21 October 2024

EFTI4EU ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2024

CLECAT participated in the annual eFTI4EU Project conference, held on 17 July in Brussels. The event brought together industry leaders, policymakers, and experts for a full day of engaging discussions and insightful presentations on the future of freight transport. The conference provided a vibrant platform to explore the digital innovations transforming the logistics sector.

The eFTI4EU project is a collaborative initiative involving a pan-European consortium of 23 partners, including nine Member States, with an additional four Observers. The project's mission is to establish a Europe-wide standard for exchanging electronic freight transport information (eFTI), addressing the growing need for efficiency and sustainability in cross-border freight transport.

At the core of this initiative is the development of a unified approach to operating eFTI Gates, which will standardize the exchange of regulatory freight transport data between economic operators and authorities. The project aims to ensure the mandatory acceptance and processing of electronic freight information by authorities across Europe, improving the efficiency of monitoring goods in transit. This effort aligns with the EU directive requiring Member States to accept electronic freight documents for road, rail, sea, and air transport by the end of 2025.

Key highlights from the conference included updates on the development of a prototype solution for the eFTI architecture, which will be tested through a series of use cases in the nine Member States involved. These tests will evaluate the transmission of digital freight documents both nationally and internationally, with the goal of streamlining cross-border operations and enhancing the overall efficiency of the European transport network.

The eFTI4EU project stands at the forefront of efforts to create a more integrated and efficient transport and logistics network across Europe. By digitizing freight transport information, the project aims to drive the EU’s economic growth, competitiveness, and improve the efficiency of its internal market.