Industry Associations Welcome New Transport Commissioner

BRUSSEL, Belgium - Antonio Tajani has been appointed as the new European Commissioner for Transport. He succeeds Jacques Barrot. In a joint letter, European bike industry associations COLIBI/COLIPED congratulated him on his appointment. Both associations seized this opportunity to draw Antonio Tajani’s attention to their requests and recommendations made in the framework of the Commission’s Green Paper on Urban Transport.

According to COLIBI/COLIPED the EC has to appoint a European Bicycle Officer. The EC is also asked to set up production for reliable and comparable data/statistics in relation to the bicycle as well as the introduction of clear-cut European standards for conducting comparable and reliable surveys so that the same measurement and assessment methods are used throughout all EU Member States.

In their letter to the new European Commissioner for Transport the organizations also underlined the need to remove barriers and facilitate easier access to financial means for all transport ‘players’. The Commissioner should also fight the current imbalance in the allocation of financial means by introducing effective criteria that serve sustainability and by closely monitoring their application.