2021
The 6th Plenary Meeting of the Digital Transport and Logistics Forum
ESC, as a full member and active observer of the Digital Transport and Logistics Forum, participated in the DTLF’s 6th Plenary Meeting on the 8th of December 2021. Led by […]...
Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council: Fit for 55 package
The Fit for 55 package aims to help the EU reach its target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 and become […]...
New trends in road freight transport
On the 9th of December 2021, the Transport Council met to discuss the file ‘New trends in road freight transport: The inflation of the number of driver attestations for third […]...
The role of the EU budget in the Fit for 55 package
On the 9th of December 2021, the Committee on Budgets held an exchange of views with Executive Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans on the rule of the EU […]...
UK-EU regulatory divergence tracker
The UK in a Changing Europe’s regulatory divergence tracker provides an overview of where and how the UK has used its newfound regulatory freedoms to diverge from EU standards. It […]...
Winners of the ENTRANCE Open Competition
The winners of the ENTRANCE Open Competitions are CONTAI, SpotVessels GmbH, Alterkraft, Last Mile Team S.L., and PEOPLE. ENTRANCE’s special congratulations of the prize challenge goes to CONTAI, who won the financial prize of […]...
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 supply chain. In his […]...
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. Fit for 55 proposals are a good starting point to […]...
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 informal deal reached among […]...
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 to support the air […]...
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 has made in its […]...
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 rules, harmonises the legal […]...
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 Trade on the 9th […]...
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 mineral oils to renewable […]...
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 to access workplaces if: […]...
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 Mechanism (CBAM). Given the […]...
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 EU funding for the […]...
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 that fall under the […]...
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) in digital format before […]...
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 and trade in commercial […]...
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 (HS), the system used […]...
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 of SMEs in world […]...
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 further facilitating the movement […]...
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 rules, high standards, and […]...
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 will be hosted and […]...
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 Stiftner [Vienna, 1969] was […]...
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 logistics in Europe. The […]...
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 the three European regulations […]...
‘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 availability of affordable decarbonized […]...
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 current and planned transport […]...
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 from the Members of […]...
“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 with the Financial Times. […]...
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 President Margrethe Vestager, European […]...
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 tons on the French […]...
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 are seaport areas located […]...
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, still some delays continue. […]...
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 years, factoring in climate […]...
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 matter. The subsidies are […]...
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 on the inland transport […]...
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. European Shippers’ Council considers […]...
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 dedicated to improving the […]...
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 vehicles, buses, coaches and […]...
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 rail freight in […]...
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 of 19 January 2021 […]...
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 group established to further […]...
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: halt trade, raise prices […]...
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 paper calls upon all […]...
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 and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), […]...
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 imposed by Implementing Regulation […]...
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 the negotiations and acknowledging […]...
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 resources and boost sustainable […]...
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), launch the Driver Charter […]...
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 part of the report […]...
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 progress and challenges in […]...
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 partnership with the Foundation […]...
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 becomes the norm. On the […]...
“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, please see here....
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 the European Commission’s annual […]...
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 Parliament and of the […]...
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 ensure that EU producers […]...
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 European Year of Rail […]...
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 rail freight operators and […]...
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 the Polish south-eastern province […]...
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 of challenges to the […]...
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 with all stakeholders involved. […]...
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 of the Eurovignette Directive. […]...
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. For shippers, it was […]...
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 in transporting freight from […]...
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 the French law (code […]...
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 companies from over 20 […]...
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 despite the new constraints. […]...
2020
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, shipping and road freight […]...
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 by TIACA and Pharma.Aero […]...
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 an ambitious COVID-19 aviation […]...
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 light vehicles (up to […]...
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 European Commission with this […]...
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 18th of December, 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 published the comprehensive EU […]...
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 aimed at addressing challenges […]...
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 European exporters and lowers […]...
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 examined the current and […]...
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 pathway that integrates PI-driven […]...
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 many changes. To help […]...
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 in December 2019 and […]...
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 and service quality in […]...
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 United Kingdom, effective from […]...
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 be discussed during a […]...
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 characteristics of what is […]...
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 the team, work with […]...
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, Belgium, the Netherlands, and […]...
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 webinar provided a clear […]...
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 EU directive, only infrastructure […]...
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 MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, […]...
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 the International Air Cargo […]...
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 legislation was prepared following […]...
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 road transport. Road transport […]...
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 impacts have been highly […]...
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 Maritime Safety Committee (MSC). […]...
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 to be prepared to […]...
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 sailings as a consequence. […]...
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 hauliers be sufficient? Border […]...
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, stranded, lost, dropped by […]...
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 place on the 17-18 […]...
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 States’ reaction to the […]...
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 maintain freight transport levels […]...
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 European inland Navigation sector”. […]...
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 regulative framework for 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 “a recipe for disaster”. […]...
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 beginning of a formal […]...
