Yesterday, at the European Parliament, an institutional event promoted by the Italian Cycling Federation took place on the occasion of the International Day of the Bicycle, titled "The Bicycle at the Center of Mobility, Safety and Regulatory Innovation"

The initiative, hosted by the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Hon. Antonella Sberna, represented a moment of dialogue between European institutions, national political representatives, the sports world and sector experts, with the aim of highlighting the role of the bicycle in sustainable mobility policies, road safety, environmental protection and health prevention.

Aware that some interventions cannot be implemented without the contribution of broader and coordinated European legislation, the Italian Cycling Federation chose to bring the issue of safety for all bicycle users to the heart of European institutions, promoting direct dialogue with EU decision-makers in Brussels.

The meeting, moderated by RAI Sport journalist Andrea De Luca, also saw the participation of representatives of Italian cycling, including Paralympic champion Claudia Cretti and Ivan Gotti, two-time winner of the Giro d'Italia, testifying to the connection between sport, daily mobility and a culture of safety.

At the opening of the proceedings, the Ambassador of Italy to Belgium, Federica Favi, and the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Hon. Antonella Sberna, delivered their remarks.

The conference was structured as an open dialogue, with the participation of representatives from all political groups present in the European Parliament, in the conviction that on a topic such as road safety and the development of sustainable mobility, there is no point in fueling ideological battles. For this reason, the UCI wanted to promote institutional dialogue capable of transcending political divisions and focusing on solutions, behaviors and shared responsibilities.

During the meeting, Hon. Lara Magoni, Member of the European Parliament from the ECR group, and Hon. Carolina Morace, Member of the European Parliament from The Left group, spoke. Several mayors of municipalities and former cyclists were also present.

Avv. Carlo Moriconi and Enrico Fontana, respectively president and member of the Safety Commission, presented the technical and regulatory proposals developed by the Italian Cycling Federation and already submitted to the parliamentary groups of the Chamber and Senate. The measures aim at a comprehensive update of the Road Code and the current legislative framework regarding cycling mobility, with particular attention to the protection of the most vulnerable users. The safety spots created by the UCI for social media channels and also broadcast during the Giro d'Italia thanks to an agreement with RAI Public Utility were also illustrated.

The event reaffirmed the value of the bicycle not only as a sporting tool, but as a central element of safe, inclusive and zero-emission mobility, in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal and the European Union's strategies for ecological transition and quality of urban life.

Summary of Speeches

UCI President Cordiano Dagnoni, in his remarks, recalled: "The Federation feels the duty to broaden its perspective beyond sporting activity, to become the home of all cyclists. We bring our proposals to the heart of Europe because we believe that together we can achieve earlier and better that culture of respect and implement those fundamental regulations so that Italy reaches the level of countries more advanced in terms of infrastructure and legislation."

Ambassador of the Italian Republic, Federica Favi: "In 2018, the words of the UN: unique, versatile, sustainable, economical. The bicycle is a means appreciated across the board and brings everyone together. The Embassy in recent years has committed to promoting, through the bicycle and cycling, cultural exchange between Italy and Belgium, two countries where this sport is linked to social and civil history." She also recalled how the bicycle supply chain represents one of the excellences of Made in Italy.

Hon. Antonella Sberna, Vice-President of the European Parliament: "The Italian Cycling Federation helps promote health, inclusion, solidarity and social cohesion, beyond sport, contributing to the spread of a healthy lifestyle. Cycling mobility and professional cycling generate important opportunities for economic development and employment, promoting training, cycle tourism and the enhancement of rural areas. For this reason, it is important to support safety and mutual respect, so that the practice of cycling can develop in an attentive and favorable context. These issues, across the board, are of concern to all political forces. Combining sport with the new conception of urban spaces can make a difference, at a time when the European Union is reflecting on these issues. It is essential to involve the interested communities, so that these proposals are not perceived as imposed from above."

Hon. Lara Magoni: "I am from Bergamo and I love cycling. Safety is a very important issue, especially to be able to bring new generations to this sport. On a topic like this, we work together. At the European level, in 2019, a new European directive says something simple, almost obvious: new roads must provide adequate spaces for vulnerable road users, namely pedestrians and cyclists. If they had implemented it, how many deaths would have been prevented? There is no European regulation, there is no single code, at the European level there is no helmet requirement. As a skier, I believe it is fundamental. It must become a habit, because it saves lives. It would be important for us as the European Parliament to be able to influence the Commission because the safety problem is not just Italian, but European. I thank the Federation and President Dagnoni for bringing to the European Parliament the invitation so that each of us, in our work as parliamentarians, brings forward the demands related to bicycle use and safety."

Hon. Carolina Morace: "Safety is an issue that concerns the daily life of many people. When we talk about bicycles, we talk about freedom, since childhood when we first learned to ride on our own. Freedom exists only if we feel safe. If therefore we cannot use the road without fear, this freedom remains only on paper. It is important for us to receive your ideas, because they help us formulate proposals to the European Commission that are close to the people."

Claudia Cretti: "I have done many sports, I chose cycling because you train hard and on Sunday you raise your arms to the sky when you win. And while you train and compete you see the world. When I fell, and the helmet saved my life, and then I woke up, I immediately thought about getting back in the saddle and resuming cycling. I resumed, in para-cycling, which allowed me to discover many different realities, with one thing in common: the pleasure of riding a bicycle and continuing to see the world."

Ivan Gotti: "The bicycle gives us greater freedom of movement, but sometimes we overdo this freedom and engage in incorrect behavior. The proposals presented are excellent, there is much to do to convince motorists and all road users to behave correctly."

In the photo, from left: Hon. Lara Magoni, Ambassador of Italy to Belgium Federica Favi, President Cordiano Dagnoni, Hon. Carolina Morace, Claudia Cretti