EU Cycling Industry sets out 3 policy priorities to deliver EU Cycling Declaration at EU Urban Mobility Days

Vilnius, 1 October – Cycling Industries Europe (CIE) and the Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry (CONEBI) applaud the European Commission for presenting the first status report on the European Declaration on Cycling but recommend three targeted policy priorities to speed up the creation of the “World-Class” European Cycling Industry set out in the Declaration.

Growing cycling in Europe came under strong focus during this year’s edition the EU Urban Mobility Days in Vilnius from 30 September to 2 October.

For the first time ever during the Urban Mobility Days, a full day is dedicated to leveraging cycling’s tremendous contribution to cleaner cities and healthy commuting, with focus on the EU’s next steps to deliver the Declaration on Cycling.

“The EU Declaration on cycling marks a historic milestone, recognising cycling as a fully-fledged mode of transport and a driver of sustainable growth that gives our industry and the EU a beacon to grow cycling. But we need to move towards this beacon faster if we really want to deliver the economic, social, environmental and health benefits of cycling to Europeans. We see 3 policy priorities to get there: the growth of bike leasing, more infrastructure, and support for the industry” – said CIE CEO and CONEBI-CIE Transition manager Paul Walsh.

“Number one is sharing the bike leasing model developed in Germany, Belgium and Austria with the rest of Europe. The success story speaks for itself: in Germany alone, bike leasing has become a 3.2 billion euro annual turnover industry and put 2.1 million high-quality bikes on the road.”

“Priority number two is safe and coherent infrastructure, the backbone of all successful cycling policies. This priority has been in sharp focus in Vilnius. With the Bicycle Counts project, to which we have contributed significantly, the European Commission will have better data on infrastructure, ridership and usage. This is great because data practically always confirms that more cycling and better infrastructure delivers.”

“Number three is delivering the World-Class cycling industry the EU Declaration on Cycling calls for. This hinges upon sound and precise legislation to secure the position of the e-bike as active mobility. With additional political support to leverage innovation, skills, data and circularity, companies in our sector will be in a much better position to bring more high-quality jobs to Europe.”

Cycling Industries Europe has recently published a White Paper on Bike Leasing. The White Paper highlights the economic, social, and environmental benefits of bike leasing, and calls on the European Commission to fully integrate (e-)bikes into the upcoming Clean Corporate Vehicles initiative to speed up the adoption of company bike leasing in Europe. Beyond providing a clear answer to the decarbonisation of corporate mobility, bike leasing can significantly leverage cycling’s job creation potential, support European manufacturing and make employees healthier.

The programme of the Urban Mobility Days is touching upon a wide-range of cycling policy topics, from safety to tourism and last-mile deliveries. There is clear sense that more cycling is indispensable for cleaner, smarter and more efficient cities, and towns in Europe. “The enthusiasm to deliver the EU Declaration on Cycling is palpable here in Vilnius and we will be fully focused on making this happen from Brussels with clear priorities”, concluded Paul Walsh.