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 seafarers to come home. […]...
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, and more efficient over […]...
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 and people in work. […]...
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 financial instrument. They also […]...
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 for inland waterways vessels. […]...
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 the brick that allows […]...
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 European Commission. Seafarers have […]...
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 as part of their […]...
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, and the future challenges […]...
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 conditions to which employees […]...
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 regular obligatory return of […]...
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 August and will enter […]...
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 set of rules includes […]...
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 June, they exchanged views, […]...
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 presidency are driven by […]...
DG TRADE on the tools for economic recovery
DG TRADE presents findings from its in-house analysis regarding the post COVID-19 era. It stresses the importance of trade and highlights that protectionist measures are very harmful for economic recovery […]...
Longer trains tested in the Netherlands
Rail carrier LTE has tested 740-meter freight trains. The company will continue operating these trains next year. Main advantages of using longer trains include a boost in productivity, reduction of […]...
European Commission’s annual activity reports
The European Commission has published its Annual activity reports 2019. Every department and executive agency of the European Commission publishes an annual activity report. It details achievements, initiatives taken and […]...
Free trade agreement with Vietnam to enter into force on 1 August 2020
The EU has negotiated a comprehensive free trade agreement with Vietnam. This leads to a reduction of 99% of all customs duties and further trade facilitation. The European Parliament already […]...
EC Temporary Framework to support micro and small enterprises
12 June 2020, the European Commission proposed to further extend the scope of the Temporary Framework by enabling Member States (i) to support certain micro and small enterprises, including start-ups […]...
Motorways of the Sea: detailed implementation plan is ready
Detailed Implementation Plan for Motorways of the Sea sets the priorities for the creation of a sustainable, smart and seamless European Maritime Space. This plan is the result of a […]...
Norway ratifies e-CMR protocol
In June, Norway ratified the e-CMR protocol. In place since 2011, e-CMR, the electronic protocol of the standard consignment note under the United Nations Convention for the carriage of goods, […]...
European Commission is undertaking major EU trade policy review
The European Commission’s major review of the European Union’s trade policy will include a public consultation seeking input from the European Parliament, Member States, stakeholders, and civil society. The Commission’s […]...
CLECAT joins Drewry-ESC transparent tool for bunker charges
Brussels, London, 30 June 2020 – European forwarders’ association joins industry initiative on a fair, neutral bunker adjustment factor indexing mechanism for shippers, forwarders and shipping lines. The mechanism was […]...
TIACA launches its 2nd Air Cargo Sustainability Award
The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) announced that the second edition of the Air Cargo Sustainability Award is now open for applications. The competition aims to recognize outstanding businesses and […]...
EC guidelines: restoration of transport services and connectivity
The European Commission published Guidelines on the Progressive Restoration of Transport Services and Connectivity – COVID-19 2020/C 169/02. Given the global nature of the COVID-19 outbreak and the international nature […]...
Influence of COVID-19 on ports compared to 2008 financial crisis
The normal flow patterns in maritime sector are severely disrupted due to COVID-19. Global container shipping has a decrease of 8-10 % in the volumes transported. While exports to Asia […]...
Galileo Green Lanes application
The Galileo Green Lanes App is now open for use by all interested parties, companies, and drivers in the EU and neighbouring countries. The application was created as part of […]...
ESC and evofenedex focus on Turkey’s trade barriers
Due to COVID-19, Turkey has increased the import duties on products originating from third countries. Besides, European exporters will be asked to provide a declaration of origin, even though these […]...
Container transport: Drewry-ESC satisfaction survey
Availability of cargo space is number one customer requirement, according to the fourth annual shipper satisfaction survey of Drewry and ESC. Container shipping lines’ ability to provide cargo space as needed […]...
COVID-19: WTO reports growing number of export restrictions
Eighty countries and customs territories so far have introduced export prohibitions or restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic according to a new report by the WTO Secretariat. The […]...
COVID-19: Galileo Green Lane, easing pressure at the EU’s internal borders
The European GNSS Agency is working together with the European Commission on an application to facilitate the movement of goods and freight within the EU in support of the COVID-19 […]...
COVID-19: more news
ESC is following closely the developments related to COVID-19. For the measures per country and links to different organisations taking steps to respond to the coronavirus challenges, please see here. […]...
Post-COVID-19: ESC, CLECAT, and EEA on Green Lanes and Air Cargo guidelines
Brussels, 27 April 2020, European Shippers’ Council, CLECAT, and the European Express Association welcome last week’s Joint European Commission and European Council Roadmap towards lifting COVID-19 containment measures. The successful […]...
Interim appeal arrangement for WTO disputes
30 April 2020, the EU and other WTO members have formally notified the ‘Multi-party interim appeal arbitration arrangement’ (MPIA) to the World Trade Organization (WTO). This notification marks the start […]...
