MARITIME
MARITIME
MARITIME
TRANSPORT
TRANSPORT
TRANSPORT
AIR
AIR
AIR
TRANSPORT
TRANSPORT
TRANSPORT
INLAND
INLAND
INLAND
TRANSPORT
TRANSPORT
TRANSPORT
RAIL
RAIL
RAIL
TRANSPORT
TRANSPORT
TRANSPORT
Smart Ports 2019 – Policy & Sustainability ahead
As part of the ‘Smart City Expo World Congress 2019’, ESC and Transprime are organising the ‘Smart Ports – Policy & sustainability ahead: IMO2020, Transparency, digitisation’. The workshop takes place on November 21st, 2019 from 10:30 h till 13:30 h and brings a well-balanced mix op keynote speeches followed by the panel session ‘Are we […]...
Mobility Package I to be resumed
As it was agreed at the TRAN extraordinary meeting at the European Parliament on the 19th of September, MEPs will resume work on the three Mobility Package I files where it was left off at the previous legislative term: Posting of drivers (MEP Kateřina Konečná) Driving and resting times (MEP Henna Virkkunen) Adapting rules to […]...
Green Inland Shipping. 16 October 2019. Registration is open
European Inland Barging Innovation Platform together with its partners invites you to attend their event and to discover the innovative inland vessels. The techniques that help to bring pollution levels down significantly, will be demonstrated in CO2-neutral Port of Brussels. Registration Programme...
EU funding of transport projects
Recent research conducted for the TRAN committee of the European Parliament focused on EU funding of transport projects. The study provides recommendations for improving the future effectiveness of European Union (EU) funding instruments that support transport projects. These instruments are supposed to comply with three main goals: (i) achieving socioeconomic convergence among Member States (MS); […]...
ESC speaks to FreightWaves on no-Brexit chaos for shippers
Speaking to FreightWaves, the ESC Secretary-General Godfried Smit stressed that many companies are already too late to prepare for Brexit. For shippers, to have their distribution organised in a proper way, one has to foresee additional facilities, such as a warehouse in the UK, for example. That’s very difficult to acquire, and if you can […]...
BNP Paribas Fortis Chair Transport, Logistics and Ports Second Shipping event
The BNP Paribas Fortis chair is pleased to invite you to its event: “Regulation and its impact on investment decisions in the shipping industry and beyond” Antwerp, October 22th, 2019 After the successful Shipping event in February 2017 (link), the BNP Paribas Fortis Chair Transport, Logistics and Ports hosts a second shipping […]...
Joint statement for an ambitious Horizon Europe Programme
ESC and 92 other European associations urge the EU Institutions to make research, development and innovation (RD&I) a priority within the next Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027. We therefor call on the EU Council to raise the Horizon Europe budget to at least €120bn, of which at least 60% should be dedicated to the ‘Global Challenges […]...
Feedback Needed on EU Mercosur Trade Negotiations
In April 2016 the EU and Mercosur decided to start trade negotiations. In order to gain insights into the areas in which further progress is possible in the Customs and Trade Facilitation chapter with Mercosur, the EU would like to receive input from the industry and companies....
IRU: Additional Security Measures Calais Necessary
Although the UK expressed that it would not accept free movement of European workers after the Brexit, it wants to maintain access to the single market. It would thereby create a unique position of the UK in Europe....
Trade as discussed at G7 summit, Biarritz, France, 24-26/08/2019
For ESC, trade facilitation is one of the priority areas and a well-functioning rules-based trading system is a prerequisite for smooth functioning of the economy. At G7 summit, leaders discussed the global economic outlook and issues related to trade tensions. They also talked about international taxation, especially on a coordinated approach to the issue of […]...
ICONET project at the 6th International Physical Internet Conference in London
The Physical Internet (PI) concept is increasing in interest. ESC is a partner in the ICONET project (New ICT Infrastructure & Reference Architecture to Support Operations in Future PI Logistics Networks). ICONET presented the Generic PI Case Study (GPICS) at the 6th International Physical Internet Conference (IPIC) in July in London....
Shippers call on European Commission to reinforce its actions in trade
In its position paper to the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade, European Shippers’ Council has outlined the main priorities the organisation sees for the new EC legislative term....
ESC Vice Chair on advancing sustainability in logistics chains
Shippers are addressing sustainability at different levels and with different partners, in all transport modes and throughout entire logistics chains in order to meet climate change mitigation goals....
Czech Republic to allow EMS vehicle combinations
Czech Republic has recently decided to allow the use of European Modular System vehicle combinations in its territory with the maximum length of 25.25 metres and weight of 48 tonnes....
ESC to participate at JOC Container Trade Europe conference
ESC will be speaking at the panel on IMO 2020 during the JOC Container Trade Europe conference in Hamburg on the 17th of September 2019....
IMO 2020: New Marpol VI Regulations
Shippers are invited to participate at the “IMO 2020: New Marpol VI Regulations” event in Lisbon on the 19th of September that will address the whole shipping community. ...
Green Inland Shipping
Inland shipping is moving towards its sustainability goals. Come and discover the innovative inland vessels which have embarked on that journey and test solutions that bring pollution down at the Green Inland Shipping event at Port of Brussels on the 16th of October 2019....
ESC at Motorways of the Sea
At the Motorways of the Sea Forum, ESC spoke on the main needs that should be addressed to better integrate maritime transport in the overall door-to-door chains....
Governments’ climate plans
A new climate ranking shows that EU governments’ plans to cut pollution from transport, Europe’s biggest emitter, will fail to meet their own 2030 emissions targets....
French TLF is lobbying for 25.25 meters of LHV
TLF (Union des Entreprises de Transport et de Logistique de France) – Union of Transport and Logistics Companies of France – is drafting a proposal for the French government to test combinations of longer and heavier vehicles (LHV) – vehicles reaching 25.25 meters in length....
EU-Vietnam trade and investment agreements
On the 30th of June 2019, EU and Vietnam will sign a free trade agreement (FTA) and an investment protection agreement (IPA)....
Evaluation of SOLAR VGM Regulation. Shippers are invited
Shippers are invited to participate in the survey conducted by Liverpool John Moores University that is evaluating SOLAS Verified Gross Mass Regulation in the maritime sector....
