On Thursday a key committee of European MEPs adopted ECF’s Vision for doubling cycling in the EU by 2020 and the target is on course to be adopted as full EU policy later this year.

This is the first time that the ECF target has been formally adopted in an EU action plan and is a major milestone in ECF’s campaign to release billions of euros for cycling in the next EU budget.

ECF Secretary General Bernhard Ensink said “To have this ECF policy objective adopted in full will be a breakthrough decision for cycling in Europe. It is exactly in line with our ECF Vision and our strategies for this year.  In 2013 we get cycling into the key policy frameworks, then from 2014-2020 we and our supporters have the chance to see the policy acted on.”

The proposal to include a doubling cycling target in the 7th Environment Action Programme (2013- 2020) was supported by the major EU political blocs on the committee including liberals, greens,  socialists, Christian democrats and peoples’ parties which means it is unlikely to be opposed when the Action Programme is considered by the European Parliament later this year.

Including doubling cycling in this policy can influence not only the €200m per year environmental programmes managed centrally by the EU but also the multi-billion funding programmes that are devolved to national governments.

Ensink added “I have to congratulate our team on getting this breakthrough, this why cycling has our EU based team supporting our national partners. The next effort will be to get funding released but cycling’s position is much stronger as a result of this decision.”