Micro-Mobility for Europe (MMfE), the coalition of shared e-scooter and e-bike operators in Europe, welcomes the Netherlands’ timely call for a cohesive European policy on Personal Mobility Devices (PMDs). We commend the Netherlands and other supportive Member States to recognise that the current landscape of fragmented national regulation undermines both user safety and the potential of the European Single Market.
MMfE supports the aim of the application of a universal approval system for e-scooters across Europe, but we stress that the chosen procedure must be proportionate and forward-looking. The lack of consistent national technical specifications for e-scooters (e.g. speed limits, lighting, braking systems) creates a fragmented market, increasing compliance costs and hindering standardised fleet deployment across different markets.
Need for a harmonised regulatory framework
2024, more than 312 million shared e-scooter trips and more than 79 million shared e-bike rides were made. MMfE supports the aim to create a harmonised regulatory environment and a level playing field across the EU. Currently, e-scooters are excluded from the Machinery Directive’s scope and Regulation 168/2013, resulting in a patchwork of inconsistent national rules. The fragmentation creates barriers within the European Single Market and forces manufacturers to comply with inconsistent national rules.
A harmonised EU regulatory framework will eliminate the above-mentioned market distortions, remove barriers to innovation and allow operators to scale within the European Single Market.
Advocating for proportionate and harmonised technical requirements
Adopting a uniform set of feasible technical specifications for shared e-scooters would ensure regulatory consistency while allowing operators to innovate and optimise their fleet. The proposed European solution by the Netherlands, referred to as a “type-approval-like system”, needs to be carefully discussed with the involvement of the industry. We believe that the involvement of the industry in coming up with standards is crucial, to ensure that standards will not impede the operations and availability of shared micro-mobility devices. MMfE thinks that the harmonised EU rules must be designed to avoid replicating the restrictive nature of some current national systems.
MMfE calls on the European Commission to follow up with legislative work on the findings of the fka/TRL study from 2024 and develop a universal approval system for all PMDs with the machine parameters proposed by the study.
Please find the statement of MMfE here.