European Inland Waterway Transport platform’s annual report
The European Inland Waterway Transport (IWT) platform publishes its first annual report covering the activities of the platform since its creation in January 2018....
Trucks to have smart digital tachographs installed
As of 15 June this year, trucks and buses registered in the EU for the first time must have a smart digital tachograph installed....
Key performance indicators in maritime supply chain
ESC discussed the implementation of Key Performance Indicators in the maritime supply chain at the Global Maritime Logistics Dialogue in Leipzig on 22 – 24 May 2019....
Smart Ports Sustainability Ahead
ESC together with the Global Shippers’ Alliance and Spanish Shippers’ Council – TRANSPRIME are organising a Smart Ports Sustainability Ahead event with the focus on IMO 2020, Transparency & Digitalisation on the 21 November 2019 in Barcelona....
Emissions reduction with GLEC strategy 2019-2021
The Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) was founded to establish and implement global, harmonized guidelines for calculating, reporting, and reducing logistics emissions and enhancing efficiency across global logistics supply chains. Three main goals will lead further development of the GLEC framework in 2019-2021:...
France on agreement negotiation with Mercosur
France will not ratify any agreement with Mercosur countries if it harms the interests of French farmers and consumers....
WTO negotiations on e-commerce
Council adopted a negotiating mandate to enable the European Commission to participate in plurilateral negotiations on electronic commerce with its WTO partners....
Transport emissions up according to EEA report
According to the report produced by the European Environment Agency in May 2019, there was a small increase in EU’s total green house gas emissions in 2017 with transport emissions going up....
New rules on plastic waste exports
Country representatives voted to add plastic waste to the scope of the Basel Convention, which regulates the movement of waste between countries....
ICC about Incoterms 2020 fake news
International Chamber of Commerce advises that only ICC and its global offices, known as national committees and groups, are in the position to authentically inform you about the current status of the Incoterms® 2020 rules until their publication....
How China – US trade war affects EU
A quarter of European companies with activities in China say that they are affected by the trade dispute between China and the US....
ESC at Motorways of the Sea
ESC will participate at the Motorways of the Sea Forum on the 21st of June 2019....
Battery electric vehicles – an emission-free solution or a recharging problem?
According to Peter Leegstraten, the manager of purchasing and innovation at Ahold Delhaize, it is not enough to get a battery electric vehicle (BEV) to respond to CO2 emissions concern. To use it, you need to solve the charging infrastructure puzzle....
Air connectivity between Belt and Road countries
ICAO Secretary General Dr Fang Liu at the 2nd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing highlighted the critical role of air transport in forging new trade routes between Belt and Road countries and other states....
EU and US to discuss trade
The EU and US to hold bilateral trade talks in Washington this week....
Research on coopetition
ESC invites actors in the transport field to participate in a research on cooperation between competitors (coopetition)....
Connected and Automated Transport
In April 2019, the European Commission published the Roadmap on Connected and Automated Transport: Road, Rail and Waterborne as part of its Strategic Transport Research and Innovation Agenda (STRIA)....
Rules on CO2 reduction for trucks
The CO2 emissions of new trucks and other heavy commercial vehicles must be reduced. By 2025 by 15 percent, and by 2030 the CO2 emissions of heavy trucks should be 30 percent lower than in 2019....
Asian shippers set priorities
European Shippers’ Council welcomes the agreement of the Asian Shippers’ Alliance (ASA) to contribute to the review process of the Block Exemption Regulation, to battle against sharply increasing shipping costs, and to encourage the improvement of liners’ performance. For more information, please see here. ...
Shippers’ and forwarders’ associations commit to accelerating logistics emissions footprinting and reduction
Given the increasing urgency to step up decarbonisation efforts in the logistics sector, European shippers and freight forwarders are committed to logistics emissions footprinting and reduction. ESC and CLECAT stand for a universal methodology to calculate emissions from logistics operations, provided by the GLEC Framework, and support upgrading it into an ISO standard. However, this […]...
ESC – Drewry survey reveals lack of clarity on surcharges
According to the third annual shipper satisfaction survey of Drewry and the European Shippers’ Council (ESC), the level of satisfaction concerning container carriers among exporters, importers, and freight forwarders falls marginally....
Brexit: preparation in case of no-deal scenario
The Brexit deadline is the 12th of April 2019. This week a Summit of EU Heads of State and Government on the 10th of April will try again to have the Withdrawal Agreement approved....
Shippers call for repeal unless a revised BER is adopted
European Shippers’ Council states that the Consortia Block Exemption Regulation (BER) that is currently under the revision of the European Commission has not contributed to better services in maritime transport for shippers as it aimed to....
ESC reacts on WSC’s criticism of ITF report
ESC has considered the remarks made by the World Shipping Council about the ITF working document ‘Container Shipping in Europe’, in particular, on the customer satisfaction survey launched by ESC together with Drewry....
ESC Maritime Day: possibility of BER modification
Rotterdam, the 20th of March 2019, the participants of the ESC Maritime Day discussed the ongoing evaluation of the EU Consortia Block Exemption Regulation (BER) and the new International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) sulphur cap. The current BER expires on the 25th of April 2020. Itai Rabinovici, a European Commission officer, said that his competition division […]...
ESC at Global Shippers’ Alliance meeting
ESC as a member of the Global Shippers’ Alliance took part in its annual meeting in Amsterdam on the 19th of March 2019....
Indirect procurement: discover potential savings
Shippers in the Benelux countries are encouraged to participate in the survey on indirect procurement....
Uber in Europe
Uber Freight in Europe can be an option for shippers to lessen the shortage of drivers....
Future of customs: blockchain and data analytics
Developments in data analytics and blockchain can provide customs with efficient tools for their daily work and facilitate trade for shippers, as it was stressed by Yao-Hua Tan, Prof. Dr. from Delft University of Technology and the scientific coordinator of several EU projects in supply chain....
International trade: packaging material
New legislation (“Plant Health Law”) impacting wood packaging material for imported goods will enter into force on the 14th of December 2019. Shippers are affected – if a violation takes place, it may lead to disruptions and delays in shippers’ supply chains....
