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...
ICONET ALICE – ESC Collaboration workshop
As the ICONET project comes to an end, ETP ALICE and ESC are jointly organising a collaboration workshop. The key question to address is the following:...
ESC and Ecumene provide feedback for the European Maritime Transport Report
European Shippers’ Council and Ecumene Ventures provided its comments for the European Maritime Transport Emissions Report (EMTER). The first edition of the report will be published...
Shippers and forwarders call on European Competition Authorities to act
European shippers and freight forwarders have once more alerted the European Commission on the current practices of liner shipper carriers as European supply chains are becoming...
FETEIA and TRANSPRIME alert about new harmful and unethical practices of shipping companies
Maersk announced that they will keep merchant transport under their control in Barcelona Port as from the 15th of January 2021 onwards. This practice is considered as...
CLECAT, EEA & ESC – EU-UK transport of goods needs to be assured
CLECAT, EEA & ESC, representing European shippers, freight forwarders and express carriers, call on France to continue applying the COVID-19 measures in support of air cargo,...
Project Sunrays: COVID-19 vaccines transport
The Covid-19 pandemic showed how important air cargo is. With the distribution of vaccines, air cargo will continue playing its vital role. Project Sunrays was initiated...
Transport Ministers focus on social issues in aviation
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Portugal are joining forces in an attempt to move the European Commission and their fellow-Member States towards...
Taking of daily rest periods by light vehicle drivers in France
The Commission is currently examining whether the new legal provisions introduced by France are compatible with the EU law: the ban on daily rest periods in...
Shortage of container ships in service is unsustainable
The largest problem facing the container shipping today is the lack of empty containers. This is what is causing very high spot rates. ESC addressed the...
Council agrees its stance on road charging reform
The EU is revising its road charging rules (Eurovignette directive) to address greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts, congestion, and road infrastructure financing. On the...
EU guidelines on trials of Marine Autonomous Surface Ships
On the occasion of the 2nd International Ship Autonomy and Sustainability Summit, the European Commission together with EU Member States, Norway and with valuable industry input...
Package of declarations and recommendations adopted to help small businesses trade globally
The Informal Working Group on Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) officially adopted at its meeting on 11 December a package of six recommendations and declarations...
Bilateral reduction of customs duties for the EU and USA
On August 21, 2020, the European Union and the United States reached an agreement on a bilateral reduction of customs duties that facilitates market access for...
Let’s cross Brexit together
“Let’s cross Brexit together” webinar was organised by the Direction Générale des Douanes et Droits Indirects and took place on the 3rd of December. The participants...
ICONET project: validating Physical Internet concepts in the Port of Antwerp
The strategic goal of the ICONET project is to establish a “cloud-based Physical Internet (PI) framework and platform”. This platforms builds upon leading-edge technologies in a...
E-commerce and customs declarations
Are you doing business in the e-commerce branch and are you importing goods from outside the European Union – including the United Kingdom? Then you’re facing...
French shippers are raising alarm over the disruption of the maritime market
Since the end of 2019, French shippers have gone through several crisis situations in maritime transport. At the national level there were port and rail strikes...
ESC and CLECAT urge carriers to switch to a ‘new normal’
ESC and CLECAT urge carriers to review their operational and business practices, to ensure a regular flow of cargo and containers, and to respect schedule reliability...
Get ready for Brexit: important information for UK transport
No customs document? No digital pre-registration at the ferry terminal? Then no crossing! Due to Brexit there will be customs formalities in freight traffic with the...
TIACA Digital Air Cargo Forum
TIACA is organising its Digital Air Cargo Forum 2020 on 1-10 December 2020. Every day of the event will be devoted to a specific topic. The topic will...
ESC calls European authorities to look into the actions of vessel operators
European authorities should be concerned about the shipping lines not returning benefits to the market users, as stipulated by the Consortia Blok Exemption Regulation (CBER). Main...
Glyn Hughes to Take the Reins of TIACA as Its First Director General
Miami, 11 November 2020, The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) announced that Glyn Hughes will take the newly created role of Director General. He will manage...
50 Days before Brexit: customs formalities
European Shippers’ Council held its seminar “50 Days before Brexit” on the 12th of November. The speakers presented what customs formalities will be introduced in France,...
Mitigating Risks of Marine Fuel Uncertainty
On 10th of November, European Shippers’ Council together with Ecumene Ventures organised a webinar called Mitigating Risks of Marine Fuel Uncertainty and New Emissions Regulations. The...
Lkw Maut (toll) in Germany: violation of European law
On 28th of October, 2020, the European Court of Justice ruled that the level of German Lkw-Maut is in violation of European law. According to the...
ESC at Smart Ports event
ESC chaired panel session New Boost in Shipping: Shippers & Carriers into a Standard Mode of Understanding at the Smart Ports Conference with the participation of...
TIACA’s survey on sustainability
The entire air cargo industry: shippers, forwarders, airlines, airports, ground handlers, manufacturers, and IT solution providers are invited to respond to a sustainability survey organised by...
Implementation of rail noise ban in Germany: no sanctions during 2020-2021
ESC was calling the European and national authorities for a delay in the implementation of the national legislation in Germany on rail noise reduction. The national...
