All news & events

Last week, the European Commission proposed new practical arrangements for the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, that aim to facilitate the movement of goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. The measures came in response to the difficulties that people in Northern Ireland have been experiencing because of Brexit.

On 8 November, from 15:00 to 17:00 CET, the UK Border and Protocol Delivery Group (BPDG) and French Customs will hold a technical webinar covering the steps economic operators need to take to move goods from the EU to Great Britain after 1 January 2022. The event is organised especially for hauliers, transport and logistics associations, customs brokers and freight forwarders.

On 11 October, the European Commission launched a public consultation for ‘A Drone Strategy 2.0 for a smart and sustainable unmanned aircraft eco-system in Europe’. The initiative will be presented in 2022.

On 13 October, the cross-stakeholder air cargo organisation Cargo iQ announced Mr Lothar Moehle as its new Executive Director. Mr Moehle, who is currently Director AVSEC and Governance at DB Schenker, brings over four decades of experience in the air cargo and logistics sectors. He is currently also the Chair of the CLECAT Air Logistics Institute and a member of the CLECAT Board.

On 20 October, the European Commission approved, under EU State aid rules, a €15 million Slovenian aid scheme to support rail freight transport in Slovenia. The measure will support single wagon transport and combined transport.

The UK government announced last week that it is planning to allow non-UK operators temporary extra cabotage rights within Great Britain. In order to alleviate pressures in the supply chain associated with the current shortage in lorry drivers, the proposal would allow unlimited cabotage movements of heavy goods vehicles for up to 14 days after arriving on a laden international journey into the UK compared to the current rights of 2 cabotage journeys within 7 days of entry.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) announced on 8 October that 136 countries joined the Statement on the Two-Pillar Solution to Address the Tax Challenges Arising from the Digitalisation of the Economy. It updates and finalises a July political agreement by members of the BEPS Inclusive Framework to fundamentally reform international tax rules.

Last week, the US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) sent letters to 25 container lines and the World Shipping Council to call on ocean carriers to rapidly adopt three common best practices related to detention and demurrage that promote clarity and certainty about how and when fees will be assessed as well as how to challenge disputed charges.

On 19 October, the European Commission published its 2022 Work Programme, setting out a list of legislative and non-legislative actions planned for the next year. Titled Making Europe Stronger Together, the work programme consists of six priorities, including the ‘European Green Deal’, ‘A Europe Fit for the Digital Age’ and ‘An Economy that Works for People’.

CLECAT’s Freight Forwarders Forum entitled ‘building sustainable and resilient supply chains’ will take place on 25 November in Brussels in a hybrid format.