LEARN final event
The Logistics Emissions Accounting and Reduction Network (LEARN) project presented its results and practical examples how accounting of logistics and freight emissions works for businesses and helps to improve emissions reduction....
DREWRY-ESC annual survey: CONTAINER SHIPPING
European Shippers’ Council is encouraging shippers to participate in the survey on the quality of services that shippers receive in container shipping. The deadline is approaching....
Trade with US
Last week the Trade committee of the European Parliament voted in favour of opening trade negotiations with the United States....
Rail freight: give your opinion on rail transport
The Barometer of shippers’ perception of rail freight will assess the satisfaction of shippers at the European level regarding the service that rail transport offers to them....
EC survey on the use of euro
On behalf of the European Commission, ESC calls for companies to participate in stakeholder consultations organised by the European Commission about the use of the euro in companies’ transactions....
Brexit: contingency plans or old bilaterals?
Trade is encouraged to continue preparing for Brexit but with just a few weeks away from the 29th of March it is still not clear what a company needs to prepare for. In the case of a no deal, should countries rely on old bilaterals, or are the contingency plans leading, or is there a […]...
Global shippers to meet in Amsterdam
The Global Shippers’ Alliance meeting will take place in Amsterdam on 18th – 19th of March 2019....
European Maritime Single Window environment
ESC welcomes successful EU negotiations on establishing the European Maritime Single Window environment (EMSWe). A compromise was reached in Brussels on 7 February 2019 between the Council, the European Commission, and the European Parliament....
Mobility Package: meeting of TRAN coordinators
At the meeting of the TRAN coordinators on 21st of January 2019 at the European Parliament, they were unable to come to a decision on the next steps regarding the three key dossiers of the Mobility Package 1 : driving and rest time, posting, and market access/cabotage....
European Rail Freight Line System – Stakeholder Event
Shippers are invited to participate in the rail stakeholders’ meeting organised in the framework of the European Rail Freight Line System project on the 27th of February 2019 in Frankfurt....
Launch of European Inland Waterways Transport Platform
The European Barge Union (EBU) and the European Skippers Organisation (ESO) establish the European Inland Waterways Transport Platform to strengthen the representation of the inland navigation sector at Union level....
3rd IATA Global Shippers’ Survey
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) launches a survey to learn about shippers’perceptions, experiences, and expectations when using air to transport goods....
BREXIT: last chance to prevent chaos
European Shippers’ Council calls for a transitional period following the date when the UK will leave the EU on the 29th of March 2019....
‘Get ready for Brexit’ website to help businesses in Dutch ports
Last week Portbase and cooperating branch organisations in the Dutch ports launched the information campaign website www.getreadyforbrexit.eu/en....
Vote on Mobility Package in TRAN committee
On January 10, the TRAN Committee of the European Parliament held a vote on the amendments tabled to the draft reports on the social and market pillar proposals under the first Mobility Package....
Boost to EU export with EU-Japan trade agreement
Approved by the European Parliament in December 2018, the EU’s landmark trade agreement with Japan will enter into force on 1 February 2019....
European Shippers’ Council on Block Exemption Regulation
The European Shippers’ Council recommends to revoke and replace the EU Consortia Block Exemption Regulation (the BER) as it exists today....
EU safeguard measures with third countries: Japan, Vietnam, Singapore
End November, a provisional agreement on a proposal to include safeguard measures in trade agreements was reached by the EU Presidency and European Parliament representatives. Such bilateral measures linked to trade agreements will allow for the temporary withdrawal of tariff preferences and are intended to protect a particular domestic industry from an increase in imports […]...
European Commission preparedness work in case of no-deal Brexit
The European Commission’s Communication of the 13th November outlines a number of contingency actions that could be implemented if no agreement is reached with the United Kingdom. The priority areas contain amongst others air transport, customs, and climate policy....
UK advises businesses on trading with EU in case of no-deal Brexit
The UK HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) explains changes to customs, VAT, and excise to the UK VAT-registered businesses only trading with the EU, in case of the UK leaving the EU without a deal....
Possibility of unilateral revocation of the intention to withdraw from the EU
In answer to the question from the Scottish court, the Advocate General proposes that the Court of Justice should, in its future judgment, declare that Article 50 TEU allows the unilateral revocation of the notification of the intention to withdraw from the EU, until such time as the withdrawal agreement is formally concluded....
EU Member States to exchange national vehicles registration data
The EU reached a provisional deal on updated electronic road toll rules. Under the reform, national authorities will have access to other Member States’ national vehicle registration data in order to identify owners of vehicles for which road fees have not been paid....
New rules to protect EU air carriers from unfair competition
The European Parliament and Council negotiators reached an agreement on new rules to ensure fair competition in air transport. The agreed rules aim to ease the process of opening investigations in cases of suspected use of practices distorting competition by non-EU countries – subsidies, preferential access to airport services,…....
Mobility Package 1: Agreement in Council
Last Monday the Council finalised a common approach for important parts of the first Mobility Package. The agreement was reached, although 10 Member States voted against the agreement. An important feature of the agreement is the exemption of bilateral transport from the rules on posting....
Transport of goods after Brexit
ESC together with other stakeholders are concerned with the possible impact of Brexit on transport of goods between the UK and the EU. In case of no deal, vehicles travelling between the UK and Europe, …...
Impact of global alliances in maritime
The report of the International Transport Forum (ITF) assesses the impact of global alliances in container shipping. Currently, the European Commission …....
Shippers wanted
ESC is encouraging shippers to join European proposals to guide innovation for more effective supply chains. Indeed, the European Commission’s ….....
ESC webinar: Block Exemption Regulation
With the current review process of the Consortium Block Exemption Regulation (BER) by the European Commission, ESC is preparing shippers for the EC consultation on maritime alliances. During the ESC webinar that will take place on 23rd November, 14.00-15.00, the experts will guide shippers through the questions of the EC consultation and provide feedback to […]...
ESC webinar: Block Exemption Regulation
With the current review process of the Consortium Block Exemption Regulation (BER) by the European Commission, ESC is preparing shippers for the EC consultation on maritime alliances. During the ESC webinar that will take place on 23rd November, 14.00-15.00, the experts will guide shippers through the questions of the EC consultation and provide feedback to […]...
