As this parliamentary term is entering its final 12 months, this is the last chance for law makers of this term to work on a positive legacy for cycling. After years of delays, the European Commission will be finally publishing on May 17 its proposal for revising the General Safety Regulation as well as the Road Infrastructure Safety Management and Tunnel Directives. These files will shape the road safety agenda for years to come. Another hot topic is the revision of the Railway Passenger Rights Regulation and to what extent railway companies will be obliged to allow bicycle carriage. We also want to discuss with you two pieces of legislation with a strong link to electric bicycles: the VAT reform as well as the Motor Vehicle Insurance Directive. Last but not least, what’s the latest on the EU Cycling Strategy campaign?

Come and join us on: June 4, 2018, 16.00 – 18.00hrs; Registration and coffee from 15.30hrs

Venue: Tbc.

Chair: Michael Cramer MEP

Organiser: Cycling Forum Europe/ European Cyclists’ Federation

Registration: Please register by May 28 here

The socio-economic benefits of cycling in the EU are enormous. A 2013 report published by the European Cyclists’ Federation estimated them to be at around 205 – 217 billion Euro. On the occasion of the release of an update report with new figures, ‘Cycling Forum Europe’ is inviting you to discuss how these economic benefits can also make a strong case for the EU Cycling Strategy campaign.
In a second and more technical part of the event, experts are invited to discuss the methodology applied in the ECF report. The objective is to identify common approaches, divergences and areas where further research is needed.

Time: the 6th of December, 2016, 12:00

Venue:  North-Rhine Westphalia Representative Office to the EU, 47 Rue Montoyer, 1000 Brussels.

Registration: Please register by November 30 here

Agenda:
Registration [and coffee]: 11.30am – 12am
12am – 1pm: Part 1 – Unlocking the economic benefits of cycling through an EU Cycling Strategy
1pm – 2pm: Lunch
2pm – 4pm: Part 2 – Technical session

Breakfast meeting discussion on an EU Cycling Strategy

A breakfast meeting chaired by MEP Michael Cramer and MEP Istvan Ujhelyi took place on 22 June 2016 where around forty participants including members of Cycling Forum Europe (cycling-minded MEPs) discussed what progress had been made in getting an EU Cycling Strategy integrated into Commission policies.

Read the news item.

The European Mobility week has been officially launched, putting cycling in the heart of the debate Organized in collaboration with Eurocities and the Greens/EFA, ECF (European Cyclists’ Federation) launched the European mobility Week with its CYFO event#Cycling2jobs this morning.

Read the news item.

On 19th May the European Cyclists’ Federation launched a think tank comprising of several stakeholder groups to gather ideas on an EU Roadmap for Cycling. There were many issues discussed at the meeting with participants actively engaging in the brainstorming sessions too. ECF is pleased to see the great interest in cycling from all interested bodies and parties.

Read the news item.

On Thursday 4th December 2014, ECF unveiled 3 studies about cycling economy: ‘Jobs and job creation in the European cycling sector'; ‘Commuting: Who pays the bill?’ and ‘Cycling for Growth: Using European funds for cycling’.

“We can create more jobs for Europeans through investment in cycling, not only because it has a proven record for creation of green and sustainable jobs, but because of the huge contributions it makes to the EU’s wider objectives. Our partners, our businesses and policy makers are ready to building on cycling’s current 650,000 jobs and €217billion per year contribution to the EU economy”, said Kevin Mayne, ECF Director of Development. 

There are three focus points for ECF, which correspond to three new publications: 
– We need more investments in cycling by providing EU subsidies for cycling measures
– We need to integrate cycling into growth plans
-We need to provide fiscal benefits for cyclists

Cycling boosts jobs and growth

According to ECF’s report “Jobs and job creation in the European cycling sector”, there are more than 650,000 full-time jobs linked to cycling today in Europe. This number is estimated to increase up to 1 million jobs by 2020 if cycling modal share doubles, as ECF vision supports.

In terms of investments, many member states and the European Union have protected funding streams for job creation. So this study is a resource to help supporters of cycling seek funding in those areas too.

Policies and resources for cycling investment

To facilitate national and regional governments ECF put together the most effective tax and promotional incentives in favour of cycling. For the first time ever, ECF provides case studies of 11 European countries, analysing the state of play for mileage allowances, tax allowances and bike purchase schemes in commuting.

