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In 2025, ECF was a partner in Cycling Counts, a project on cycling data commissioned by the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) at the European Commission. Following up on the commitments of the EU Declaration on Cycling, the aim of “Cycling Counts” was to establish, for the first time, an EU-wide data baseline in the domains of networks (infrastructure), use, safety and services.

The World Urban Forum (WUF) tries to be a forum for the good. For advancing mankind. For addressing some of the most pressing issues the world is facing today: “rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change and policies” as it says on UN Habitat’s website, the official organizer of the World Urban Forum conference series. 57,000 participants followed the invitation to discuss the 2026 theme: Housing the world. Safe and resilient cities and communities.

The draft European Parliament report on the Clean Corporate Vehicles Regulation allows EU Member States to include bikes in their targets for clean company fleets – a significant step ahead and a vital recognition of cycling’s potential. However, these new amendments to the Commission’s original proposal still need to pass several stages in the legislative process before their final adoption by the European Parliament plenary and the Member States in the Council.

As a Cities & Regions for Cyclists (CRC) network member, Zurich is one of the cities with the highest quality of life in the world and the largest in Switzerland with more than 450,000 inhabitants. The city is committed to meeting the population’s needs for urban space and mobility to remain an attractive residential and business location.

As part of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Group of experts on cycling infrastructure, ECF was actively involved in the development of UNECE’s “Guide for designating cycle route networks.” An important part of the guide are quality requirements for cycling infrastructure, now published for easy reference as a separate report.

The Partnership for Active Travel and Health (PATH) joined this year’s ITF Summit at Leipzig, Germany from 6-8 May 2026, representing the coalition’s call to recognise walking and cycling as a key solution to the climate and health challenges we face. The ITF Annual Summit is the world's largest gathering of transport ministers and the premier global transport policy event.

ECF and other partners of CycleRight, an Interreg Europe project, had the pleasure of visiting the seaside province of Livorno to explore its expanding cycling landscape. The CycleRight project aims to improve a set of policy instruments targeting sustainable urban mobility for a zero carbon economy by sharing good practices and knowledge on climate-resilient, accessible, safe cycling infrastructure.

ECF President Henk Swarttouw opened this year’s meeting by welcoming the delegates to Brussels and thanking them for their ongoing support and advocacy work to advance cycling. Laurianne Krid, ECF CEO, also gave a warm welcome, thanking the Board, Staff and members for their dedication in advancing ECF’s agenda.

The new manifesto, “Achieving energy independence and affordable transport for all: 10 measures to leverage cycling”, outlines concrete short- and long-term actions to shift everyday mobility away from cars and towards active transport. It complements and goes beyond the measures in the European Commission  communication on affordable energy encouraging stronger recognition of cycling and active mobility as immediate, cost-effective solutions to reduce transport-related energy demand.

As a Cities & Regions for Cyclists (CRC) network member, Groningen is a true cycling city. With more than 200,000 inhabitants, the capital of its namesake province and sixth largest city in the Netherlands has positioned itself as one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world. In the municipality, cycling is the primary mode of transport for a wide spectrum of residents, reaching 46,5% of the modal split while cars only account for 19,5%.