BRUSSELS (BRAIN) — A board of directors was recently elected for the CONEBI, the Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry, a new group that formed last fall following the merger of the Association of the European Two-Wheeler Parts' and Accessories' Industry (COLIPED) and the Association of the European Bicycle Industry (COLIBI).
Board members include René Takens of the Accell Group NV as president, Erhard Buechel of Buchel & Co Fahrzeugteilefabrik KG as vice president, Massimo Panzeri of Atala Spa as vice president and Sacha Boedijn of RAI Association as treasurer. While the two European bike groups merged Nov. 19, registration of the new CONEBI association became official at the beginning of January.
In a statement announcing the merger, CONEBI said the group will "combine the efforts that have been efficiently put by COLIPED and COLIBI all over the past decades in order to have maximum strength in representing its members' interests at the European level." This includes regular contact with European policy makers, other associations with common objectives, the European standardization body CEN, industry and mobility experts, as well as international media.
CONEBI's mission is to grow the bike and P&A industries and cycling culture in Europe, the group said. It will continue to publish the European Bicycle Industry & Market Profile, previously issued by COLIPED and COLIBI. COLIPED was established in 1960 and COLIBI in 1973.
CONEBI anticipates its new website to be live soon at www.conebi.eu.
