As a safe and healthy transport mode, cycling has seen an unprecedented surge all over Europe since the COVID-19 outbreak. More than 2,300 km of pop-up bike lanes have been announced by European cities, according to the ECF COVID Cycling Measures Tracker, and bicycle sales continue to boom.

This surge has not gone unnoticed by the EU institutions. Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of the European Green Deal, has publicly stated he wants to be a champion for cycling.

How can Europe’s cities harness this momentum to achieve a faster and more lasting shift towards more cycling that will benefit the climate, public health, and help deliver the ambitious targets of the EU Green Deal? And what help can they expect from the national and EU level, notably through the National Recovery and Resilience Facility?

Join Frans Timmermans for a virtual high-level round table discussion with selected mayors and transport ministers who are leading the way in enabling #MoreCycling in their cities and countries.

Draft Programme

10:00 Welcome by the European Cyclists' Federation and the Cycling Industries Europe

10:10 Video from European cities

10:20 Round table discussion: More Cycling for a Green Recovery and the EU Green Deal

• Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President, European Commission (confirmed)

• Virginia Raggi, Mayor, City of Rome, Italy (invited)

• Ada Colau, Mayor, City of Barcelona, Spain (invited)

• Fernando Medina, Mayor, City of Lisbon, Portugal (confirmed)

• Johanna Rolland, Mayor, City of Nantes, France (invited)

• Gergely Karácsony, Mayor, City of Budapest, Hungary (invited) 

• Zoran Janković, Mayor, City of Ljubljana, Slovenia (invited)

• Kostas Bakoyannis, Mayor, City of Athens, Greece (invited)

• Matúš Vallo, Mayor, City of Bratislava, Slovakia (confirmed)

• Eamon Ryan, Minister for Climate Action, Communication Networks and Transport, Ireland (confirmed)

11:20 Closing Remarks