Shippers wanted!
ESC is encouraging shippers to join European proposals to guide innovation for more effective supply chains. Indeed, the European Commission’s wish to have shippers involved in funded projects is getting more and more expressive. ‘This is the best possible guarantee for innovation to be implemented’, they say!...
Impact of global alliances in maritime
The report of the International Transport Forum (ITF) assesses the impact of global alliances in container shipping. Currently, the European Commission is reviewing the Consortium Block Exemption Regulation that allows shipping lines, under certain conditions, to set this type of alliances....
Transport of goods after Brexit
ESC together with other stakeholders are concerned with the possible impact of Brexit on transport of goods between the UK and the EU. In case of no deal, vehicles travelling between the UK and Europe, regardless of where transport companies are registered, will need a permit to access both the UK and EU haulage markets....
CORE: future of logistics and customs
The CORE project, an ambitious European research programme focusing on faster, more reliable, and more efficient trade lanes, has ended this year. But the results continue improving supply chains for businesses, industry, and government. The special edition of the Dutch Customs digital magazine Customs NL inSight looks how the companies in the Netherlands participating in […]...
FIATA about detention and demurrage charges
ESC encourages a continued dialogue between logistics partners to bring more clarification on detention and demurrage charges, what these concepts mean for the partners in shipping business and in what circumstances the charges apply. In this regard, ESC welcomes the Best Practices Guide for Demurrage and Detention Charges in Container Shipping published by the International […]...
Free Trade Agreements with Singapore, Vietnam, and Japan
If approved by the European Parliament, the EU – Singapore Free Trade Agreement, the EU – Vietnam Trade and Investment Agreement, and the EU – Japan Economic Partnership Agreement will enter in force in 2019....
What shippers get with NexTrust
Several cases of collaboration in supply chain have been presented at the final NexTrust project event in Zoetermeer, the Netherlands, on 25 October 2018. The project tested innovative business models to unlock more efficiency and sustainability in the supply chain....
Shippers contributing to the World Bank Study
Shippers are providing input for the World Bank Study. The study will look at how the trucking industry functions in different parts of the world, what affects business and operating decisions, and what financial, economic, and operational aspects are important to different industry players. You can read more in the following article kindly provided to […]...
France draws a limit at forty tonnes
France intends to introduce an amendment to the law prohibiting driving with 44 tonnes of total weight at border crossings from the neighbouring countries. Vehicle sizes and weights are regulated at the European level, but the Member States may deviate from these regulations in their own territory. In Belgium and in France a haulier can […]...
New H2020 project ICONET launched
ICONET project will develop the concept of Physical Internet (PI) even further to optimise freight flows against throughput, cost, and environmental performances. The new project with the participation of ESC as a partner will focus on collaborative planning of flexible logistics chains and will advance the development and interconnection of key Physical Internet components: PI […]...
European Commission on digitalising inland navigation
With the Mobility package focusing on road and digitalisation, with the contingency plans after Rastatt incident addressing shortcomings in rail freight, and with the BER in liner shipping, ESC is also following inland waterways (IWW). And rest assured, digitalisation in IWW is as high on the agenda as in any other transport mode. The European […]...
Steps taken after Rastatt incident
Since the reopening of Rastatt line, railway stakeholders have been working on contingency plans to avoid this level of disruptions happening in future. New improvements concern a better management and redirection of freight traffic and will be adopted in 2019....
BGL members get refund of toll payments
Being a member of a trade association has its advantages: members of the German Federal Association of Road Haulage Logistics and Disposal (BGL) will get up to 6.9 million euros back as refund of rounded-up rates which were charged between 2009 and 2013 with no legal basis....
ESC disapproves mechanism of surcharges due to lower sulphur fuel
The European Shippers’ Council disapproves of the mechanism of surcharges that shipping liners launch to cover the higher rate of lower sulphur fuel. Shippers call for a dialogue with container liners to find the best mechanism to share the costs....
Lack of Brexit progress
The European Shippers’ Council is concerned about a lack of progress on Brexit negotiations and is supporting its member, the UK’s Freight Transport Association (FTA) in their call for EU and UK leaders to prioritise urgent mitigation measures....
New regulation on European maritime single window
ESC joining other stakeholders welcomes the European Commission’s new proposal for a regulation on establishing a European Maritime Single Window Environment. The new regulation is set to provide a faster clearance and release of goods and a reduced administrative burden. However, the stakeholders would welcome more precision in the proposal on how different systems will […]...
EC proposal to oblige authorities to accept electronic documents
The ESC welcomes the proposal of the European Commission to oblige authorities to accept regulatory freight transport information in electronic format! ESC is the project manager of one the two working groups of the Digital Transport and Logistics Forum (DTLF) and has significantly contributed to the preparation of the legislative proposal. The proposal is a […]...
Consultations of the European Commission regarding Block Exemption Regulation
ESC is encouraging shippers to respond to the recently published consultations of the European Commission evaluating the BER, affecting current maritime alliances scenario (see context information below)....
ESC supports Dutch shippers’ council position with regard to Posting and Cabotage
The European Shippers’ Council is supporting and would like to draw your attention to the position of the Dutch Shippers’ Council on the vital issues of posting and cabotage in the Mobility Package 1....
WHAT MAKES AIR CARGO FLY FOR EUROPEAN SHIPPERS
The ESC Air Transport Council Roundtable with guests from Clecat, IATA, ACI Europe, Airlines 4 Europe, and the European Commission will look at the issues that will affect the future of air cargo in Europe: How we tackle capacity restrictions and congestion in ground handling, what the latest developments related to safety and security are, and […]...
Press release: shippers disapprove of the mechanism of surcharges
European Shippers’ Council disapproves of the mechanism of surcharges that shipping liners launch to cover the higher rate of lower sulphur fuel. Shippers call for a dialogue with container liners to find the best mechanism to share the costs....
