Newsletters

On 2 December, the European Commission decided to send reasoned opinions to Austria, Greece, Luxembourg and Spain urging them to correctly transpose and apply Directive 2012/34/EU on the Single European Railway Area. The provisions relate to access to rail infrastructure, including charging, to service facilities and to the regulatory bodies and their functions. The Directive also foresees the conclusion of a contractual agreement between the competent authority and the infrastructure manager.

On 30 November, a group of railway stakeholders, including CLECAT, issued a joint letter to the European Commission, the German Federal Ministry of Transport & Digital Infrastructure, and DB Netz, concerning the effects of the disturbances on the German Rail Network on European Supply Chains.

In the context of the ongoing discussions on the “Fit for 55” Package, CLECAT was invited to participate to the EPP exchange of views on the EU maritime transport and the EU maritime shipping industry, organized by MEP Marian Jean Marinescu, the Transport Coordinator from the EPP Group in the European Parliament.

On 3 December, the Council agreed its position (General Approach) on the proposed revision of the Directive on measures for a high common level of cybersecurity across the EU (NIS2), aimed at further improving the resilience and incident response capacities of both the public and private sector and the EU as a whole. Once adopted, the new Directive (NIS2) will replace the current Directive on security of network and information systems (NIS directive). CLECAT has addressed its serious concerns regarding the scope of the proposed NIS2 Directive, which will urgently need to be reconsidered during the trilogue negotiations.

Eurostat and the UNCTAD published last week reports on maritime, road and rail freight volumes in 2020. All modes of transport have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and have seen freight volumes drops compared to precedent years.

The 2021 edition of the WTO’s World Trade Report examines why the interconnected global trading system is both vulnerable and resilient to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, how it can help countries to be more economically resilient to shocks, and what can be done to make the system better prepared and more resilient in the future.

As of 18 November 2021, the online version of the 2022 edition of the Harmonized System Nomenclature is available through the website of the World Customs Organization (WCO). The HS 2022 edition, as the world’s global standard for classifying goods in international trade, will enter into force on 1 January 2022.

On 18 November, the UK Government published an updated Border Operating Model. The new iteration of the model reflects the revised timetable for the introduction of UK border import controls, as announced on 14 September. It also provides additional material on the detailed implementation of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) controls and the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS). This update will bring the Border Operating Model in line with other guidance available on GOV.UK.

On 24 November, the European Commission approved, under EU State aid rules, a €2.5 million Spanish scheme to support the purchase of intermodal road semi-trailers suitable for use on rail. The scheme will be partly funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility (‘RRF'), following the Commission's positive assessment of the Spanish Recovery and Resilience Plan and its adoption by Council.