Laws & Regulations

BERLIN, Germany - Several EU ministries already announced before the 2024 European elections, that regulations on vehicles would be revised, which also lead to changes in the existing e-bike regulations. It instantly raised concerns within the industry whether e-bikes will continue to be classified as bicycles. If not, the industry fears type approval and other restrictive regulations to be implemented for what is currently considered e-bikes.

As the dust settles after December 13, 2024 - of course you all know by now that's the date when the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) came into effect - numerous ambiguities remain. Flaws, gaps, and even loopholes are crying out for more clarity. At the time of writing this blog, we are still awaiting the European Commission's guidance document, which is expected to provide some of this much-needed clarity.

WASHINGTON DC, United States - Newly announced reciprocal tariffs by the Trump administration in the US has brought a renewed level of uncertainty to the bicycle industry supply chain. The proposed tariffs mean all bicycles entering the country will face some level of tariffs unless the frame itself has been manufactured in the US. The expected result is rising costs for importers on which the market relies and a stagnating retail market as US consumers face higher prices for a new bike.

Once upon a time, back when I was just a young lad, there was a song my brothers and I occasionally heard on the radio - a song that seemed to cast a spell over us. We didn't know what it was about, nor could we name the band, but something about it was almost magical. And this was before we'd even seen the music video! That song became iconic - a symbol of our youth - resonating with us deeply despite remaining a mystery for years.

LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - An investigation into suspected large-scale customs fraud related to the import of e-bikes from China is being led by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. In this latest case where the e-bikes are known to have entered the EU via Poland, the unpaid duties add up to an estimated loss of €1.8 million.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The fierce discussion 2 years ago on the new battery regulation implemented by the European Commission seem to have moved to the background. The challenging market conditions appear to be more relevant than a new European regulation which will be implemented in January 2027. One element in this regulation is that the single cell replacement for e-bike batteries would cause serious safety issues according to many industry insiders.

LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - An investigation into suspected large-scale customs fraud related to the import of e-bikes from China is being led by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. In this latest case where the e-bikes are known to have entered the EU via Poland, the unpaid duties add up to an estimated loss of €1.8 million.

LONDON, UK - The UK Government has accepted the recommendation to revoke anti-dumping and countervailing measures on imports of Chinese non-folding e-bikes to the UK. The measure which came into force from 7 February 2025 will open the market to cheaper e-bikes.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The reaction to the EU's recent decision to extend the anti-dumping and countervailing measures against imports e-bike from China doesn't come near the heavy discussions six years ago when the measures were implemented for the first time. For that reason, LEVA-EU now draws attention to the cheap and non-compliant e-bike from China and the complex exemption processes for 'made in China' e-bike components.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission announced this morning to maintain the anti-dumping as well as countervailing duties on e-bikes imported from China for another 5 years. The Commission has opted for the imposition of per company targeted dumping duties. The dumping duties vary from 9.9% for Giant Electric Vehicle up to 70.1% for a group of non-cooperative companies.

As the dust settles after December 13, 2024 - of course you all know by now that's the date when the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) came into effect - numerous ambiguities remain. Flaws, gaps, and even loopholes are crying out for more clarity. At the time of writing this blog, we are still awaiting the European Commission's guidance document, which is expected to provide some of this much-needed clarity.

Once upon a time, back when I was just a young lad, there was a song my brothers and I occasionally heard on the radio - a song that seemed to cast a spell over us. We didn't know what it was about, nor could we name the band, but something about it was almost magical. And this was before we'd even seen the music video! That song became iconic - a symbol of our youth - resonating with us deeply despite remaining a mystery for years.

I'm writing this blog while sitting on a train to Amsterdam. Once I arrive and walk to my destination, I'll need to watch out for a fairly recent phenomenon: fatbikes. I live in a quiet little village, so I thought it wasn't that big of a deal. But whenever I come to Amsterdam, I suddenly understand the alarming Dutch news headlines much better. These things can be dangerous!

As I wrote in one of my earlier blogs, the upcoming General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) is food for many more blogs to come. It contains many provisions that go far beyond the current EU General Product Safety Directive (GPSD). In this blog, I would like to draw attention to a new obligation that is introduced in the GPSR: accident reporting.