CONEBI provides update on its work during COVID-19

CONEBI has provided an update on its work during the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Erhard Büchel, CONEBI president, said the likely general EU trend will be 30 to 60% losses in business in the next three months and, production-wise, 30-40% less volume compared to annual planning under normal conditions. 50,000 bicycle and e-bike dealers will be “severely affected”.

COVID-19 is, therefore, the “main priority” for CONEBI.

1. Information platform
The most important added value of CONEBI is the network of industry associations that represent bicycle, e-bike and parts and accessories companies at national level. In the EU, more than 500 companies are directly associated to the CONEBI’s national industry associations http://www.conebi.eu/members/.

In regular contact with the CONEBI’s members, the CONEBI secretariat is already gathering information about the impact of COVID-19 on the sector in the several EU countries. Therefore CONEBI is going to be an EU information platform that will be updated on a regular basis in the next months to:

– Monitor measures taken by the European institutions (European Commission, European Parliament, Council of the European Union, European Central Bank and European Investment Bank)
– Analyse possible implications of COVID-19 on EU regulations and directives
– Analyse EU programmes to support companies and workers in the EU

2. Bicycle industry recommendations and communication with the EU institutions
CONEBI – together with its national members – prepared an official letter for the European Commission to present the problems that the bicycle, e-bike and parts and accessories industries are facing since the COVID-19 outbreak.

Please find here the CONEBI letter sent yesterday to the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. The same letter was shared as well with the EU Commissioner in charge of the EU Industrial Policy – Mr Thierry Breton and the EU Commissioner for Transport – Ms Adina Vălean.

“The companies represented by CONEBI via its national industry associations are asking for an urgent influx of financial support, which must be easily accessible by avoiding excessively complicated bureaucratic processes.”

CONEBI has in the last few days also replied to a questionnaire that has been prepared by the European Commission’s Economic Unit dealing with the follow up of the economic impact, in which it shared its vision for a recovery in the short, medium and long-term.