Government inaction will lead to a wave of bankruptcies in the road transport sector
ESC is supporting IRU in its call for action to governments worldwide. The transport sector will collapse without targeted action as government financial packages are failing...
ERM report: COVID-19 crisis led to doubling of EU restructuring job loss
The COVID-19 crisis has led to a doubling of restructuring job loss in the first half of 2020 compared to the rolling average. The labour market...
IMO: crew changes and travel
An important reference set of protocols to ensure safe ship crew changes and travel during the COVID-19 pandemic has been recognised by IMO's technical body, the...
Mitigating Risks of Marine Fuel Uncertainty and New Emissions Regulations
10 November, 2020, ESC , together with Ecumene Ventures, are organising a webinar about new marine fuel emissions regulations and shipper-carrier fuel pricing mechanisms. Shippers need...
Shippers concerned about high rates and disruptions
Shippers are concerned about the rates increase, lack of service, and supply chain disruptions in maritime. This year the lines have been merging services, with blank...
50 days before Brexit, 12 November
Brexit day is coming closer but practical questions in the different modes of transport still remain. To mention just one: will the availability of permits for...
World Ports Conference 2020
Cargo owners are usually among the first victims in a crisis. COVID-19 has taken that to another level, with shipments being delayed, blanked, subjected to demurrage,...
Smart Ports: Piers of the Future, 17-18 November
ESC is supporting Smart Ports: Piers of the Future event which is organised as part of the Smart City Expo World Congress Event and will take...
Commission Communication on Covid-19 response measures and transport Green Lanes
28 October, 2020, the European Commission published Communication on additional COVID-19 response measures and a Communication upgrading the transport Green Lanes, both meant to coordinate Member...
EU Environmental Council on freight traffic
During the EU Environment Council on 23 October, 2020, the Ministers of Environment of the EU Member States asked the European Commission to introduce measures to...
Financing energy transition towards zero emissions in inland navigation
The Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine published initial qualitative results of the in-depth study on the “Financing of energy transition towards a zero-emission...
Phasing in greener engines slowed down by pandemic
Inland navigation currently has only one regulative framework regarding emission standards on vessels. This is the Non-Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM) Regulation 2016/1628, also known as the...
Adequate minimum wages in the EU
The European Commission released a proposal for a directive on adequate minimum wages in the EU. BusinessEurope reacted to the publication of the proposal calling it...
Withdrawal Agreement: European Commission sends letter of formal notice to the UK for breach of its obligations
1 October 2020, the European Commission sent the United Kingdom a letter of formal notice for breaching its obligations under the Withdrawal Agreement. This marks the...
400,000 seafarers stuck at sea
24 September 2020, during a high-level event on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly Captain Hedi Marzougui appealed to Governments to act to allow...
New Customs Union Action Plan
28 September 2020, the European Commission launched a new Customs Union Action Plan setting out a series of measures to make EU customs smarter, more innovative,...
The Council approves granting €87.4 billion to support 16 Member States under SURE
The European Commission welcomes the Council's approval to grant €87.4 billion of financial support to 16 Member States under the SURE instrument to help protect jobs...
Allocation key for Next Generation EU instrument
In its answer to the European Parliament, the European Commission explains the grouping of the Member States in the modelling exercise for the Next Generation EU...
European Commission: adopting standards for inland waterways vessels
The European Commission issued the Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union on the technical standards...
ICONET project: improving performance of the supply chain
ICONET is a 30-month EU-funded project focusing on the implementation of the Physical Internet. The Smart PI Container is the cornerstone of the project. It is...
Shippers call for crew changes
European shippers together with the Global Shippers’ Alliance appeal to eliminate obstacles to crew changes. Letters have been sent to the International Maritime Organization and the...
WTO issues report on measures to expedite access to COVID-19 critical goods, services
The WTO Secretariat has published a new information note on how WTO members have used trade measures to expedite access to critical medical goods and services...
2020 WCO Annual Report
The WCO Annual Report 2020 outlines the main activities carried out during the 2019-2020 financial year, the main developments within the WCO and its regional structures,...
Posting in the Netherlands
The Working Conditions Posted Workers Act in the European Union (WagwEU in Dutch) has been in force since 1 June 2016. The Act governs the employment...
Mobility Package: dispute before the EU Court of Justice, hotel for foreign truck drivers, and consequences for shippers
Lithuania disputes the MOBILITY PACKAGE before the EU Court of Justice Some Member States do not approve of the new measures of the EU like the...
Adoption of Mobility Package I. Consequences for shippers
8th of July 2020, the European Parliament voted on the Mobility Package I in the second reading. This means that the text will be published in...
European Commission on the final adoption of the Mobility Package I by the European Parliament
9th July 2020, the European Commission welcomes the social improvements of the Mobility Package I voted by the European Parliament. However, they regret that the new...
European Council on 17-18 July 2020
EU leaders will meet physically in Brussels to discuss the recovery plan to respond to the COVID-19 crisis and a new long-term EU budget. On 19...
German Presidency – “Emerging stronger from the crisis together”
Germany's presidency of the Council of the EU covers the period from the 1st of July till the 31st of December 2020. The priorities of Germany's...