Hololei hopes to see progress on Mobility Package
With the next elections to the European Parliament expected to be held on 23–26 May 2019, it is uncertain whether the files of the Mobility package initiatives will move to the next stage during the current EP mandate. During the exchange of views in the European Parliament on 7 September 2018, Director-General for Transport Henrik […]...
Shippers fear disruptions at airports with “no-deal” Brexit
Shippers fear disruptions at major airports due to the additional security checks for passengers if a “no-deal” Brexit is confirmed. Schiphol is the second airport after Heathrow used by the UK passengers for intercontinental flights, and Frankfurt and Barcelona come next to it....
Report on Digital Inland Navigation
The European Commission published a report on Digital Inland Navigation that follows up on the ‘Digital Inland Waterway Area’ study from October 2017. The report helps framing the discussion on the digitalisation of the inland waterways transport sector in order to seek synergies and improving interoperability in logistics and freight transport across Europe....
LEARN International Workshop
On Februrary 6 & 7, 2019 in Brussels, Belgium, LEARN Partners are coming together to present and seek feedback from participants on the results and learnings from the LEARN project – LEARN International Workshop Event....
Belgian Shippers’ Council organises a logistics hackathon
For the first time, shippers will organise a Logistics Hackathon and it will be led by OTM, the Belgian Shippers’ Council. OTM is a member of ESC which keeps innovation high on the agenda. This logistics hackathon will focus on 5 challenges, one of which is War for Trucks – lots of transport capacity and […]...
Tackling Brexit uncertainty & supply chain resilience
Shippers and logistics operators all over Europe and globally are spending time and money analysing the possible consequences of Brexit: congestion at ports, impact on transshipment operations, and new barriers to trade. Contingency plans can be made, but each one is very time-consuming to develop, and in the current climate of uncertainty there could be […]...
5th Rail Freight Day
The fifth EU Rail Freight Day will take place on Thursday, 6 December 2018, 9h – 17h, in Vienna, Austria. The event will be organised by the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, European Commission, and RailNetEurope....
Shippers improve supply chain
The efficiency of freight transport is a key for the competitiveness of EU transport, economy, and the functioning of the internal market. This is even more so, since freight transport has increased …...
Shippers improve supply chain with support from European Commission
The efficiency of freight transport is a key for the competitiveness of EU transport, economy, and the functioning of the internal market. This is even more so, since freight transport has increased in the EU by almost 25 % over the last 20 years and, according to the European Commission, it is projected to increase […]...
Maritime supply chain from a different angle
With Sea Traffic Management (STM) project shippers will get more visibility and efficiency in their supply chains. STM aims at creating a safer, more efficient and environmentally friendly maritime sector. The goals for full deployment of STM by year 2030 in relation to year 2015 are the following: safety (50% reduction of accidents), efficiency (10% […]...
NexTrust seminar: Collaboration in logistics
A seminar about new approaches, current developments, and best-practice examples of collaboration in logistics will take place in Zoetermeer, the Netherlands, on 25 October 2018....
Transport Virtual Info Day
The European Commission is organising a Transport Virtual Info Day on 23 October, 2018. The event will cover 2019 calls for funding, an overview of the application and evaluation process, and tips for writing a good proposal....
Inappropriate checking of drivers’ rest periods
The European Commission advises on the actions in case of inappropriate checking of professional drivers’ normal weekly rest periods by authorities....
More certainty for road transport with Platform of trust
To bring more certainty and assurance in the road transport market for shippers, European Shippers’ Council is getting involved, together with Wtransnet, in a road transport initiative called Platform of trust....
IMO’s event on ports and supply chain cooperation
Coordination between ports and ways to facilitate trade, information exchange, and Single Window were on the agenda of the special event on ports organised by the International Maritime Organization on 11 June 2018. European Shippers’ Council discussed the state of the maritime supply chain with the Secretary General of the IMO and suggested to organise […]...
Future of research and innovation for rail
At the panel of the Shift2Rail event, the European Shippers’ Council and the European Passengers Federation stated that “Rail” must become more customer focused and more affordable, punctual, reliable, and available! “And rail should increase its internal and external connectivity,” added Henrik Hololei, Director-General for Mobility and Transport at the European Commission....
5th Physical Internet Conference 2018
This year ESC chaired a panel on Connectivity at the 5th International Physical Internet Conference 2018 that took place 18-22 June. The newest insights and best practices about data sharing, service platforms, and computational support were discussed during this panel....
Progress of Digital Transport and Logistics Forum
The first mandate of the Digital Transport and Logistics Forum (DTLF) has ended, and the official reports and recommendations will be available soon. However, ESC and other DTLF members expect the EC to grant the second mandate to progress further on digital transport documents....
Incoterms® 2020
European Shippers’ Council is contributing to the review process of Incoterms. We are happy to see that the International Chamber of Commerce has taken on board practitioners’ criticism as to the readability, clarity, and practical applicability of several Incoterms. Sadly, not all problems as experienced by practitioners are resolved in the currently proposed changes. So, […]...
Public consultation: OECD guidance to counter illicit trade
OCDE launched a public consultation on the draft OECD Guidance to Counter Illicit Trade in Free Trade Zones (FTZ)....
EP failed to come to an agreement: what it means for shippers
Last week in a vote the European Parliament rejected the amendments to the proposals on updating drivers’ rest time rules, cabotage, and posting of drivers and referred them back to the Transport committee for further consideration....
Suspending autonomous Common Customs Tariff duties on certain products
The new Council Regulation suspends the autonomous Common Customs Tariff duties on certain industrial and agricultural products because the European Union production of these products is not sufficient to cover the needs of the Union industry....
Autonomous tariff quotas at zero duty rates
As from 1 July 2018, the new Council Regulation grants tariff quotas at zero duty rates for an appropriate volume to seven new products....
ESC in press: container lines services
European Shippers’ Council has been quoted in numerous press articles concerning container lines services....
ESC in press: bunker emergency surcharge
European Shippers’ Council has been featured in several press articles concerning the bunker emergency surcharge topic....
Interesting read for summer holiday
We would like to share with you the recent publications that would be of interest to shippers and other stakeholders in the supply chain....
