ETRA is the European Twowheel Retailers’ Association and represents the interests of bicycle, motorcycle and electric bicycle dealers across Europe. This e-newsletter aims at providing you with a quick update on current ETRA affairs.
E-mobility congress on 12 December
e mobility congress
Dutch trade paper Tweewieler organises the second edition of the E-Mobility congress for bicycle dealers and their staff. The congress aims at offering information on the latest developments and innovations in the field of electric bicycles. It takes place on 12 December 2011 in “De Reehorst” in Ede (the Netherlands). On the programme:
- ETRA Secretary General Annick Roetynck will give an update on European rules and regulations governing electric bicycles.
- Anneke Smeulders (GFK) will present market trends, statistics and developments.
- Han Goes (Q Square) will tell you all about the future of electric bicycles.
- Electric bike dealer Eugen Uppelshoten (Bikeshop Amersfoort) will answer all questions about the return of the workshop.
The participation fee is €99, but ETRA relations enjoy a €20 discount. If you wish to attend the congress, you can register on the ETRA website.
ETRA – Bike Europe Dealer BusinessTrip to Taipei Cycle Show: 5-9 March 2012
Bike Europe, in cooperation with ETRA is organizing an exclusive trip for bike dealers to Asia’s biggest bike show, the International Taipei Cycle Show in Taiwan (March 7 – 10, 2012). This trip is specifically targeted at dealers (and/or other distributors) looking at broadening their suppliers’ network. The trip starts on Monday 5 March 2012 from Schiphol, Amsterdam Airport and finishes on Saturday 9 March at the same airport.
The package includes:
A return flight Schiphol-Taipei
Transfer by air-Taipei tripconditioned bus from the airport to the hotel
3 nights in the 4-star Riviera Hotel in Taipei
Welcome cocktail at the hotel
Entrance tickets for the trade show
The ‘Taipei Cycle Night’ cocktail-buffet part
Shuttle bus service to and from hotel and show
Price: €1,295 per person
For further details or to register for this business trip, click here, , send a mail to info@tweewielerreizen.nl or contact Annick Roetynck, etra@pandora.be, tel. +32 9 233 60 05.
Deadline for registration: 5 January 2012.
White Paper: Report adopted by the TRAN Committee
On 22 November, The Transport Committee of the European Parliament voted the report of MEP Grosch on the White Paper for Transport, which sets up European transport policy priorities until 2050. Of the 413 amendments originally tabled, 31 compromise amendments were adopted with 34 votes in favour, 5 against and no abstentions.
ETRA has been lobbying intensively to make the promotion of sustainable modes of transport more visible in the paper. This has proved to be successful as the adopted text states that the European Union ‘should pay special attention to most vulnerable users’, i.e. pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. Moreover, the report holds several references on the need to promote the use of sustainable means of transport e.g. bicycles, electric bicycles and powered two wheelers. The report also outlines the importance to develop safe infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists in towns, to double the number of pedestrians, cyclists and passengers on public transport and to improve the interoperability between transport services.
The report will be voted in the next plenary session of the European Parliament on 14 December.
INTERMOT Exhibitor’s opportunity for ETRA-LEVA Members
ETRA and the Light Electric Vehicle Association (LEVA) are partnering with INTERMOT, the International Motorcycle, Scooter and Bicycle Fair, which will take place in Cologne, Germany from 3 October to 7 October 2012.
Bike logo intermot
Photograph:Koelnmesse
ETRA – LEVA members are offered the opportunity to share booth space in the e-Motion Hall for light electric vehicles. Participants can choose between two space sizes: 9 or 16 square meters. The total cost to the exhibitor is € 3,050 for 9 m² and € 4,025 for 16 m². At this stage, the offer is reserved for joint ETRA – LEVA members. Both associations encourage their joint membership to take advantage of this great offer.
Early registration is now open and a € 275 deposit is required to hold space in this special program. More information about the offer here and about INTERMOT Cologne here.
Please contact sidneyk@levassociation.com for registration. .
IMCO vote on Review of theType approval set for 5 December
On 5 December, the Parliamentary Committee will decide on Rapporteur van de Camp’s report as well as on the 304 amendments to this report, tabled by his colleagues. Of these amendments, a good dozen originate from ETRA’s position paper on the text that was originally proposed by the European Commission. ETRA developed a detailed paper containing a large number of draft amendments aimed at improving the Commission’s text for the benefit of electric bicycles.
Mrs Heide Rühle, Shadow Rapporteur for the Greens/EFA, tabled these amendments. ETRA also managed to convince the Shadows Rapporteurs from ECR and ALDE to support the amendments. However, in order to win the vote, one of the 2 biggest political groups, i.e. EPP or S&D, also need to get behind Mrs Rühle’s amendments. To date, the final result is still uncertain. In the meantime, ETRA continues the lobby work until the final deadline.
ETRA events
– 30/11/2011-04/12/2011: Salon de la moto, scooter, quad 2011, Paris, France
– 05/05/2011: Joint EESC/EC Conference on the White Paper on Transport, the civil society viewpoint
– 05/12/2011: Adoption of the type approval review in the IMCO Committee of the European Parliament
– 12/12/2011: E-mobility Congress, Ede, The Netherlands
Check the ETRA agenda for more events!
