News

CLECAT AND FIATA CALL ON OECD COUNTRIES TO INCLUDE LOGISTICS SERVICES IN THE SCOPE OF BEPS PILLAR 2

European and global forwarders’ associations call on OECD governments to prevent tax avoidance and ensure a level playing field for all stakeholders in the maritime supply chain.

CLECAT COMMENTS ON EU CUSTOMS SINGLE WINDOW

CLECAT has issued a position paper on the European Commission’s proposal for EU Single Window Environment for Customs, welcoming the initiative as a significant step forward for the EU Customs Union and Internal Market. Over the last couple of months, CLECAT had the opportunity to provide input to the European Parliament’s IMCO Committee’s preparatory work on the draft proposal. The paper aims to further inform MEPs on the upcoming consideration of the proposed amendments to the draft regulation in the IMCO Committee, which will take place on 12 July.

CLECAT CALLS FOR SWIFT ADOPTION OF EUROVIGNETTE DEAL

The European Parliament’s Transport and Tourism (TRAN) Committee will vote on 12 July on the provisional agreement reached between the Parliament and the Council on the revision of the Eurovignette Directive. The compromise which was agreed on 15 June was welcomed by CLECAT in a press release, in support of the transition from time-based to distance-based charging, reducing CO2 emissions.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ADOPTS CEF 2.0

On 6 July, the European Parliament adopted the renewed Connecting Europe Facility (CEF 2.0) with a €33.71 billion budget (in current prices), forming part of the EU’s 2021-2027 budget. The CEF 2.0 programme will fund key projects with the goal of improving transport connections and energy networks, as well as digital services and connectivity in Europe. It should also support jobs, economic growth and the deployment of new technologies.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TACKLES COMPETITION ISSUES IN SHIPPING

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, will sign today an executive order to address consolidation and perceived anticompetitive pricing in the ocean shipping market. It is aimed to help US-based shippers to save money on shipping costs while disruptions such as shortage of capacity and bottlenecks in ports are driving freight rates up and service levels down.

OCEAN CARRIERS PROFITS APPROACH $100 BILLION IN 2021

Drewry has released its latest Container Forecaster report which finds that 2021 will be the first year in the history of container shipping when carrier profits approach $100 billion and average freight rates jump by 50%, against a background of huge operational disruptions to the port and ship systems.

AIR CARGO DEMAND CONTINUES GROWING

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for global air cargo markets for May 2021, showing that demand continued its strong growth trend.

EC APPROVES €39.7 MILLION STATE AID TO ALITALIA

On 2 July, the European Commission found that an Italian aid measure of €39.7 million to support Alitalia is in line with EU State aid rules. This measure aims at compensating the airline for the damages suffered on certain routes due to the coronavirus outbreak during the period between 1 March and 30 April 2021.

FIRST TRANSLATE4RAIL FIELD TEST ON AUSTRIAN-ITALIAN BORDER

Last week, the Translate4Rail project, which is a research project developing a Language Tool prototype to meet the communication needs of train drivers and traffic controllers on cross border services, reached a significant milestone by field testing its Language Tool prototype, using two scenarios on the Austrian-Italian border.

CLECAT ROAD INSTITUTE MEETS

The CLECAT Road Logistics Institute met this week online to exchange views on developments affecting road transport and logistics at national and EU level. Members also held an exchange of views with Petra Zaletel, Transport Counsellor at the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Slovenia to the EU, who was invited by CLECAT to give members an overview of the transport priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

EU RECOGNISED CUSTOMS ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES 2021

In June, DG TAXUD awarded five academic programmes (Bachelor’s, Master’s, and modules in programmes) with the “EU Recognition Certificate for Customs academic programmes”. In particular, the Commission awarded programmes in Belgium, Latvia and the Netherlands. The recognised academic programmes are expected to significantly contribute to the rise of Customs performance and professionalism.

CLECAT Meetings

CLECAT Customs and Indirect Taxation Institute
28 July 2021, Online

CLECAT Board Meeting
7 September 2021, Online

CLECAT Road Logistics Institute
9 September 2021, Online 

CLECAT Air Logistics Institute
14 September 2021, Online

CLECAT Security Institute
14 September 2021, Online

EU Meetings

Council of the European Union

Informal Transport Council
22-23 September 2021, Brussels

European Parliament

European Parliament Transport Committee
12-13 July 2021, Brussels

European Parliament Plenary
13-16 September 2021, Strasbourg