In their declaration, the participants agreed on several concrete recommendations:

• Integrate bicycles into the multimodal transport policy;
• Encourage the Commission to equip itself with a “bicycle strategy”, by integrating bicycles into existing initiatives in which they have a logical role to play, such as CIVITAS or Smart Cities and Communities;
• Set up a body within the Commission which is in charge of the implementation of the “bicycle strategy” as well as the simple and effective transfer of good practices in this field between Member States;
• Appoint a national body in each Member State which could collect and disseminate examples of good practices between Member States and cooperate with the European body and other existing forums;
• Guarantee that national infrastructure projects take account of and increase international, national, regional and local cycle networks;
• Include cycling in local and regional urban projects;
• Mobilise good practices, financing opportunities and guidelines by working closely with the European body.

For Commissioner Bulc, it is an “important basis” on which Member States will be able to cooperate and the Commission will follow its development very closely. “From now on, bicycles are an official method of transport”, she declared.

“It is a very good paper, but it will be important to follow-up the declaration, especially during the informal meeting of transport ministers on ‘smart cities’, which will be held in April 2016 under the authority of the Dutch Presidency of the Council of the European Union”, concluded François Bausch, Luxembour Minister of Transport.