ESC is calling for European Parliament to agree on Mobility package proposals
European Shippers’ Council is pushing for a harmonised approach on issues related to drivers’ rest periods, posting of drivers, and access to the market covered by the first Mobility Package. Therefore, ESC is calling for the Members of the European Parliament to come to an agreement on the proposals that were adopted by the Transport […]...
European Commission is looking for traders to evaluate customs portal
As the Union Customs Code entered into force on 1 May 2016, the EC is upgrading and putting in place new electronic systems necessary to apply the provisions of the new UCC. A new user interface has been created within the EU Trader Portal, a single electronic access point at EU level for accessing the […]...
LEARN survey: barriers and companies’ needs in calculating emissions
European Shippers’ Council together with CLECAT and IRU representing freight forwarders and road transport operators respectively have started a survey of their members in the framework of the LEARN project. Energy efficiency and climate change are rising on the government and industry agenda, and companies are increasingly looking at how to calculate and reduce carbon emissions […]...
France and Sweden agreed on measures for autonomous trucks
Gothenburg, Sweden, 18-19 June 2018, the ministers from the 28 EU Member States agreed on a series of important steps to facilitate the timely deployment of connected and automated vehicles. The French and Swedish transport ministers have determined a partnership roadmap to deepen bilateral exchanges on the cross-use of test sites for projects related to […]...
Austrian Presidency to focus on active climate protection
Austria will begin its Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 July 2018. Active climate protection is a priority for the Austrian Presidency. For the road transport, the Presidency wants to reach an agreement on CO2 fleet targets and standards for passenger cars and vans for 2025 and 2030....
CORE: real-life cases
Join a webinar on Tuesday 3 July 2018 during which Nik Delmeire, Secretary General of the European Shippers Council, will share the main results of the CORE project. In an interview with Luc Baetens, Industry Team Lead at Möbius, Nik will answer the questions:...
ESC urges European Parliament to support the mandate
The European Shippers’ Council urges the European Parliament to support the mandate which was given to the Transport & Tourism Committee (TRAN) Committee on the 4th June on the various market and social related proposals which are part of the first Mobility Package of the European Commission....
Shippers are concerned about Emergency Bunker Surcharge
The European Shippers’ Council is concerned about the introduction of the Emergency Bunker Surcharge by carriers that took effect 1 June 2018. The surcharge is an additional fee charged to the shipper. Carriers explain the introduction of this surcharge by the rise of the bunker oil price. ESC together with its members are worrying that […]...
Results of the Transport Council meeting
During the meeting of the Transport Council on 7 and 8 June 2018, the Council adopted general approaches on updated electronic road tolling, updated rules on port reception facilities, and the proposed rules for safeguarding competition in air transport....
Motivate your ship operators to reduce CO2 emissions
A team from the Vessel Technology Assessment System (VTAS) project is inviting shippers to have their views heard to improve fuel efficiency in maritime shipping. Reduced fuel consumption and emissions should see shippers benefiting from a reduction in shipping costs, improved supply chain carbon footprints, and a good reputation....
LEARN: key to emission reduction lies with business
During the meeting of the ESC Inland Transport Council that took place 4 June 2018, the members were updated on the progress made in the project LEARN on the emissions calculation, assurance, and reporting. The project mobilizes businesses to reduce their carbon footprint across their global logistics supply chains....
What shippers get with TRAN vote on Mobility Package
The first part of the Mobility package has gone through the next stage of the legislation-making process – the Transport Committee vote in the European Parliament on 4 June 2018. This vote has defined the important for shippers provisions on the application of the posting of workers, cabotage, red tape, and rest in the cabin....
Container shipping regulation under revision: what shippers think
Container shipping services consist of the provision of regular, scheduled maritime cargo transport on a specific route. This requires a significant investment which is regularly provided by several shipping companies (“carriers”) cooperating in “consortia” agreements. Consortia can lead to economies of scale and better utilisation of the space of the vessels. A fair share of […]...
Join European project on transport
Innovation in transport is essential for the European Commission and one of the ways to stimulate this innovation is to launch calls for project proposals. ESC is calling for shippers to join the project proposal on “Integrated multimodal, low emission freight transport systems and logistics.”...
Transport for Future seminar
Cabotage, resting times for drivers, posting of workers, road charging, combined transport, shortage of drivers, and other issues became the extensive topics of the discussion between policy makers and shippers at the Transport for Future seminar organised by ESC and Transprime in Barcelona on 17 May 2018....
3000 freighters will be needed by 2037
The new 20- Year Freighter Forecast predicts that the jet freighter fleet will grow through 2037 from 1700 to about 2,800 units, and the turboprop/RJ freighter fleet – from 250 to 500 units....
EC evaluates Block Exemption Regulation in liner shipping
Brussels, 7 May 2018, the Directorate-General for Competition of the European Commission launched an evaluation process of the Consortia Block Exemption Regulation (Commission Regulation 906/2009). The European Shippers’ Council is preparing an official reaction, but individual shippers are also free to participate in the questionnaire and evaluation process. ESC is receiving a number of concerns […]...
National levy on aviation disrupts EU level playing field
More Member States are expecting the EU to come up with some sort of levy on aviation in the context of sustainability. This is, however, a very tricky subject because of the national and often chauvinistic character of the European aviation industry. But to maintain a level playing field for the EU aviation, a levy […]...
TRA 2018 and TEN-T Days 2018
As we have already mentioned partly in our previous articles, the second half of April was marked by two major events – Transport Research Arena 2018 and TEN-T Days 2018 – focusing on what the future Transport System will look like or how it should look like, both for passengers and freight. ESC was asked to express […]...
Shippers are concerned about congestion at ports terminals
Container terminals are trying to handle the high container exchanges generated by mega-ship calls. There are several issues that shippers are concerned about at port terminals. First, container flows to the major deep-sea ports are increasing, partly because of the reduction of calls by mega-ships....
ESC at TEN-T days
TEN-T Days, Ljubljana, 27 April 2018, ESC in coalition with other European associations (MFF4Transport) stressed the need for more budget for transport within the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 and handed over their declaration to the European Commission. ESC is supporting this initiative to get more investment for the industry that will also benefit supply chains....
