Slovak police on Thursday said the new amendment to a traffic law that sets a maximum permitted speed on sidewalks in urban areas does not apply to pedestrians. Several local and international media, including POLITICO, earlier reported that the law — which sets a limit of 6 kilometers per hour — will apply to pedestrians as well. “I must clarify that this is not true,” police Vice President Rastislav Polakovič told Slovak media. “The rule is intended for people using roller skates, scooters, skateboards, skis, or similar sports equipment, as well as cyclists up to 10 years old, including their escorts. The measurements should focus on these groups.” The initial announcement sparked a wave of amusement and confusion on social media, with some internet users wondering whether running to catch a bus could get them fined. The legislation that was updated by the new amendment applies to various sidewalk users. The measure, which will enter into force on Jan. 1, 2026, was introduced to avoid collisions on the sidewalks. “The main goal is to increase safety on sidewalks in light of the increasing number of collisions with scooter riders,” said the author of the amendment, Ľubomír Vážny of the leftist-populist Smer party of Prime Minister Robert Fico, which is part of the ruling coalition. The change drew backlash from the opposition, NGOs and political scientists. “In the Czech Republic, this issue is addressed by banning scooters and e-bikes on sidewalks, while the Slovak approach has led to a rather bizarre piece of legislation,” political scientist Lubomír Kopeček at the Masaryk University in Brno told POLITICO. The cyclist advocacy group Cyklokoalícia (Cycling Coalition) said the legislation is problematic because it pushes children under the age of 10 — who are now allowed to cycle on pavements — into the road.

You can only walk 6 kilometers per hour if you want to follow the law in Slovakia. The Slovak parliament Tuesday afternoon adopted an amendment to the traffic law that sets a maximum permitted speed on sidewalks in urban areas at 6 kph. The limit applies to pedestrians, cyclists, skaters, and scooter and e-scooter riders — all of who are allowed on sidewalks — and aims to avoid frequent collisions. “The main goal is to increase safety on sidewalks in light of the increasing number of collisions with scooter riders,” said the author of the amendment, Ľubomír Vážny of the leftist-populist Smer party of Prime Minister Robert Fico, which is part of the ruling coalition. The amendment will be useful in proving violations, the lawmaker said, “especially in cases where it’s necessary to objectively determine whether they were moving faster than what’s considered an appropriate speed in areas meant primarily for pedestrians.” Although the law will come into force Jan. 1, 2026, proponents haven’t publicly spelled out how they plan to enforce it. The average walking speed typically ranges between 4 to 5 kph. However, the British Heart Foundation reports that a pace of 6.4 kilometers per hour is considered moderate for someone with excellent fitness. The opposition criticized the change, and even the Slovak Interior Ministry said it would be more appropriate to prohibit e-scooters from the sidewalks than impose a general speed limit. Martin Pekár of the opposition liberal party Progressive Slovakia said pedestrians face danger from cars, not cyclists or scooters, and that the amendment penalizes sustainable transport. “If we want fewer collisions, we need more safe bike lanes, not absurd limits that are physically impossible to follow,” Pekár said. “At the mentioned speed, a cyclist can hardly keep their balance,” he added. The amendment has sparked a wave of amusement on social media, with some wondering whether running to catch a bus could get them fined.

Lime e-scooters have returned to Brussels — thanks to an anonymous company that offered to transfer its license to Lime. Approximately 6,000 scooters owned by American company Lime were booted off the streets last week when its license expired. The move followed a Belgian Council of State ruling that upheld the region’s previous decision to only allow Bolt, Dott and Voi to operate in Brussels. But another rental company offered to transfer its license to Lime in “a remarkable show of industry solidarity,” Lime, which has a partnership with Uber, announced in a statement on Tuesday. Brussels Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt said rental scooter numbers were limited for the safety and comfort of all road users. “It is ironic that Uber/Lime is using its army of lawyers to challenge a regulation expressly requested by the sector. Uber/Lime is now using all legal means, but the system can only work if everyone plays by the rules,” she told POLITICO. The gesture from the unnamed competitor allows Lime, one of the largest e-mobility operators in the world, to function in Brussels until December 5, when that license expires. “This allows us to secure the jobs of more than 100 people in Brussels for the next five months, offering stability to them and their families during a period of legal uncertainty,” said Lime’s regional director in Belgium and Northern Europe. The e-scooter saga dates back to 2023, when Brussels announced it would downsize the total number of vehicles in the city from 20,000 to 8,000, citing a lack of regulations and safety problems. It followed a complete ban on e-scooters in Paris and restrictions in other European cities including Vienna and Barcelona. After a tender process, Brussels chose Bolt, Dott and Voi in 2023 as the only permitted operators in the city. However, Lime contested the decision, citing a lack of transparency. The company is still awaiting a final verdict on its challenge. In February 2025, the Brussels authorities restricted the permitted operators to Bolt and Dott. Lime and Voi were allowed to operate until their license expired — July 3 for Lime, Aug. 23 for Voi. Lime is now also suing Brussels for not providing an interim solution, and claims the city could be liable for million of euros in compensation.

Law enforcement agents in four countries carried out coordinated raids on Wednesday targeting fraudulent Chinese imports to the EU, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office announced Thursday. The EPPO-led investigation alleges that criminal networks defrauded the EU of an estimated €700 million through large-scale customs and VAT fraud involving textiles, shoes, e-scooters, e-bikes and other goods imported from China, the EPPO said in a statement. The proceeds were then laundered and sent back to China, it said. Authorities conducted 101 searches on Wednesday across Bulgaria, Greece, France and Spain, the EPPO said.  Ten suspects, including two customs officers, were arrested, and law enforcement seized €5.8 million in various currencies, 27 vehicles, luxury items, 11 properties, and thousands of shipping containers and e-vehicles, according to the EPPO. The goods in the scheme were mainly brought in through the Piraeus Port in Greece, investigators said. In 2019, the EU’s anti-fraud investigators found that customs officials at the Chinese-owned Piraeus failed to stop fraudulent imports.  The imports were substantially undervalued or misclassified to evade customs duties, and their destinations were falsified to avoid paying VAT in the country of entry. EPPO alleges the goods were then transported using false documents to France, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain, where they were sold on the black market.