Yesterday, September 14th, the European Commission organized a first workshop on ”technical requirements and road safety of Personal Mobility Devices (PMDs)’’, to which CONEBI participated.
More specifically, the workshop was jointly organized by the European Commission’s DG GROW responsible for the EU Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs related policies – and DG Move – in charge of EU Mobility and Transport Policies – with the aim to have a first round of discussions with stakeholders, including consumer and industry associations as well as Member States experts. Ministerial representatives from The Netherlands, France, Germany and Spain presented their national policies for PMDs.
One of the main messages shared in the workshop is that an EU harmonized regulatory framework is needed, with predictable, proportional and unambiguous rules for consumers, manufacturers and national authorities in order to ensure a high level of safety on the roads.
There is a long way ahead, where the EU will decide, for example, whether pedal-assist e-bikes up to 25km/h and 250W will continue to be excluded from the EU Type Approval legislation, and in that case where they fit within the future EU PMD legislation as well as whether they will have to comply with the same regulatory requirements as e-(kick)scooters. Decisions are also likely to be taken on speed pedelecs regarding their categorization within the EU Type Approval legislation, and on cargo (and e-cargo) bikes.
CONEBI welcomes the invitation by the European Commission to attend the workshop and will actively contribute to the stakeholder consultation process regarding the future regulatory framework for PMDs in the coming months and years: the next impact assessment will officially take place in 2023. Good regulations for bicycles and e-bikes are – and are going to be – fundamental for the long-term development of the bicycle industry and the cycling growth in Europe.
For more information on this topic, do not hesitate to contact the CONEBI Secretariat. Contacts can be found at www.conebi.eu .
