Energy transition and welfare, EU countries focus on cycling

Among the various initiatives related to cycle tourism and cycle routes in the whole of Europe is Eurovelo, (The European cycle route network), a network of 17 long-distance cycle routes that cross and connect Europe. "The routes can be used by long-distance cycle tourists, as well as by locals making day trips," emphasise Eurovelo. Only routes approved by the European Cycling Federation can be called EuroVelo.

According to Eurolevo's data hub, 'there are an estimated 2.3 billion tourist bicycle trips per year in the EU, which means a total economic value of EUR 44 billion according to the last study published to date by the European Parliament in 2012'.

In this scenario, there is also Italy where, according to the Piste Ciclabili network, there are about 5,000 routes to be travelled by bicycle. A platform where new cycle paths can also be designed and indicated, from Sardinia to Lombardy, from Sicily to Friuli Venezia Giulia. That is not all, however, because it is precisely in Italy that a plan has been launched to connect railway stations with universities, and with which at least 565 kilometres of urban and metropolitan cycle paths are to be built and a 150 million euro investment is planned. This is a positive figure to try to fill a gap with which Italy has to reckon, since it "has the fewest kilometres of cycle paths per capita in Europe and invests much less in sustainable mobility than cars".

A giocare una partita importante c’è anche la Regione Sardegna che ha stanziato 12 milioni di euro proprio per la realizzazione di nuove piste ciclabili a Cagliari, Olbia e Sassari. Il tutto all’interno di un progetto che ha come obiettivo «promuovere la mobilità urbana multimodale sostenibile quale parte della transizione verso un’economia a zero emissioni nette di carbonio». Il via libera all’erogazione delle risorse è arrivato dalla Giunta regionale. «L’approvazione di questa delibera – ha detto l’assessore regionale Antonio Piu – va nella direzione del raggiungimento dell’obiettivo di riduzione delle emissioni climalteranti. Con politiche e strategie di mobilità alternative all’auto privata verso la realizzazione di piste ciclabili e altre infrastrutture di supporto, da realizzarsi anche mediante il raccordo tra la rete ciclabile regionale e le reti urbane che attraversano i principali centri abitati dell’Isola. È importante sostenere e accompagnare gli enti locali nell’att

Among the countries that are decisively investing in cycling is Spain, which has launched the State Bicycle Strategy (Estrategia Estatal por la Bicicleta), part of the 2030 Strategy for Safe, Sustainable and Connected Mobility, developed by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Mitma).

Launched in 2021, the strategy aims to promote the use of bicycles and to involve institutions, associations and companies in order to promote a 'definitive turning point' in the culture of cycling. Among the promoters is the ConBici association, which is active in recognising the social value of the bicycle and its introduction as a paid means of transport in work contexts.

At the local level, cities such as Seville, Valencia, Zaragoza and Vitoria have adopted sustainable mobility plans (PMUS) that prioritise cycling and limit motorised traffic in city centres. In 2025, the government also announced the expansion of the MOVES Sustainability programme, which finances cycling infrastructure and safe parking in medium-sized and large municipalities.

According to the 2022 OCU report, Vitoria, Seville, Valencia and Barcelona are the most bike-friendly cities in the country, while Madrid lags behind, although it plans 30 million euros of investment by 2026 to create a metropolitan cycle ring and improve the connection of the tracks. Barcelona, on the other hand, already has more than 250 kilometres of cycle tracks, with safe routes and a public bike-sharing service, Bicing, which has more than 8 million trips per year.

Spain's commitment also translates into funds: more than EUR 2.4 billion from the Next Generation EU programme are earmarked for the sustainable transformation of urban mobility, most of it for cycling infrastructure. The European Connecting Europe Facility and Next Generation EU programmes also finance cross-border cycling corridors such as EuroVelo 1 (Atlantic Route) and EuroVelo 8 (Mediterranean Route), which connect Spain with France and Portugal, passing through cities such as San Sebastián, Girona, Málaga and Cadiz.

Thanks to ERDF funds, cities such as Zaragoza and Santander are also expanding their bicycle and pedestrian networks as part of the European Green Cities initiative. Coordinating the good practices is the Spanish Network of Cities for Cycling (RECB), which promotes technical cooperation and common standards for the European Bicycle Register (BiciRegister).

*This article is part of the European collaborative journalism project "Pulse"