join us

Why join?

CLECAT, the European association for forwarding, transport, logistics and customs services, represents the vast majority of freight forwarders and customs agents in Europe.

Established in 1958, we have a long experience of acting as the 'eyes and ears' for our member organisations with regard to EU legislation. Equally we are the mouthpiece of logistics, freight forwarding and customs services in Brussels. We gather information on current and future EU policy developments which we relay to our members, as well as directly lobbying for their positions vis-à-vis the European institutions.

CLECAT can help you keep up with new proposals that could affect your business, give you a voice in the decisions that may affect your business, and help you keep one step ahead of developments.

European legislation has a direct impact on the trading environment and competitiveness of European business, and can represent both threats and opportunities to your organisation. It is therefore vital to stay ahead of developments and to ensure that the business risks of unwelcome legislation are minimised.

You will receive the following benefits from membership

First hand involvement
Membership will give you the benefit of being involved very early in the decision-making process of policy initiatives. Through our direct contact with the EU institutions and Member States, we inform policy makers and politicians of the views of the freight forwarding and logistics industry. We also facilitate meetings with policy-makers for our members if they have specific questions or concerns.

CLECAT has a multi-lingual staff consisting of logistics practitioners, industry experts, lawyers and political scientists, giving a wide spectrum of knowledge and an across-the-board approach so as to tackle the problems and opportunities facing the freight forwarding and logistics sector.

First-hand information
CLECAT provides regular updates on policy initiatives and legislative proposals complemented with detailed reports and in-depth analysis in areas of:

  • air freight
  • sea freight
  • inland transport including road, rail and Inland waterways
  • environment and sustainable logistics
  • supply chain security
  • customs and trade facilitation

Influencing Policy-making
Membership will provide you with the possibility to participate in CLECAT working bodies where decisions are made concerning our positions and strategies in key policy areas, reflecting the views of our members.

Networking
CLECAT provides a unique forum to network with associations and companies from across Europe and beyond through the events it organises such as the annual Freight Forwarders Forum and seminars on specific topics of importance to the industry.

CLECAT regularly liaises with a wide variety of other transport industry representative groups such as: shippers (ESC), shipowners (ECSA, WSC), ports (ESPO), express operators (EEA), intermodal/ combined transport operators (UIRR), airlines (AEA, A4E, IATA), road transport operators (IRU) and railways (CER, ERFA).

More information

If you are interested in our services and are considering becoming a member, we would be pleased to provide you with more detailed information on how CLECAT works and how your organisation or company can benefit from our expertise.   

There are various levels of memberships.

  • Full members: national organisations of EU Member States
  • Associated members: national organisations of countries applying for EU membership
  • Observer members: national organisations of countries which are neither member nor applicant countries.
  • Related members: bodies, entities, companies, associations or private persons that are related with, or interested in freight-forwarding, Customs, logistics and transport in all modes.

For further information, please contact:
Nicolette van der Jagt
Director General – CLECAT 
Rue du Commerce 77
B-1040 Brussels Belgium
Tel.: +32 2503 4705
Fax: +32 2503 47 52
E-mail: nicolettevdjagt@clecat.org or info@clecat.org

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM