Current and future challenges in the supply chain
At the Port of Antwerp Intermodal Marketplace on the 9th of November 2021, ESC Secretary General Godfried Smit talked about current and future challenges in the...
ESC position on Fit for 55
The European Shippers’ Council understands the need to manage emissions and ESC members are committed to work on sustainability goals. Fir for 55 proposals are a...
Council adopts revision of Eurovignette Directive
On 9 November, the Council of the European Union formally adopted at first reading the revision of the Eurovignette Directive. The final text results from the...
TIACA sustainability roadmap
As part of its sustainability agenda, the International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) has published the industry’s first Air Cargo Sustainability Roadmap. This comprehensive publication is designed...
TIACA annual sustainability survey
The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) has launched a survey on sustainability. With this year’s survey, TIACA aims to measure the progress the air cargo community...
Use of vehicles hired without drivers: Parliament and Council reach provisional agreement
The European Parliament and the Council reached a provisional agreement on the proposal during the second trilogue on 26 October 2021. The revision clarifies the current...
European Commission: report on the implementation of Free Trade Agreements
The Commission will present its Report on the Implementation and Enforcement of EU Trade Agreements over 2020 to the members of the Parliamentary Committee on International...
Fit for 55 Package: aviation and A4E position
ESC is in line with the ambitious objectives of ‘Fit For 55’ package proposals of July 2021. For airplanes, it is unavoidable that the switch from...
COVID-19: restrictions to access workplaces from 1 November in Austria
In Austria, as of 1 November 2021, everybody who has physical contact with other people in their workplace, being employees, owners or operators, are only allowed...
ESC recommendations regarding Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
To combat carbon leakage, which until now has been regulated in the EU Emissions Trading System itself, a new instrument is being developed: Carbon Border Adjustment...
The European Commission’s follow up on the measures for cleaner maritime transport
The European Commission has assessed the European Parliament non-legislative resolution on technical and operational measures for more efficient and cleaner maritime transport. The resolution calls for...
Environment Council: exchange of views on ‘Fit for 55’ package
6th October, 2021 the Environment Council Ministers held an exchange of views on the 5 proposals presented by the Commission under the Fit for 55 package...
Italy: obligation for drivers to have a COVID pass to access company premises
A summary of measures in Italy applicable as of 15 October contains the following: 1. Continued obligation of the compilation of the Passenger Locator Form (PLF)...
WTO: new edition of “Trade Profiles”
11th October, 2021, the WTO issued the latest edition of its annual statistical publication, Trade Profiles, which provides a series of key indicators on merchandise trade...
WTO: customs new tool
9th October, 2021, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) launched a new online tool to keep track of changes in the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System...
G20: meeting on trade and Sorrento Declaration
On 12 October, the G20 Ministers responsible for international trade met in Sorrento. The topics among others included: link between trade and health; digital trade, participation...
Brexit: further facilitation of the movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland
13 October, 2021, the European Commission proposed bespoke arrangements to respond to the difficulties that people in Northern Ireland have been experiencing because of Brexit, by...
The future of EU-US relations
6th of October, 2021, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the future of EU-US relations. For more information please see here.
EU-Qatar : EU and Qatar sign landmark aviation agreement
The EU-Qatar agreement will expand commercial opportunities and trade and will facilitate people-to-people contacts. Going beyond traffic rights, the agreement will provide a single set of...
2-3 November, Asian Logistics, Maritime, and Aviation Conference
2-3 November, 2021, Asian Logistics, Maritime, and Aviation Conference (ALMAC) will be staged virtually. Themed “Resilience．Agility．Sustainability – Reshaping the Global Supply Chain”, over 15 thematic forums...
New president of European Shippers’ Council
Roman Stiftner: “Supply chains have to become more transparent in order to build stability and resilience.” At the ESC Board meeting of October 19th 2021, Roman...
ENTRANCE – Open Competition now launched! SCALE YOUR INNOVATIVE TRANSPORT & MOBILITY SOLUTION!
The European project ENTRANCE has launched an open competition where participants will present their innovative transport and mobility solutions that will improve the sustainability of urban...
ESC sets out recommendations for due diligence legislation
European Shippers’ Council, representing importers and exporters throughout Europe, welcomes the work of the European Commission on due diligence goals. ESC believes that the interplay of...
‘Fit for 55’ package from an industrial perspective
EU internal market and industry ministers discussed the impact of the new climate and energy package on the economy and industry. Ministers broadly agreed that the...
MATCH 2 RAIL supports shipper in shifting freight to climate-friendly rail
MATCH2RAIL solution, launched by the shift2030 initiative and digi-trust.eu B.V., is creating more visibility of the available rail routes for shippers. Shippers can easily upload their...
The Commission says it monitors antitrust compliance in the container shipping sector
Executive Vice-President Vestager answered the written question about the unfair practices in the container shipping industry that have been disrupting entire supply chains. The question came...