ELP debate on parking facilities
BRUSSELS, 24 April 2018, industry stakeholders and policy makers discussed the challenges of the current and future legislation on the resting time for truck drivers in the EU....
MEP and IRU share their experience of sleeping in the cabin
Member of the European Parliament Wim van de Camp, rapporteur on the driving and rest time file in the Mobility Package, and General Delegate of the International Road Transport Union (IRU) Matthias Maedge spent a night in truck cabins in a safe parking to have their first-hand experience....
LEARN project at TRA2018
Vienna, 16-19 April 2018, the Logistics Emissions Accounting and Reduction Network (LEARN) project participated at the Transport Research Arena 2018 (TRA 2018). The event focused on three key areas related to transport: digitalisation, decarbonisation, and future mobility landscape....
Tangshan (China) – Antwerp freight train connection
A new freight train service has been launched from Tangshan (150 km from Beijing) to Belgium. A train carrying 41 containers of local products, such as kaoline and yeast, departed around noon Thursday from Jingtang Port District in the city of Tangshan, marking the inauguration of the service....
ELP debate on secure parking
Brussels, 24 April 2018, European Logistics Platform is inviting different stakeholders to discuss secure parking in Europe. This lunch debate will be hosted by Elzbieta Lukacijewska MEP and Wim van de Camp MEP. The event will present the draft report on Driving/resting time related to parking areas. The speakers will share the European Commission’s view, […]...
Final CORE event
Brussels, 11 April 2018, the European Shippers’ Council together with CLECAT held the Final CORE Event ‘The Supply Chain Unchained’. Fostering the data pipeline has been at the centre of the CORE project....
IMO agrees to cut 50% emissions by 2050
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has adopted a highly anticipated climate change strategy for shipping. The strategy focuses on the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships, setting out a vision to reduce GHG emissions from international shipping and phase them out as soon as possible in this century....
ITF on decarbonising shipping
Ahead of the IMO meetings last week, the International Transport Forum of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development issued a report ‘Decarbonising Maritime Transport. Pathways to zero-carbon shipping by 2035’....
Multiannual Financial Framework
Negotiations are progressing on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) post 2020. This framework will provide the budget for the eight years to come as from 2021. The process is extremely complicated as all Member States must agree on this framework....
Chris Welsh MBE to retire from the Freight Transport Association
Chris Welsh MBE, director of global and European policy at the Freight Transport Association and the Secretary General of the Global Shippers’ Forum (GSF) will be retiring at the end of May 2018....
ESC annual report 2017
ESC is delighted to share its 2017 annual report underlining the achievements and new priorities of the European Shippers’ Council. Please read the report here....
Legal customs developments in China
China is pushing forward Free Trade Agreements talks with more than 20 economies along the Belt and Road Initiative. During the last years, the country has been improving its customs legislation. In 2016, China introduced new measures in the customs audit....
Mobility package debated at ECG event
Brussels, 20 March 2018, ESC attended the annual Dinner Debate organised by the Association of European Vehicles Logistics (ECG) and hosted by Wim van de Camp, Member of the European Parliament. During the event, entitled “Our Multimodal industry and the Mobility Package – what do we need?” the participants discussed the EU road transport initiatives. ...
France to tax foreign trucks
French Transport Minister Ms Elisabeth Borne plans to start a legislative process to tax foreign trucks. A definitive decision will be taken before the end of this year. Essential point will be that trucks in transit will have to contribute to the financing of the infrastructure network. The contribution could take the form of an […]...
Transport for Future
ESC – Transprime seminar Transport for Future Barcelona, 17 May 2018 The European Shippers’ Council (ESC) together with the Spanish Shippers’ Council Transprime are organising a seminar on how the Mobility Package – new legislation in road transport – will impact the logistics chain....
Airport slot allocation as a tool for growth
European Shippers’ Council encourages national governments to look closely into the slots allocation problem. Already now, members of the national parliaments are discussing additional criteria: sustainability, noise reduction, and an economic output of the flight....
Survey: container shipping service
RESPOND TO SURVEY ESC – Drewry survey Quality of Container Shipping Service Deadline to complete: 20 April 2018 Shippers are encouraged to participate in the survey and to disseminate it further among relevant stakeholders....
Final CORE Event
Brussels, 11 April 2018, the European Shippers’ Council together with CLECAT held the Final CORE Event ‘The Supply Chain Unchained’. Fostering the data pipeline has been at the centre of the CORE project. The report and presentations from the final CORE event are available at the CORE website. ...
Shippers call for action on looming trade wars
Hong Kong, March 27, 2018 The Global Shippers’ Alliance (GSA) representing major shippers’ organisations from Asia, Europe, and the US, calls on world leaders to solve the dispute on import tariffs and work on decreasing the red tape in international trade. It is by dialogue that countries and regions should solve problems amongst themselves. By collaborating international trade […]...
ESC attends GSA annual meeting
This week ESC is attending the annual meeting of the Global Shippers’ Alliance in Hong Kong and Macao. For more information, please see here....
Estimated Time of Arrival for rail
ELETA – Electronic Exchange of ETA information – is a co-financed project under Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), launched in September 2017. Coordinated by Koninklijk Nederlands Vervoer (KNV) with the support of the International Union for Road-Rail Combined Transport (UIRR), the project will demonstrate the advantages of exchanging the Estimated Time of Arrival data within the […]...
SAVE THE DATE
Seminar Transport for Future Barcelona, 17 May 2018 Please save this date in your diary. We will return to you with a registration form in the coming weeks. The European Shippers’ Council (ESC) together with the Spanish Shippers’ Council Transprime are organising a seminar on how the Mobility Package – new legislation in road transport […]...
Benelux starts pilot with e-CMR
5 March 2018 Benelux launched a pilot to use electronic documents at the border-crossing. Although Belgium has not ratified the e-CMR protocol of the CMR Convention yet, the country will allow the use of electronic documents in the framework of this pilot for the border-crossing operations between Belgium, France, and Luxemburg....
Shift2Rail JU call is open
The Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking has published the 2018 call for proposals, projects worth €155.3 million will be financed under the 2018 Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking (S2R JU) call for Railway Research & Innovation. Submissions’ closing date is 24 April 2018. Please note that calls marked as ‘CFM’ are restricted to JU-members. The call for proposals can […]...
