobility services. We are delighted that the potential of cycling in promoting social and environmental justice is being recognised, and we will continue to advocate for this, including when it comes to drawing up national plans for spending the money from the Social Climate Fund. 

What next?

Much welcome advancements in EU cycling policy have taken place in recent months, and ECF has been working hard behind the scenes to make this happen. What had previously been separate approaches are now coming together in one joined up process by the Parliament, Commission and Council. However, our work is not yet complete and we will continue to monitor policy developments on the EU level and to advocate for more and better cycling.

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!