“Governments must now intervene in the supply chain”
“Governments should intervene to “restore order” in global logistics chains,” President/CEO Takeshi Hashimoto of the Japanese shipping company Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) said in an interview...
EU-US trade
The EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) met for the first time in Pittsburgh on 29 September 2021. It was co-chaired by European Commission Executive Vice...
France will enforce the 40-ton rule for cross-border traffic with Belgium
France has announced that they will start enforcing a European rule that limits cross-border traffic within the EU to 40 tons, despite the allowance of 44...
British freeports may negatively affect Dutch seaports
The Dutch Institute for Transport and Logistics (Kennisinstituut voor Mobiliteit, KiM) investigated the case of the British freeports to be developed as places of settlement. Freeports...
Rail traffic situation in Germany
There have been many disturbances in the railroad sector recently. Due to the strikes in Germany, the planning of transport for shippers was difficult for days,...
EUROCONTROL study on climate change risks for European aviation
A new report carried out by Egis and the UK Met Office on behalf of EUROCONTROL assesses how existing weather trends have impacted aviation in recent...
New Silk Road no longer needs subsidies
The pandemic taught a lesson that the success of the New Silk Road does not rely on the Chinese subsidies, or any other subsidies for that...
Inland transport of dangerous goods: EC to authorise certain national derogations
Please click here to access the Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/1436 of 31 August 2021 amending Directive 2008/68/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council...
Strike in Germany is hampering EU supply chains
Godfried Smit, ESC Secretary General, talked to RTL Z news. Strike in Germany is hampering EU supply chains. Many companies have no alternative mode for transport....
PLATINA3 survey on greening challenge
The EU-funded PLATINA3 project intends to provide targeted coordination and support activities to promote inland waterway transport (IWT) in Europe. Inside the project, a specific task is...
First ENTRANCE Live Webinar
The first webinar within the European ENTRANCE project took place live on 22nd June 2021 with the European Investment Bank (EIB). Two experts of the EIB,...
New eTOLL road user charging system in Poland for goods and passenger transport
In June 2021, Poland introduced a new tolling system (eTOLL) for all vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Mass of more than 3.5 tonnes. This included goods...
Relaunching rail freight for green growth
French rail freight sector, shippers and industry, unite to express their deep concern about the financing and the implementation of a national strategy that truly embodies...
The European Commission’s response about the traffic disruptions at Brenner corridor
The European Parliament asked the European Commission about the restrictions on the free movement of commercial vehicles in transit through Austria and Germany. The Commission communication...
Updated overview of FTA and other trade negotiations
DG TRADE provided an update of the current status of Free Trade Agreements and other trade negotiations. For more information, please see here.
Digital Container Shipping Association launches Adopter Programme
Programme enables stakeholders to publicly demonstrate successful adoption of DCSA standards Amsterdam, the Netherlands, June 29, 2021 – Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA), a neutral, non-profit...
Expensive transportation of cargo translates into expensive or not available goods
ESC talked to Bloomberg about the effects that the high shipping costs have on consumers. « At the retail level, vendors are faced with three choices:...
Electronic freight transport information (eFTI) developments
Joint position paper on "Achieving an interoperable electronic freight information exchange system in Europe" was supported by Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania. This...
Challenges in the implementation of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement
On May 26, the European Parliament's Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) organised a public hearing on the implementation of the EU-UK Trade...
Suspending commercial policy measures concerning certain products originating in the US
The European Commission published Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/866 of 28 May 2021 suspending commercial policy measures concerning certain products originating in the United States of America...
Briefing on Eurovignette directive
On June 3, EU Transport Ministers met to discuss the Eurovignette directive. The representative of the Portuguese Presidency began the discussion by providing an update on...
Driving bans for trucks in Europe
The calendar of official public holidays and the table of driving bans in Europe in 2021 is available here.
ENTRANCE Live Webinar on EIB Funding mechanisms
Are you looking for funding sources that allow you to launch your innovative product on the market? The ENTRANCE project is designed to mobilise financial...
Joint Press Release: Transport workers, operators and shippers unite to lift global standards on driver treatment
Brussels, Geneva and London, 20 May 2021 – the Global Shippers Alliance (GSA), the International Road Transport Union (IRU), and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF),...
ERA webinar: How rail freight helps achieving climate goals
20 May 2021, European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) is organising a free webinar: How rail freight helps achieving climate goals. ERA will present the second...
European Coordinators discussed the progress of the TEN-T Core Network Corridors
On 10 May 2021, the TRAN Committee of the European Parliament invited the European Coordinators in charge of the TEN-T Core Network Corridors to discuss the...
2021 Sustainability Survey is open
Modern Supply Chain Management practices are facing severe criticism for their impact on the environment. How the industry responds to these challenges is critical. Ti, in...