CORE technology
CORE, the global supply chain project, is driving the implementation of new technologies to speed up the supply chain, improve quality and efficiency, and to comply with the necessary regulations....
Blockchain for improving customs compliance
Researchers of Delft University of Technology and of the Erasmus School of Law collaborate in the JUST project to investigate how to improve compliance with customs in supply chains. Part of the research is about the use of blockchain technology for information sharing. ...
CORE movie
CORE movie presents the essence of the CORE project and outlines its main developments. This is an updated version of the previous CORE video. One of the solutions for efficient data collection and distribution within supply chain, specifically for the exchange of data with customs, is Felixstowe development....
Digitization for supply chain
Along ESC’s contribution to the Digital Transport Logistics Forum (DTLF), we follow the work of the Trade Cargo Facilitation association. Since its creation in April 2017, TCF has been developing concrete use cases in supply chain digitization. These cases are Logistics Data Interchange, Unique Voyage Identifier, and Dangerous goods....
Cargo online route planner
The online route planner Navigate launched by the Port of Rotterdam helps logistics planning and will be still improved. This tool will provide more insight into the carbon footprint of container transport and will show real-time data on the Estimated Times of Arrival and Departure (ETA and ETD) of sea-going vessels....
Rail freight transport
This year European Shippers’ Council continues its cooperation with railway partners to improve the rail freight corridor structure, to work on possible solutions for the noise problem, and to insist on contingency planning for unexpected accidents like Rastatt....
Decarbonising transport and logistics chain
In February 2018, CEPI (Confederation of European paper and forest-based industries) presented its 2050 vision to decarbonise its transport and logistics....
Be aware of Xyllella and Bursaphelenchus
Due to the increasing global trade, the contamination of certain plants and wood by certain types of insects, is spreading further. The infected plants while being moved long-distance away for planting can transmit the disease. The contamination is also transmitted by the packaging materials made of contaminated wood....
Platooning incentives for shippers
Increased reliability of the supply chain, cost reduction, and solving part of the drivers’ shortage problem are a few of the benefits that platooning can bring to shippers....
EU trailer accident in Sweden
Following the recent lethal accident with an EU trailer in Sweden, the Swedish Minister of Infrastructure will address the problem in the EU Council....
2018 European Year of Multimodality
In this article UIRR shares with us their vision on multimodality and the importance of cooperation in the supply chain. Transport policy has historically been approached separately, from the perspective of each different transport mode: road, rail, inland navigation, short sea shipping. The cooperative functioning,...
From Maritime into Multimodal year
25th January 2018, European Shippers’ Council participated in the European Commission’s cocktail event to celebrate the achievements of the maritime year and move towards multimodal focus. The participants actively discussed the challenges of the maritime transport sector and the need to explore synergies with the other transport modes....
CORE: from science fiction to reality
REGISTRATION IS OPEN CORE, the project we have been regularly informing about, soon comes to an end. It is the time to show the results and this will be proudly done at the CORE Final Conference in Brussels on 11 April 2018....
EU draft directives for negotiations on Brexit transition
The EU ministers have made a final decision on the directives for the second phase of the negotiations with the UK on Brexit. The Ministers decided in December 2017 that enough progress had been made in the first phase on the financial settlement, the Irish-North Irish border and citizens’ rights. These directives are EU chief […]...
Intermodal message to European Parliament
30th January 2018, International Union for Road-Rail Combined Transport (UIRR) and the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) opened an exhibition in the European Parliament “Intermodal Transport in Europe and North America: What can we learn from each other?” As stated by UIRR President Ralf-Charley Schultze, “the exhibition aims to inform politicians of a solution […]...
European Logistics Platform on Multimodality
30th January 2018, the European Logistics Platform held its first event of the year 2018. The speakers presented their experiences in implementation and use of multimodal strategies in their supply chains. The event gathered more than 80 EU policymakers and industry stakeholders. For more information, please see the ELP Press Release the Future of Multimodal Transport....
Transport for Future
The event is organised by ESC in collaboration with the Spanish Shippers’ Council and will involve discussions on Mobility Package. Speakers from the European Commission and the European Parliament will be invited. More information will be available in due time....
OBOR conference: report
The report from the international conference “The Belt and Road Initiative: EU-China Logistics and Supply Chain” that took place in November 2017 is now available as the special issue of the EU-China Observer. This issue provides...
ESC Maritime Council discusses alliances situation
The ESC Maritime Transport Council welcomed its guests from DG Competition, OECD, and Maersk during the MTC meeting on the 29th of November 2017....
44-ton trucks between Belgium and France
ESC welcomes the findings of an analysis of the French Institute of International Transport Law (IDIT) on potential border crossing of 44-ton trucks between France and Belgium. For ESC, a more flexible approach to border crossing between neighbouring countries allowing 44 tons would be essential....
“K” Line wins Dutch Container Liner Shipping Award
Japanese ocean carrier “K” Line has won the evofenedex Container Liner Shipping Award in 2017. It is the second time in the history...
ESC Position Paper on Mobility Package
European Shippers’ Council in its Position Paper on Mobility Package stresses that clarity of legislation is a prerequisite for enforcement of the future European rules and that Mobility Package should contribute to the efficient and sustainable road transport and logistics in Europe. This should go hand in hand with creating a level playing field across […]...
Benelux and India go digital
India and the Benelux have now reached an agreement on digital documents for, among others, food and vegetables. A pilot for the use of digital information will be conducted between the Indian and Dutch authorities....
Core project and its pilots
CORE project through its research and demonstrations has created key tools to make global trade and logistics highly efficient and secure. The CORE business cases are focused on:...
Council on digitalisation of transport
European Shippers’ Council welcomes The conclusions of the Council of the European Union on the importance of digitalisation for the European economy and competitiveness. ESC strongly supports the Council’s view on the continuation of the work of the Digital Transport and Logistics Forum....
The “black box” opened by DTLF
Connecting business processes across stakeholders in a supply chain data pipeline is beneficial and at the same time safe and secure. But the transport part is to be fully integrated in these pipelines … and preferably soon!...
