All news & events

On 28 June, the Council of the EU gave the go-ahead for the signing of three neighbourhood aviation agreements – with Ukraine, Armenia and Tunisia ­– as well as an air transport agreement with Qatar. These agreements will open up the air transport market, offering new opportunities for both consumers and operators. Through more efficient connectivity, they shall promote trade, tourism, investment and economic and social development.

On 30 June, the European Commission’s DG MOVE and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) jointly organised a webinar on Safe and Sustainable Aviation, during which both parties confirmed their commitment to increase aviation safety and building a more sustainable industry.

Last week, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) reviewed the progress of the aviation sector’s recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, efforts to enhance the safety, security and sustainability of flights, and issues related to ICAO’s governance.

The European Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee adopted on 28 June a draft resolution on Future-proof inland waterway transport (IWT), by 44 votes in favour and 3 abstentions. MEPs call for a modal shift arguing that it would help to reduce road congestion and emissions, enhance safety and lead to a more sustainable transport system.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) announced yesterday that 130 countries have joined the two-pillar plan to reform international taxation rules. The statement outlines plans for new rules on where companies are taxed at a tax rate of at least 15%. The new minimum tax rate would apply to companies with turnover above a 750-million-euro ($889 million) threshold, with only the shipping industry exempted.

The Slovenian Presidency has officially presented its programme for the coming six months of its term. As noted last week, the transport priorities will focus on the recovery of the sector, which should coincide with a transition towards sustainable and innovative mobility.

At the second webinar organised by the European Logistics Platform (ELP) this year, around 50 EU policymakers and industry representatives met to discuss with experts the challenges, the potential and use-cases of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). With the upcoming Refuel EU Aviation initiative expected to be published mid-July as part of the ‘Fit for 55’ package, policy makers and industry representatives debated how the EU can create incentives and set the right regulatory framework to increase the uptake of SAF that will help to reduce aviation’s footprint.

The Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) celebrated this week the fifth anniversary of the GLEC Framework. Launched in 2016, it is the only globally recognised methodology to calculate greenhouse gases emissions consistently across the multi-modal logistics supply chain.