Maritime high rates
A further spike in container spot rates, particularly for Mediterranean ports, continues. Ocean carriers are said to be preparing big increases in short-term rates as cargo-rolling...
“SUEZ CANAL: what else for global shippers?”
Global Shippers’ Alliance organised a webinar to discuss the Suez Canal blockage and consequences of this event. For the presentations and the recording of the event,...
Research and Innovation Days 2021
The European Commission has published the programme of this year's Research and Innovation Days taking place on 23-24 June. The European Research and Innovation Days is...
Council approach on the use of vehicles hired without drivers for the carriage of goods
The Council meeting (Transport, Telecommunications and Energy) will take place on 3 June 2021 and will focus on the Proposal for a Directive of the European...
Cerame-Unie shares ESC’s concerns about current disruption in global trade due to container shortage
16 April 2021, Brussels - The ceramic industry is being affected by the unprecedented surge in freight transport prices and calls on the European Commission to...
Hop on the Connecting Europe Express
The Connecting Europe Express, one of the European Year of Rail 2021’s most emblematic initiatives, is being presented on the 29th of March during the official...
15 Member States call for rail modal shift
Transport ministers from 15 European Union Member States adopted a joint position paper to call for the EU Commission to launch an initiative in favour of...
Commission approves €3.7 million Polish aid to promote shift of freight transport to rail
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, an individual aid measure to promote the shift of freight transport from road to rail in...
US: the Federal Maritime Commission is investigating the activities of ocean carrier alliances
The Federal Maritime Commission met virtually and in closed session on the 7th of April 2021 to discuss developments in the ongoing Fact Finding 29 investigation...
Ultra Large Container Vessels: “Too large to call”
Following the blockage of the Suez Canal for almost a week by the large container vessel of Evergreen Lines ESC advises to reassess the situation together...
Revision of the Eurovignette Directive: trilogue
On the 23rd of March 2021, the European Parliament, Council of the EU, and the European Commission met for a second trilogue to discuss the revision...
Shippers urged the Commission to take action in disturbed maritime market
Last week, European Shippers’ Council voiced shippers’ position on unreliability and peaking prices in the maritime container transport at the meeting organised by the European Commission. ...
ESC and CLECAT address the EC regarding the transalpine transit situation
ESC and CLECAT sent a letter to Ms Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, to express their concerns about the ongoing difficulties...
Cross-border movement between France and Belgium by trucks weighing 44 tons
Following an order of the European Commission to fully transpose the directive 2015/719 modifying the weights and dimensions directive 96/53/CE, there will be a modification in...
New IRU survey shows driver shortages to soar in 2021
IRU's annual driver shortage survey has revealed that, despite reduced demand due to COVID-19, there is still an alarming shortage of drivers. Surveying 800 road transport...
Brexit: customs guidelines
French customs published guidelines in English to explain to foreign operators the modalities of crossing the border in order to allow the fluidity of the traffic...
Commission welcomes European Parliament’s approval of InvestEU
The European Commission welcomes the European Parliament's vote confirming the political agreement on InvestEU reached in December 2020. The InvestEU Programme will provide the EU with...
Combined Transport delivers Paris Agreement aims
Zero-Carbon Combined Transport is when electric trucks deliver the containers to electrically powered transshipment terminals and the cargo is then loaded onto electric freight trains. This...
Platina3 has officially kicked-off!
The Platform for the implementation of a future inland navigation action programme PLATINA3 has officially kicked-off. This project aims to improve impact and broadening stakeholder engagement...
BOOSTLOG Launch event!
The BOOSTLOG project, a 3 year project funded by the EU through HORIZON 2020, will look into successful implementations of results from EU funded R&I projects...
Joint Statement on Recovery and Resilience Facility: Transport keeps us going forward
ESC together with the other stakeholders call on Member States and the European Commission to ensure that the transport sector receives adequate consideration in the National...
Less strict rules for use of take-off and landing slots
To support the transport sector during the pandemic, MEPs revamped rules for the use of airport slots to prevent ghost flights and extended the validity of...
DG MOVE – Trans-European transport network: revised guidelines
The European Commission's DG MOVE has published a consultation on 'Trans-European Transport network (TEN-T) - revised guidelines.' EU policy on transport infrastructure aims to facilitate transport...
ICONET project – simulation model ready for evaluation !
In the ICONET project, a simulation model has been developed to evaluate some of the operating parameters of Physical Internet networks. The model is available to...
ENTRANCE project kicked off !
How can Europe boost the uptake and upscaling of innovative transport and mobility solutions? On January 14th, 15 organisations from 7 different European countries, coordinated by...
BREXIT webinar, 15 February 2021
ESC is organising a webinar on Brexit on the 15th of February, 10h00-11h30. The objective is to discuss the basic elements of the Brexit deal with an...
Shippers and Forwarders meet DG Competition
As a follow up to the letters that ESC and CLECAT sent to DG Competition, the two associations discussed the situation in the maritime container market...