The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands will join the campaign on the occasion of 22 September - International Car Free Day by organising and participating in events for promotion of alternative means of transport.

On Tuesday, 22 September, the Embassy will participate at the closing event and promotion of results of the project “I Like to Bike! But Where Shall I Park My Bike?!?” organised by the Coalition for Sustainable Development (CSD), the City of Skopje and the Municipality of Karposh. The participants in this event will get on their bicycles and see the practical results of the creative workshop that took place earlier this year – 60 bicycle parking racks on different locations around the city, one of which is the parking in front of the Embassy building. The bicycle parade and promotion will start at 11:00 hrs in front of the premises of the City of Skopje. On the same day, starting at 11:00 hrs, Netherlands Ambassador Simone Filippini will attend the bicycle and walking cross organised by the Municipality of Strumica and NGO Planetum and support the excellent initiative for promotion of cycling in all towns in Macedonia. On Wednesday, 23 September at 10:00 hrs in the premises of the NOVA International School Ambassador Filippini will present the awards to the winners of the competition for best essay, art project and drawing inspired by the bicycle. At the same time she will discuss with the students their views on cycling and other alternative means of transport as well as their ideas on what they can do to protect the environment.

Last year Ambassador Simone Filippini presented Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski with a bicycle on the occasion of the Car Free Day and this year the Embassy will give one bicycle to the La Strada Shelter Centre, an NGO for protection of the victims of human trafficking ( http://www.lastrada.org.mk). This will take place on Wedneasday, 23 September at 13:00 hrs in the premises of La Strada (Sava Kovacevic St. 1a).

The European Union member countries mark 22 September for the eighth time this year with the organisation of EU mobility week ( http://22september.org). The former European Commissioner for Environment Margot Wallström established the Car Free Day as a European initiative in the year 2000. It serves as an opportunity for participating cities to show how matters related to the environment concern them. For one day, local authorities can present their urban centres in a different light and implement key actions aiming at restricting motorised traffic in certain areas, encouraging the use of sustainable modes of transport and raising awareness on the environmental impacts of citizens’ modal choice.

Bicycles are a trademark of the Dutch culture, and the Netherlands Embassy in Skopje is actively promoting cycling in Macedonia. Every Dutch person cycles an average of 3 kilometres per day, there are 15,000 kilometres of bicycle lanes and the 16.5 million inhabitants of the Netherlands own more than 18 million bicycles. Every year almost 1,4 million bikes are sold in the Netherlands, made by some of the biggest Dutch producers of bicycles,  such as Batavus (www.batavus.nl), Sparta ( www.sparta.nl), The Fietsfabriek (www.fietsfabriek.nl) and Gazelle ( www.gazelle.nl). For more information on cycling in the Netherlands please visit:  http://www.fietsberaad.nl/library/repository/bestanden/CyclingintheNetherlands2009.pdf.