The Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations (FEMA) is a
motorcycling
Motorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. For some people, motorcycling may be the only affordable form of individual motorized transportation, and small-displacement motorcycles are the most common motor vehicle in the most populous co ...
advocacy group
Advocacy groups, also known as interest groups, special interest groups, lobbying groups or pressure groups use various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and ultimately policy. They play an important role in the developm ...
based in Brussels, Belgium. It was formed on 10 January 1998 from a merger of the
Federation of European Motorcyclists
The Federation of European Motorcyclists (FEM) was a motorcycling advocacy group based in Brussels, Belgium. It was formed in 1988 by representatives of various national motorcyclists' representative organisations at a meeting in Strasbourg which ...
(FEM) and the European Motorcyclists' Association (EMA).
History
From its inception FEMA has been headquartered at Rue des Champs 62, 1040 Brussels, Belgium in the offices previously used by its forerunner FEM.
FEMA's first General Secretary was Simon Milward who had previously served since 1992 as the General Secretary of the Federation of European Motorcyclists.
The merger created a pan-European riders' rights organisation ranging from Scandinavia in the north to Greece in the south and from Ireland in the west to the Czech republic in the east. It also brought together national organisations who continued to compete with each other for members within their own territories such as the Motorcycle Action Group and the
British Motorcyclists Federation
The British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF) is a motorcycle riders' rights group in the United Kingdom. The BMF was founded in 1960 as the Federation of National One Make Motorcycle Clubs to counter accusations of "leather-jacketed hooligans". It ...
in the UK, and the BVDM (Bundesverband der Motorradfahrer), Kuhle Wampe and Biker Union in Germany.
In 1999 the FEMA member groups met with other motorcyclists' organisations and motorcycle industry representatives from across the globe in Mulhouse, France. It was at this conference that Neil Liversidge also authored the 'Mulhouse Declaration', that:
*'We the undersigned utterly oppose the compulsory fitment to privately owned vehicles of any device designed to arbitrarily remove control from the driver to remote operation.
*We note with extreme concern the tendency of governments to impose ever more intrusive and restrictive regulations upon the citizen.
*We caution governments to remember that they are permitted to govern only by the consent of the people and that such consent when given through an election does not grant unlimited licence to interfere in the daily life of the citizen.
*We further caution all governments that to impose unduly on popular freedom is to imperil the respect in which government and the rule of law is held.'
The declaration received the unanimous support of the delegates present.
Founding members
Founding member organisations of FEMA were:
*
Motorcycle Action Group
The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) is a motorcycle riders' rights group based in the United Kingdom.
MAG was formed by Dennis Howard, Mick Griffiths, George Potter and Mohar Singh. The minutes of the first meeting held on 28 June 1973 identifi ...
(MAG UK)
*
British Motorcyclists Federation
The British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF) is a motorcycle riders' rights group in the United Kingdom. The BMF was founded in 1960 as the Federation of National One Make Motorcycle Clubs to counter accusations of "leather-jacketed hooligans". It ...
(UK)
* MAG Ireland
* Luxembourg Moto Initiativ (LMI) (Luxembourg)
* Fédération Française des Motards en Colère (FFMC) (France)
* DMC (Denmark)
* Coordinamento Motociclisti (Italy)
* SMC (Sweden)
* Federacao Nacional Motociclismo (FNM) (Portugal)
* MAG Belgium
* Bikers Co-operation (Germany)
* Biker Union (Germany)
* Kuhle Wampe (Verband der Motorradclubs Kuhle Wampe) (Germany)
* Bundesverband der Motorradfahrer (BVDM) (Germany)
* MMS Hungary
* MAG Austria
* Cyprus Motorcycle Federation
* Motoe (Greece)
* SMOTO (Finland)
* MP69 (Finland)
* Bifhjólasamtök Lýðveldisins Sniglar (Iceland)
* MAG Netherlands
* Norsk Motorcykkel Union (Norway)
* CMRC (Cyprus)
See also
*
Motorcycling
Motorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. For some people, motorcycling may be the only affordable form of individual motorized transportation, and small-displacement motorcycles are the most common motor vehicle in the most populous co ...
*
ABATE
State motorcyclists' rights organizations (SMROs) exist in about 32 US states, 25 of which call themselves "ABATE of (state name)," the rest going by various other names. SMROs advocate for the motorcycle rider and freedom on the road. In the mot ...
*
American Motorcyclist Association
The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is an American nonprofit organization of more than 200,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights. Its mission statement is "to promo ...
*
Helmet Law Defense League
The Helmet Law Defense League (HLDL) is a group founded in 1993 that opposes the laws in U.S. state, states which mandate motorcycle helmets. The group contends that mandatory motorcycle helmet laws enacted at the state, county, and municipal leve ...
(HLDL)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Federation Of European Motorcyclists Associations
Motorcyclists organizations
Non-profit organisations based in Belgium
Organizations established in 1998
European
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
Advocacy groups in Belgium