The European Commission will vote on whether e-bike riders should have mandatory third-party vehicle insurance on the 22nd January - and if the law is passed it could have a hugely negative effect on the usage and sales of e-bikes, say the European Cyclists Federation. 

The European e-bike market could suffer “substantial damage” according to the ECF, and they are calling for help from the public in assuring the EU Motor Insurance Directive won't apply to e-bikes: “We will need your help to convince Parliamentarians to scrap mandatory insurance for EPACs (e-bikes)”, stated the Federation.

“There will be a vote on this in the committee on the 22nd January. This has been moved forward from the 29th of January, so we have less time than we initially thought. With this short notice in mind, we now urgently need your help to contact MEPs to nudge them towards voting correctly! The committee decision is not the final decision of Parliament, but usually committee decisions are supported by all the political groups when it comes to a full vote. So this decision now is the most important step in getting this EU Commission recommendation over-ruled in Parliament.”

If you want to persuade your MEP to vote down the potental new law, the ECF recommends writing to them in the MEP's native language (in our case English, while we're still in the EU anyway!) with a template provided - it's recommended that you add some personal comments about how the new law could negatively affect you. Head over to bike-eu.com to find the template at the bottom of the article.