The Benelux countries and the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia are stepping up joint efforts to curb the rise in cross-border bicycle theft, officials announced on Tuesday.

Across Europe, millions of bicycles vanish each year, many of them targeted by organised criminal networks that transport stolen bikes across national borders. By tightening cooperation, the Benelux partners and North Rhine-Westphalia hope to accelerate investigations and improve the chances of recovering stolen bikes.

Electric bicycles have become a particularly lucrative target: thefts of e-bikes in Europe have risen by 30 percent in recent years. In the Netherlands, thousands of bicycles disappear every month, while Germany reports tens of thousands of thefts annually—many of which cross the border soon after being stolen.

Data-sharing at the centre of the plan

“Bicycle theft is not a minor problem,” said Frans Weekers, secretary-general of the Benelux Union. “It undermines citizens’ confidence in sustainable mobility and discourages people from using bicycles.”

To counter the trend, the Benelux countries and North Rhine-Westphalia have agreed on three concrete measures. The first focuses on enhanced data-sharing between police forces, allowing officers to identify and track stolen bicycles more quickly—even when recovered across the border.

The second measure aims to deepen operational cooperation through joint checks and coordinated investigations.

Finally, authorities plan to link national bicycle registration systems, including Belgium’s MyBike platform, to make it easier to verify ownership and return bicycles to their rightful owners. Photo by Wossi1991, Wikimedia commons.