Decarbonization matters. Launch of Smart Freight Procurement Questionnaire
13 May 2020, Smart Freight Centre launches its Smart Freight Procurement (SFP) Questionnaire. Shippers and logistics service providers are welcome to join the online webinar sessions that will provide guidance […]...
New Council positions on Mobility Package files and e-freight transport information
On 7 April 2020, Council adopted its position on the 3 “Mobility Package I”-files (Posting of drivers, Driving times and rest periods/tachographs, and Access to the Market) and on the […]...
COVID-19: state aid for railway sector
There are possibilities to support the railway sector with state aid. EU regulation allows this under the current exceptional circumstances. Railway lobby organisations have been shouting from the roof to […]...
COVID-19: shippers and forwarders question air cargo handling surcharges
European shippers are challenging new cargo handling surcharges being imposed by air freight handlers. Together with freight forwarders they call on air freight handlers to justify new fees and question […]...
Update: ESC COVID-19 measures
Please see updated information on COVID-19 measures implemented by EU Member States and other links related to COVID-19 response....
COVID-19: deadline extension for autonomous tariff suspension requests
Following the decision of the European Commission, the French Directorate General of Customs and Indirect Rights (DGDDI) published a Notice to importers of certain agricultural and industrial products eligible for […]...
#EUvsVirus Pan-European Hackaton: 24, 25, 26 April 2020
The European Commission, in close collaboration with EU Member States, will host a pan-European hackathon to connect civil society, innovators, partners, and buyers across Europe to develop innovative solutions to […]...
COVID-19: EU state and temporary framework
On 19 March 2020,1 the European Commission adopted a State Aid Temporary Framework to enable EU Member States to use the full flexibility foreseen under EU State aid rules to […]...
COVID-19: WTO and WCO pledge joint efforts to facilitate trade in essential goods
6 April 2020, the heads of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and World Customs Organization (WCO) issued a joint statement pledging to work together to facilitate trade in essential goods […]...
Mobility package: Council adopts truck drivers reform
7 April 2020, the Council adopted a major reform of the EU road transport sector, known as the Mobility Package. The new rules will improve drivers’ working conditions, introduce special […]...
Additional customs duties on imports from the USA
The European Union shall apply additional customs duties as specified in Regulation (EU) 2020/502 of 6 April 2020 on certain commercial policy measures concerning certain products originating in the United […]...
Regular update on measures related to COVID-19
ESC prepares a regular update on the measured introduced by the EU Member States related to COVID-19. For the recent information, please see here....
Supply chain stakeholders alert President Von der Leyen about their disapproval of the CBER decision
The supply chain stakeholders alert the President of the European Commission, Ms Ursula Von der Leyen, that they disapprove of the prolongation of the Consortia Block Exemption Regulation for another […]...
COVID-19: loading and unloading sites. ESC and CLECAT joint recommendations
ESC and CLECAT reach out to drivers, road hauliers, logistics service providers, consignors, and consignees to work together to diminish the impact of COVID-19 at loading and unloading sites, follow […]...
Overview of open service points for truck drivers
Transportation of goods across and between countries is essential. However, truck drivers are facing more and more issues, caused by the presence of COVID-19 restrictions. Due to the lack of […]...
Update on the waiting times at the border
Corona has led to many new rules within the European Union. These rules are not only on the national level, but they are also focused on the border areas. The […]...
Coronavirus: ESC calls for additional freight flights after US entry ban
President Trump of the United States (USA) announced last night that, from Friday noon until end of April, an entry ban applies to residents of the European Union (EU). United […]...
European Commission proposes 2021 as the European Year of Rail
European Commission proposes 2021 as the European Year of Rail!...
CORONAVIRUS: container line shipping heavily hit
CORONAVIRUS: container line shipping heavily hit Ships that do sail between Asia and Europe are less loaded...
Fourth Drewry-ESC annual survey of shippers on container shipping service quality
The European Shippers’ Council, which represents the logistics interests of manufacturers, retailers and wholesalers across Europe, and Drewry, the leading international shipping consultant, invite you to complete this short survey […]...
Coronavirus impacts shippers
The whole world is following the news on coronavirus and hoping for the quickest development of proper preventive measures and for the cure for the infected people. It proves how […]...
Commissioner Hogan on WTO reform, Green Deal, and EU, US, China relations
EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan set out his vision for trade policy under the Von Der Leyen Commission at the Centre for European Reform’s third annual Conference on “Europe and […]...
Shippers together with other stakeholders call for a bold and realistic European Green Deal
The European associations representing logistics service providers, seaport and inland port authorities, shippers, inland waterways, combined transport operators, rail freight operators, port operators and terminal operators, marine equipment manufacturers and […]...
Objection to include CBER prolongation in Commission’s programme
Shippers, freight forwarders and port service providers strongly object to the inclusion of the prolongation of the CBER in the Commission’s Work Programme Brussels, 10th of February 2020, associations representing […]...
Postponed to 11th of June 2020
The conference ‘The EU, US, and China in the Age of Disruption: Impacts and Solutions’ will take place in Brussels on the 11th of June 2020. The event focuses on […]...
Stakeholders in the Maritime Logistic Supply urge the Commission to proceed to a proper objective evaluation of the Consortia BER.
JOINT PRESS RELEASE Stakeholders in the Maritime Logistics Supply Chain urge EC to proceed to a proper objective evaluation of the Consortia BER. Brussels, Belgium, 17 January 2020 Stakeholders […]...
3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety
Stockholm, 19-20 February 2020, ESC will take part in the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety hosted by Sweden. The theme of the conference is Achieving Global Goals 2030. […]...
Transport as a priority of the Croatian Presidency
A European transport area, high-quality and secure data infrastructure, and an integrated energy market are keys to make the European Union more connected. A Europe that connects is one of […]...
Mobility Package 1 on the way to adoption
On the 20th of December 2019, the Council’s Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER 2) approved a set of proposals – known as the Mobility Package – on drivers’ working conditions, […]...
Trade: tariffs suspension and REX
Autonomous common customs tariff duties on certain agricultural and industrial products are suspended as from the 1st of January 2020 following the publication in the Official Journal of the EU […]...
2019
ICONET: reduced costs, diminished congestion, increased efficiency
Antwerp, 2-3 December 2019, ICONET project partners demonstrated technical developments of the project and the outputs of the living labs at the ICONET workshop. The ICONET living labs concern the […]...
Official Controls Regulation
The new Official Controls Regulation regarding safer food and plant health entered into application on the 14th of December 2019. All business operators are subject to official controls irrespective of […]...
eFTI progress continues
The process of turning the Electronic Freight Transport Information (eFTI) Regulation from a mere proposal into an EU law has entered its final stage – formal adoption. The Council approved […]...
ALICE launches a roadmap towards zero emissions
ESC, as a member of the Alliance for Logistics Innovation through Collaboration in Europe (ALICE) is supporting the “ALICE roadmap towards zero emissions logistics 2050”. The roadmap, issued on the […]...
European shippers reject BER extension
The current Consortia Block Exemption Regulation, in place since 2009, doesn’t provide any instruments to deal with the current market drivers and has serious consequences that affect the present maritime […]...
Irish road hauliers affected by a no-deal Brexit
Should the United Kingdom leave the Union without an agreement, contingency measures adopted by the co-legislators — Regulation (EU) 2019/501 (1) — provide for basic connectivity for a limited period […]...
Striving to be a dangerous goods compliant gateway
The Belgian Shippers’ Council joined the dangerous goods campaign of Air Cargo Belgium and the two organisations together with the Belgian Civil Aviation Authority produced a brochure on dangerous goods […]...
Cecilia Malmström on the situation of the WTO Appellate Body
Brussels, 6 November, at the International Trade Committee of the European Parliament, Cecilia Malmström, Commissioner for trade, spoke about the outcome of the WTO Ministerial (Shanghai, 5 November 2019). Discussions […]...
ESC on current trends and challenges facing transport modes
Madrid, 30 October 2019, ESC presented its position on current trends in shipping at the Connecting TEN-T corridors and sustainable MoS in the West Med sea basin event. Jordi Espin, […]...
Smarter rules for safer food and plant health
With the support of the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU, DG SANTE is organising the conference “Smarter rules for safer food and plant health” in Brussels on […]...
Invitation to FERRMED Brussels Conference, November 6th, 2019
FERRMED is pleased to announce a new FERRMED Conference entitled: “The second Eurasian Connectivity and Industrial Cooperation Forum (Europe)”, on November 6th, 2019, in the Residence Palace / International Press Centre, […]...
Brexit grace period
Several European organisations have asked for a so-called grace period for consignments that start their journey before a hard Brexit and arrive after the Brexit date. It is not possible […]...
Shippers’ rail freight memorandum
Shippers would like to see rail transport as a real alternative to road transport. Collaboration and harmonisation are required to increase reliability and flexibility of this transport mode. While recognising […]...
Smart Transport Manager Training
To upskill operational transport managers, Smart Freight Centre is organising the Smart Transport Manager Training (STMT). The content of the programme as well as the approach could be interesting for […]...
Smart freight procurement guidelines
Smart Freight Centre issued a report with smart freight procurement guidelines on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants from freight transport and logistics procurement practices....
The EU and Norway agree on an interim appeal system
On the 21st of October 2019, the EU and Norway notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) about their interim appeal arbitration arrangement. Through this agreement, the EU and Norway secure […]...
Provisional Brexit Withdrawal Agreement
The provisional brexit agreement is a first good step. Despite optimism however, a no deal-brexit is still possible at the end of this month. The provisional brexit withdrawal agreement between […]...
EC Event – Connecting TEN-T corridors and sustainable MoS
On 30 October, the EC invites to a full-day joint seminar organised by the European TEN-T Coordinators for Motorways of the Sea, the Mediterranean and the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridors and hosted […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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. These concern […]...
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. The Vice […]...
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 […]...
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. The event was […]...
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. Only the top 3, […]...
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 […]...
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. The European Barge Union (EBU) and […]...
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 […]...
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. […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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. […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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, […]...
Logistics dialogue in Vienna
A Brexit seminar took place during the Logistics Dialogue in Vienna....
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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. […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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, […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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....
2018
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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. […]...
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, […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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, […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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. […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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. […]...
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, […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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. […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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. […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
“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 […]...
2017
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 […]...
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 […]...
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 […]...
Cooperation on CO2 to save money
According to Sophie Punte, the Executive Director of the Smart Freight Centre, “if all partners contribute we can realize double digit CO2 reductions. Carriers and cargo owners can both take […]...
Second part of Mobility Package
The European Commission has published the second part of the Mobility Package. This part is focused mainly on environmental aspects of transport as well as on changes of the multimodal […]...
GHG emissions: briefing from IMO
The latest session of the International Maritime Organisation on greenhouse gas emissions took place in October 2017. This set out the outline of a strategy on reducing GHGs from ships […]...
OBOR conference
Bruges, 23 November, European Shippers’ Council together with the College of Europe held their international conference “The Belt and Road Initiative: EU-China Logistics and Supply Chain”....
From Digital Transport Days in Tallinn
One of the highlights of the Digital Transport Days in Tallinn in November 2017 was the speech of Mr Henrik Hololei , Director General of DG MOVE and the organiser […]...
New forum for container shipping competition
Shippers in Europe and other parts of the world have frequently expressed concerns about the direction of travel of the container shipping industry towards ever-larger vessels, a dwindling number of […]...
CORE project survey: visibility tool
In one of the subprojects of CORE, a freight forwarder is developing a Visibility Tool to adapt security controls in real time from pick-up to delivery, conducting a review of […]...
AUTF Air Freight Council
ESC’s French member, AUTF (Association des Utilisateurs de Transport de Fret), organises its next Airfreight Council in Paris on the 8th of December, 2017. It takes place at Charles De […]...
CORE at Intermodal, 28-30 November
During the Intermodal 2017 Conference that will take place in Amsterdam on the 28th – 30th of November, ESC together with SEACON and TNO will present the CORE project during […]...
Maritime Transport Council (members)
ESC members are welcome to join the ESC internal Maritime Transport Council meeting in Brussels on the 29th of November. As the ESC Maritime Day in Genoa will not take […]...
Declaration from Digital Transport Days in Tallinn
8-11 November 2017, Tallinn, Digital Transport Days Declaration has been produced as a result of the 3-day conference organised by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Mobility (DG MOVE) in […]...
Exchangeability of EPAL Euro pallets and UIC/EUR pallets
In France, a joint decision has been taken by shippers, distributors, road hauliers, and logistics representatives to continue exchanging EPAL Euro pallets and UIC/EUR pallets. EPAL and UIC are called […]...
Posting of workers
Transport services will be excluded from the scope of the Posting of Workers Directive. They will be dealt with in the Mobility Package legislation. However, ESC is not satisfied with […]...
New forum for container shipping competition
Shippers in Europe and other parts of the world have frequently expressed concerns about the direction of travel of the container shipping industry towards ever-larger vessels, a dwindling number of […]...
CO2 emissions in maritime
Shipping emissions are predicted to increase between 50% and 250% by 2050 . The European Shipper’s Council has been always favouring a global approach to this global problem. Regional regulations […]...
Rastatt incident: way forward
Following the Rastatt incident, the meeting of experts organised by the Commission Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) and chaired by Deputy Director General Matthew Baldwin agreed on […]...
TIACA summit and developments in air cargo sector
“Breakthroughs in air cargo quality assessment will help cargo users better select the best suppliers”, said ESC Chairman Denis Choumert earlier this month. ...
Capacity problems at big airports
In recent weeks there has been a lot of attention to full freighter operations being pushed from Schiphol Amsterdam airport. There will be a drop of 20% full freighter flights […]...
Benelux collaboration on customs
6 October 2017, Brussels, the Benelux Union organised a conference for the customs authorities and representatives of the organised trade. The aim of the meeting was to discuss how the […]...
ESC meets Director-General for Mobility and Transport
ESC Chairman Denis Choumert, Secretary General Nik Delmeire, and Policy Director Godfried Smit paid a visit to Mr Hololei, the European Commission Director-General for Mobility and Transport, to discuss relevant […]...
Planning international rail capacity
ESC would like to share with you the information kindly provided by our partners in the rail transport mode, the RailNetEuope and Forum Train Europe, about the Redesign of International […]...
ESC developments in rail
In the Autumn 2016 and Spring 2017, ESC organised two joint workshops with railways to agree on a joint agenda to boost the competitiveness and attractiveness of rail freight for […]...
ESC at the Rail Market Place Seminar
14-15 September 2017, Duisburg, ESC voiced its position at the Market Place Seminar, an annual rail freight event, co-organized by the International Union of Railways (UIC) and International Federation of […]...
Conference: Belt and Road Initiative
23 November, 2017, Bruges, the European Shippers’ Council, with the support of the Global Shippers’ Alliance and together with the College of Europe are organising the conference“The Belt and Road […]...
Conference: Belt and Road Initiative
23 November, 2017, Bruges, the European Shippers’ Council, with the support of the Global Shippers’ Alliance and together with the College of Europe are organising the conference“The Belt and Road […]...
Winter capacity constraints at Amsterdam airport
Amsterdam Schiphol airport will have air traffic capacity constraints in the coming winter. Rogier Spoel, Air Transport Policy Manager at ESC spoke to the Lloyd’s Loading List. According to him […]...
Shippers demand transparency in air freight
European shippers demand their air cargo providers to be transparent on their consignments. ESC Policy Manager in Air Transport Rogier Spoel told CARGOFORWARDER GLOBAL that the linear set-up of the […]...
Chinese customs and international trade
With the development of the Chinese initiative One belt One Road that involves a lot of countries and entities, efficient cooperation is required between all the parties involved. Customs cooperation […]...
Customs asking shippers to pay more guarantees
ESC together with the other associations, such as CLECAT and IRU, has asked the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union to reduce the administrative and financial burden related […]...
Sustainability as a KPI in Air Freight
Sustainability is gaining importance in different transport modes. For the air freight, is it essential to have a sustainability KPI as well. The best way for transformation in the sector […]...
Hong Kong Block Exemption Regulation
ESC expresses its disappointment with the Block Exemption Regulation (BER) for vessel sharing agreements (VSA) published recently by the Hong Kong competition authority. The regulation seems to be the same […]...
ESC and Drewry
This year has seen a lot of changes in the maritime sector that have had a negative impact on shippers. ESC has been working with the maritime research and consulting […]...
Hong Kong and ASEAN to collaborate on trade
ESC welcomes the closer collaboration between Hong Kong and ASEAN countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. A free trade agreement (FTA) between Hong Kong and ASEAN should be signed […]...
How Brexit may affect supply chains
Supply chains during the first months after Brexit day are predicted to become unreliable. If the UK government does not manage to have a deal with the EU, it may […]...
CLECAT on Mobility Package and joint liability
The European Commission has published its ‘Mobility Package’ at the end of May 2017 which aims to help the sector to remain competitive in what is called ‘a socially fair transition […]...
Rail freight services disruption in Germany
As a result of a landslide in Germany in mid-August, the railway line between Karlsruhe and Basel has been closed. As the line is an important north-south corridor carrying containers […]...
Meeting DG Competition on Container Capacity Crunch in Maritime
As announced previously in several publications, ESC called for the meeting with the relevant European authorities, DG Competition, to discuss the container capacity crunch, the connection of this crunch with […]...
ESC delegation and CEOs of rail infrastructure companies in Sopron
On 13 June 2017, the European Shippers Council was invited to address the CEOs of rail infrastructure managers during their annual meeting in Sopron, Hungary. Jean-Christophe Hermand, the Chair of ESC […]...
Cooperation in Supply Chain: Intermodality and Innovation
The 8th Cluster for Logistics Conference: Cooperation in Intermodality and Innovation that took place on the 30th of May 2017 stressed again a need for cooperation in supply chain. Introducing […]...
Trade Disruption in Qatar Region
What should shippers do? June 6th, 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Yemen and Libya announced that they were severing ties with Qatar due to suspicions of Qatar financing terrorism. […]...
European Commission Needs More Time for Customs Automation
DG TAXUD has announced that it will be impossible to finalize the automation systems needed for the full implementation of the Union Customs Code before the proposed end date of […]...
ESC Vice Chair Calls for More Supply Chain Collaboration
“e-CMR, if used throughout Europe, will open the opportunity for parties in the supply chain to exchange logistical data. It will improve the quality of the supply chain. It will […]...
ESC Meets German Importers and Exporters
While meeting German importers and exporters 10 days ago, ESC together with the current market conditions in Liner Shipping also discussed the conditions for potentially longer term contracts with ocean […]...
CORE presented in Paris
18-19 May 2017, ESC as the Coordinator of the CORE project, took part in the Joint Exploitation Event organised by the European Commission in Paris. CORE stands for “Consistently Optimised […]...
Stakeholders to Comment on Electronic Documents for Freight
21st May 2017, the European Commission (EC) following the recommendations of the Digital Transport and Logistics Forum (DTLF) published Inception Impact Assessment report on electronic transport documents for freight carriage and […]...
ESC at Global Liner Shipping Conference
16-17 May 2017, European Shippers’ Council represented by its Chairman Denis Choumert addressed shippers’ concerns at the Global Liner Shipping Conference. This annual event gathered almost 200 people, with all […]...
LEARN Project Report: Reducing Emissions
Following its International Workshop on emissions in April 2017, the Logistics Emissions Accounting and Reduction Network (LEARN) project produced a report covering its main developments. The project aims at providing […]...
Safe Parking
The Dutch Member of the European Parliament Peter van Dalen organised a meeting on safe truck parking areas in Europe. Theft from trucks is still increasing and sometimes drivers are […]...
Rhine Alpine Corridor
The Corridor Manager Dr Paweł Wojciechowski organised a workshop on sustainability of the inland shipping sector. Many stakeholders from the sector including ESC as representative of the users were invited for […]...
Ensuring on time and in full deliveries stays shippers’ top objective
2017 Supply Chain Worldwide Survey commissioned by Geodis was led from October to December 2016 by an independent research institute. The objective of the survey was to identify supply chain […]...
Maritime mergers: ESC wants EC to be more proactive
European Shippers’ Council advocates a change of the European legislation to enable the European Commission to take a more proactive stance for protecting the EU market against monopolist tendencies. The […]...
Platooning
9 May 2017, ESC as the advocate of platooning was invited to participate in the breakfast meeting on this topic hosted by Dieter-Lebrecht Koch, a Christian Democrat Member of the […]...
Joint meeting between rail freight CEOs and shippers
On 6 May 2017, under the joint umbrella of ESC and CER/UIC, a delegation of 11 shippers met with the CEOs of European rail freight companies members of CER and […]...
Stakeholders want data pipeline for air cargo
24-25 April, 2017, Kista, Sweden, the concept of the data pipeline for air cargo was the main topic of the two-day workshop organised by the Trade&Cargo Facilitation Association (TCF) and […]...
Security on rail
The 15th meeting of the EU Expert Group for Land Transport Security (LANDSEC) took place on the 26th of April 2017. The Commission is working on a policy to improve […]...
Brexit: informal task force
Organisations in the Trade Contact Group have decided to work together on monitoring and sharing views on the Brexit process. The European position will become public on the 29 April […]...
Customs automation
ESC is a member of one of the European Commission’s expert groups – Trade Contact Group – which deals with the Union Customs Code implementation, thus with the automation of […]...
Netherlands opts for exemption from driving licence directive
A group of 13 Dutch associations including Dutch Shippers’ Council evefenedex is advocating an exemption from the directive on driving licences that limits the use of heavier light commercial vehicles […]...
ESC and export problem, mentioned in the press:
Since ESC’s first press release of the 17th of March 2017, the press reported on the problems that shippers are faced with in ports: the insufficient capacity to take all […]...
Service quality of ocean carriers “poor to average”
The ESC and Drewry contacted several hundred of shippers and forwarders from all over the world in March 2017 and asked them how satisfied they were with the services provided […]...
Service quality of ocean carriers “poor to average”
The ESC and Drewry contacted several hundred of shippers and forwarders from all over the world in March 2017 and asked them how satisfied they were with the services provided […]...
Second joint workshop with railways
On 6 April 2017, ESC organised a second joint workshop between shippers and railways on the competitiveness and attractiveness of rail freight. Discussions focused on the issues of reliability, with […]...
10th edition of Multimodal
The 10th edition of Multimodal, the UK and Ireland’s premier freight transport, logistics and supply chain management event, took place from 4 to 6 April at the NEC in Birmingham, […]...
ESC Members Remain Concerned about Container Shipping
For many weeks now, ESC members have been expressing their concerns about the capacity crunch in Liner Shipping and the way ship owners handle it. To raise awareness, ESC publishes […]...
Joint shippers/railways workshop on 6 April
ESC is organising a second joint workshop with railways on ‘Rail freight competitiveness and attractiveness’ on 6 April, from 10.00 to 13.00, as part of the next ESC Railway Transport […]...
Meeting with Rail Freight Corridors – 21 February
On 21 February, Denis Choumert, President of ESC, and Pauline Bastidon, ESC Rail Manager, attended a strategy meeting with rail freight corridors to discuss railway undertakings and shippers’ expectations with […]...
FTA “Keep Britain Trading” event
On 15 March 2017, FTA organised a conference called ‘Keep Britain Trading’ which focused on the trade and logistics implications of Brexit. The conference gathered more than 160 participants from […]...
Shippers welcomed on board for the airlines gathering
IATA’s World Cargo Symposium took place in Abu Dhabi between the 14th and the 16th of March 2017. Three days of plenary sessions, parallel tracks on well defined topics; from […]...