Read here the full electronic version of the new ECF reports: 

– Jobs and job creation in the European cycling sector

– Commuting: Who pays the bill?

– Cycling for Growth: Using European funds for cycling

– Presentations

In terms of resources, ECF discovered that more than €2 billion euro can be unlocked for cycling from EU subsidies until 2020. This amount is three times bigger than the former financial period. “We should act immediately to take advantage of this opportunity”, said Adam Bodor, ECF Director of Regional Policy. By combining national funds and private capital with European money, member states can benefit from a remarkable return on investment while fulfilling their commitments for clean and sustainable growth.

The timing of presenting Cycling for Growth plan could not be more fitting at the European level as the new EU Commission has announced a €300bn investment plan for reaching the targets on jobs and growth by 2020. Cycling welcomes the Junker investment plan with high hopes. Through these studies, ECF shows that cycling is ready to play an important role in the future of Europe and we are going to use them to argue that cycling should get part of this investment too.

On Thursday 20th November 2014, at the European Parliament, the cycling community united with top European decision makers to celebrate the launch of #CYFO – Cycling Forum Europe. The Cycling Forum Europe was initiated by ECF and was founded by MEPs from a range of political parties with the common aim of putting cycling higher in the European agenda.

“Cycling is life!” That was the message of the new European Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc, who made one of her first public appearances in her new role on a bike. Commissioner Bulc added: “Active mobility together with clean transport and electric vehicles are part of the Commission’s vision for clean and sustainable cities. I see huge potential for more cycling in urban areas. Local authorities need to have support at EU level for promoting cycling”. 

Commissioner Bulc cycled to the European Parliament together with Michael Cramer, Chairman of the TRAN Committee and Manfred Neun, President of the European Cyclists’ Federation.
“The cycling sector has proven abilities. Now is the time for Europe to show leadership and take its development to the next level. Cycling can rise to the many challenges that Europe faces during this Parliament’s term and beyond”, said Mr. Cramer, who was also the host of the event and is a longtime supporter of cycling. 

Speaking on behalf of the cycling community, Manfred Neun, ECF President, had a strong message to send out today: cycling is ready to be part of the solution for Europe’s biggest challenges. “There is no better way to bring sustainable growth than through cycling. We have shown that the European Cycling economy is worth over €200bn per year and 650,000 jobs, bigger than many member states. These are green, sustainable jobs and they are set to grow to over a million jobs by 2020”, said Mr. Neun. 

Consensus in favor of cycling goes beyond political parties, as illustrated by the synthesis of #CYFO supporter MEPs such as Georges Bach, (EPP), Claudia Tapardel (S&D) , Dario Tamburrano (EFD), Igor Soltes (Greens), Ivan Stefanec (EPP), Brian Hayes (EPP) and others. 

The next step of the Cycling Forum Europe will be to explore and bring forward the policy fit between EU priorities and cycling. The cycling community is looking forward to working with the Commission and its Parliamentary colleagues to take advantage of everything cycling can do for Europe.

Photo gallery: here

Read the news item.
Video: On EuroparlTV: here and on the Slovenian website 24ur.com: here (between 7′ and 10’30 – In Slovenian)

On 23 September 2014, ECF took some members of the European Parliament on a Brussels cycle tour. Nice weather and VIP guide made the pre-launch of Cycling Forum Europe a colorful and informal meet up of cycling enthusiasts.  

The MEPs Anneli Jäätteenmäki (Finland), Jeppe Kofod (Denmark), Dario Tamburrano (Italy), Seán Kelly (Ireland) and Florent Marcellesi (Spain), their assistants and representatives of other European Institutions and organisations were welcomed on the Parliament esplanade by Kevin Mayne, Development Director at ECF, who thanked them for attending the warm up event of this newly-formed Forum. 

The group then went on a short tour of Brussels in the sunshine, guided by Frederik Depoortere, Bike Manager for the Brussels Region. Mr Depoortere has been steering the gradual transition of the city’s road infrastructure into one that includes cyclists and provides them with a safer environment for moving around in the city. He could give insights on current, past and future cycling infrastructure developments in the Brussels region, showing all the work behind each meter of cycle path.

Photo gallery: here

Read the news item.