The Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry (CONEBI) and Cycling Industries Europe (CIE) have announced the successful conclusion of their merger, bringing together the two organisations to form European Cycling Industries, a unified voice of the cycling sector in Europe.
According to the release, this merger marks a significant milestone for the European cycling ecosystem. By integrating the strengths of both organisations, European Cycling Industries says it will bolster the industry’s collective ability to represent, promote, and grow cycling across Europe, consolidating expertise in industrial policy, market development, and mobility under one structure.
As part of the establishment of the new organisation, Tony Grimaldi from Cycleurope has been elected President of ECI, with Volker Thiemann representing Velo de Ville and ZIV elected as Vice-President. The two will switch roles for the second year of their mandate.
This merger is a historic moment for our industry. I’m honoured to have been elected to be the first President by our new board and thank the trust of my colleagues at this pivotal time for the cycling industry. By uniting our resources, expertise, and ambitions, we are creating a stronger platform to advocate for our sector – Tony Grimaldi, President of European Cycling Industries
European Cycling Industries added that it will deliver more coherent advocacy, improved coordination across policy areas, and greater support to its members.
I am delighted to take on this role at such an important moment for our industry. I look forward to fostering close collaboration between national associations and member companies, ensuring their combined expertise drives the growth and impact of the new organisation across Europe – Volker Thiemann, Vice-President
The Board has also confirmed Paul Walsh as the Chief Executive Officer of the joint organisation.
Cycling is one of Europe’s industrial strengths, but too often its impact remains overlooked. By uniting under a single voice in Brussels, we can ensure that the true scale and potential of our industry and ecosystem is recognised — from manufacturing and technology to new mobility services. This merger enables us to advocate more effectively, promote European leadership, and support the growth of a sector that contributes so much to Europe’s economy, society, and sustainability – Paul Walsh, CEO of ECI
The inaugural board of European Cycling Industries, with representatives from seven National Association members and seven company members, is as follows:
• Massimo Panzeri, ANCMA – Italy
• Pedro Araújo, ABIMOTA – Portugal
• Volker Thiemann, ZIV – Germany
• Bayram Akgül, BISED – Turkey
• Mateusz Pytko, PSR – Poland
• Jeffrey Chin, MKKSZ – Hungary
• Remco Tekstra, RAI – Netherlands
• Tony Grimaldi, Cycleurope
• Friederike Pischnick, Bosch eBike Systems
• Herman van Beveren, Decathlon
• Raymond Gense, Pon.Bike
• Nick Brown, Vélogik UK
• Kristian Brink, Urban Sharing
• Malcolm Davies, TREK