Huge booking crunch disrupts supply chain
European Shippers’ Council members report that many shippers who regularly export goods to Asia have been facing a large drop of available slots for containers on almost every shipping line. […]...
Air Cargo Shippers Calling for Change in the Air
The Shippers’ Advisory Committee of TIACA (The International Air Cargo Association) has finally published its White paper to voice the concerns and needs of the shippers in air cargo. Change […]...
Sleeping in the Cabin
A Dutch Court has decided that taking a long weekend rest in the cabin by a driver is not in line with the law. The Advocate General of the European […]...
Survey: Alliances in Maritime
ESC in cooperation with Drewry are conducting a survey to see what a real impact of the Alliances is on shippers, and whether the quality of the Alliances’ services corresponds […]...
Shippers to respond to the survey: Rail Transport
Shippers are invited to express their opinion on the use of rail freight transport in the survey “Rail Freight Barometer 2017” prepared by EUROGROUP CONSULTING in partnership with the French […]...
Opinion: Battling Unfair Competition in Aviation or Protectionism?
According to Reuters, the European Commission, strongly lobbied by theAirlines4Europe pact and the legacy carriers Lufthansa, IAG and AFKLM, is preparing a draft proposal to counter unfair competition coming from […]...
EU Trade Agreement with Canada is signed
ESC applauds the approval of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade agreement (CETA) by the European Parliament on 15 February 2017. This agreement will reduce the red tape in international […]...
Rail Transport Council
For more information, please contact Pauline Bastidon, ESC Rail Policy Manager at pbastidon@fta.co.uk....
Inland Transport Council (members)
For more information, please contact Godfried Smit, ESC Policy Manager in Inland Transport and Trade Facilitation at g.smit@evofenedex.nl....
Inland Transport Council (members)
For more information, please contact Godfried Smit, ESC Policy Manager in Inland Transport and Trade Facilitation at g.smit@evofenedex.nl....
Rail Transport Council
For more information, please contact Pauline Bastidon, ESC Rail Policy Manager at pbastidon@fta.co.uk....
Rail Transport Council
For more information, please contact Pauline Bastidon, ESC Rail Policy Manager at pbastidon@fta.co.uk....
Inland Transport Council
For more information, please contact Godfried Smit, ESC Policy Manager in Inland Transport and Trade Facilitation at g.smit@evofenedex.nl....
Maritime Transport Council
For more information, please contact Fabien Becquelin, ESC Maritime Policy Manager at Fabien.BECQUELIN@autf.fr. ...
Nine-Country Road Alliance is Launched
ESC is welcoming the “Road Transport Alliance” that was launched by nine European countries in Paris on 31 January. The EU Transport Ministers from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, […]...
Multimodal Transport in the TEN-T Corridors
The revision of Directive 92/106/EEC on the establishment of common rules for certain types of combined transport of goods between Member States is included in the European Commission Work Programme […]...
INEA Receives 318 Transport Project Proposals with a Budget of €2.14 Billion
In January 2017, the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) received 318 project proposals (€2.14 billion) for its Mobility for Growth and Automated Road Transport Calls. The total budget available […]...
CORE: More Safety and Security for Intermodal Transport of Dangerous Goods
Consistently Optimized Resilient Secure Global Supply Chains (CORE) project has developed a tracking and tracing solution for its Demonstrator of the intermodal transport of dangerous goods. The solution is based […]...
Shippers Comment on Drewry’s Statement about New Alliances Having Limited Effect
Shipping consultancy Drewry predicts that even with the creation of the Ocean and THE alliances in 2017 there will be no big impact on the announced schedules, and a constant […]...
Shippers Respond to the Survey about Container Lines’ Services
Annual Shipper Sentiment Survey, 2016, was carried out by Containerisation International together with Dutch shippers’ organisation EVO. The results of the survey show how shippers evaluate the services they obtain […]...
Shippers Respond to the Survey about Container Lines’ Services
Annual Shipper Sentiment Survey, 2016, was carried out by Containerisation International together with Dutch shippers’ organisation EVO. The results of the survey show how shippers evaluate the services they obtain […]...
CORE: More Safety and Security for Intermodal Transport of Dangerous Goods
Consistently Optimized Resilient Secure Global Supply Chains (CORE) project has developed a tracking and tracing solution for its Demonstrator of the intermodal transport of dangerous goods. The solution is […]...
Electronic Consignment Notes on the Border Crossing between Spain and France
On the 19th of January, Spain and France became the first countries to use electronic consignment notes (e-CMR) on their border crossing. E-CMR is part of a strategy to digitise […]...
Supporting Digitalization of Air Transport Documents Remains a Top ESC and Shippers’ Priority
IATA has maintained its target for the implementation of the electronic air waybill (eAWB). In 2016 the adoption target was missed by some 10% because large parts of the freight […]...