The new office of ECF (European Cycilists’Federation) in Brussels is officially opened today by Pascal Smet, Minister of the Brussels Region, and Manfred Neun, ECF President. The Minister announced that the Brussels Region and the ECF will organize world’s largest biennial bicycle planning conference Velo-city in 2009 in Brussels.

The Velo-City conference is widely respected as the premier international cycling planning conference series in the world, attracting more than 500 participants. The series name is owned by the ECF.  Velo-City began in 1980 and seeks to encourage cycling as a part of daily transport and recreation. The Velo-City events do not just attract one type of profession, but bring together all those who are involved in the policy, promotion and provision for cyclists. This mixture of people, professions, skills and experience is a valuable component of the events success.

“Two years ago I announced my bicycle plan with a series of measures to encourage the use of the bicycle,” said Pascal Smet. “Two years later the daily use of the bicycle already increased from 1% to 4%. It should be possible to double this before Velo-city 2009. Velo-city and the special attention should help us to promote Brussels as a bicycle city and to invest in cycling even in the years after 2009. Because you must work permanently on a bicycle friendly city,” Pascal Smet said. The ECF president emphasized that organizing the Velo-city conference will help to improve and to promote cycling in Brussels, in whole Belgium and in Europe. “We bring all the expertise on cycling to the capital of Europe!”.

For the forthcoming Velo-city 2007 in Munich the ECF President invited the Minister to present Brussels there in June next year and to promote the Velo-city Brussels to the audience of the conference in Munich.

For more information:

-          Bernhard Ensink, ECF Secretary General and Velo-city Series Director gsm + 31-641744350

-          René Konings, communication officer Pascal Smet 00 32 478/34.7886.