Seven European Mobility Ministers, including the Belgian Georges Gilkinet, are asking the European Commission to make 2024 the European Year of the Bicycle.
“It is time and Europeans are the agents of change. After periods of painful confinement, our citizens want more than ever to move and breathe”, they write in a white card published in Belgium by L’Echo and De Tijd.
“The enthusiasm for this means of transport is striking. In Europe, in 2021, there were already 9.2% more cyclists than before the pandemic. In 2020, around 22 million bicycles were sold within the European Union; the prospect is 30 million in 2030! (…) Let’s make cycling a priority in terms of public action.”
“Ministers from various political families, representatives of States with different histories and cultures, cycling brings us together, as it can bring Europeans together,” they conclude.
The carte blanche was signed by, in addition to Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Slovakia, Austria and Croatia. They are among the 17 signatory countries of the European Cycling Declaration. Last February, the European Parliament adopted a resolution making a similar request.
This article is originally published on lalibre.be
