"Everybody in Europe has to be able to ride a bike on a bike that is made in Europe. This is an essential industrial challenge... This really is a historic moment for people who want to encourage cycling." These were the words of Karima Delli, French MEP and Chair of the Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee on 31st January.
The European Parliament's Transport Committee had just formally called for a European Cycling Strategy and passed a resolution calling on the rest of the EU institutions to take action. More importantly the resolution wasn’t just a few lines of support, it had a 17 point plan to stimulate both cycle use and the industry.
The resolution will go before the Plenary of the EU Parliament 16th February, then it becomes a mandate for the EU Commission and Member States to turn it into a policy for all three EU institutions. Given the support of all the main political groups in the Parliament the resolution is expected to be fully endorsed.
CIE’s CEO Kevin Mayne is clear on the importance of the resolution, “This is an important step forward for the coalition of associations, companies, cities, regions and governments that have supported the EU Parliament in developing this resolution. CIE’s team and our partners were working behind the scenes for the past six months to make sure the resolution included all the relevant topics to grow cycling in the EU. The results are clear, from an industry perspective this is the most comprehensive endorsement of the importance of our sector that we have ever had by the EU institutions, a big milestone.”
The language of the resolution gives it political muscle: bridging investment gaps, encouraging high-quality jobs, opening up more funding opportunities, supporting battery production and circularity, stimulating supply chain re-shoring and security, industry clusters and vocational training.
And the highlight reel is far from stopping there. More infrastructure, more safety, better planning, accessibility, VAT cuts... the list of key 'asks' is long.
CIE offered congratulations to the whole team involved in developing the resolution and thanks to MEP Karima Delli for her leadership on the topic.
The next steps will be Strasbourg for the full plenary in February and the Cycling Industries Europe Summit on 9th March where we will hear Karima Delli's speech on the resolution and the EU Commission's first response from Green Deal head man, Vice-President Frans Timmermans. Industry experts will respond on how it will be progressed.
The full text of the resolution and the EU Parliament press release can be read here
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