October 13, 2022 - On September 28th a delegation of industry experts of the CONEBI Neuberger E-Bike Working Group gathered in Brussels together with the European Commission to discuss the future European regulatory framework for e-bikes. The next years will be crucial for the Bicycle Industry to ensure that the boom of e-bikes can continue and will not be hindered by disproportionate regulatory requirements.
Currently several important legislations with a considerable impact on the European and global Bicycle Industry are being discussed at EU level, from the revisions of the EU Batteries and Machinery legislations to the future EU regulatory classification of e-bikes and personal mobility devices (PMDs), including the well-known e-kick scooters/e-steps.
With the aim to continue the open dialogue with the EU institutions and emphasize the priorities of the European Bicycle Industry, CONEBI invited the European Commission DG GROW – the directorate responsible for Industry, Internal Market, Entrepreneurship and SME related policies – to a meeting with the CONEBI Neuberger E-Bike Working Group in Brussels on September 28th: it was a valuable occasion to talk about the EPAC, Speed-EPAC, Cargo and E-Cargo Bike legislative frameworks as well as the recently organized workshop by the European Commission titled “Technical requirements and road safety of Personal Mobility Devices (PMDs)’’ to which CONEBI participated.
Urban mobility is rapidly changing all over Europe, with a growing number of people cycling or using e-kick scooters/e-steps, monowheels, hoverboards: the high media and institutional attention is thus bringing the European Union and EU member states to decide how to regulate their coexistence on the streets as well as their safety requirements. The next step will be a more detailed impact assessment in 2023 where all stakeholders, including the Bicycle Industry, will be consulted to start developing a regulatory framework for PMDs.
Finally, at the CONEBI E-Bike working group meeting the European Commission gave a comprehensive presentation about the ongoing developments regarding the announced EU standardization strategy (more info here).
CONEBI is being involved for a long time on these technical topics as the overall objective is to support the growth of the bicycle and e-bike market in Europe via correct EU vehicle requirements and categorizations: this has an impact not just on their design and testing, but also on the way they are treated within national road traffic rules (cycling infrastructure, access, helmet, driving license, registration/number plate etc.). Therefore, CONEBI will continue to be at the forefront of those discussions in cooperation with its national industry member associations via the CONEBI E-Bike working group: if you have any questions or you are interested in participating, do not hesitate to reach out to the CONEBI Secretariat.
