News

MEPS QUESTION UNFAIR PRACTICES IN CONTAINER SHIPPING

On 23 July, MEP Tom Berendsen (EPP, NL), Annie Schreijer-Pierik (EPP, NL) and Henna Virkkunen (EPP, FI) submitted parliamentary questions to the Commission on unfair practices in the container shipping industry.

US CONGRESSMEN INTRODUCE A REFORM TO THE SHIPPING ACT

On 10 August, US Congress representatives John Garamendi (Democrat, California) and Dusty Johnson (Republican, South-Dakota) introduced a bipartisan bill aiming to reform the US Shipping Act to address yearlong complaints against carriers by their customers alleging service failures and unfair pricing.

FMC QUESTIONS SHIPPING LINES ABOUT CONTAINER SURCHARGES

On 4 August, the US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) launched an expedited inquiry into the timing and legal sufficiency of ocean carrier practices with respect to certain surcharges. Eight companies have until today to provide the Commission’s Bureau of Enforcement (BoE) with details that confirm any surcharges were instituted properly and in accordance with legal and regulatory obligations.

CLOSURE OF CHINESE PORT COULD LEAD TO MAJOR DISRUPTIONS

A large container terminal in Ningbo, China, the world’s third-busiest container port, has halted operations on Wednesday morning after a dock worker tested positive for coronavirus. The terminal, which has a 7 million TEU annual capacity, is one of Ningbo’s newest and biggest terminals, used regularly by Ocean Alliance members Cosco, CMA CGM and Evergreen.

FRANCE CLARIFIES RULES ON CROSS-BORDER ROAD TRANSPORT

France will start enforcing a European rule that limits cross-border traffic within the EU to 40 tonnes on 1st January 2022. A decree clarifying the French rules and bringing them in line with EU Directive 96/53/EC on weights and dimensions was published on 31st July.

SLOT RELIEF RULES FOR AIRLINES AMENDED AND EXTENDED

On 23 July 2021, the European Commission proposed to amend the Slot Regulation and extended the slot relief rules adopted in February 2021. Extensive data collection and exchanges with stakeholders shows that air traffic is still low compared to 2019 due to the COVID-19 crisis, and is likely to remain that way. The relief will therefore be extended to the coming winter scheduling season, running from 31 October 2021 until 27 March 2022.

AIR CARGO STRONGEST FIRST HALF-YEAR GROWTH SINCE 2017

On 28 July, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for global air cargo markets for June showing a 9.9% improvement on pre-COVID-19 performance (June 2019). This pushed first half-year air cargo growth to 8%, its strongest first half performance since 2017 (when the industry posted 10.2% year-on-year growth).

WEBINAR ON SAF IN AIR TRANSPORTATION VALUE CHAINS

On 25 August, Smart Freight Centre and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Transportation & Logistics are organising a webinar from 15:00-16:00 (CET) on the topic of insetting with sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) in air transportation value chains.

CONNECTING EUROPE EXPRESS CONFERENCE ON RAIL FREIGHT

On 5 October, the Connecting Europe Express train will stop in Luxembourg, where the European Commission, in cooperation with the Luxembourg Ministry of Mobility and Public Works, CER and its members, is organising a conference dedicated to rail freight in the ambit of the European Year of Rail.

EC APPROVES €271 MILLION TO PROMOTE RAIL FREIGHT IN SWEDEN

On 23 July, the European Commission approved, under EU State aid rules, an amendment with a new total budget of SEK 2.75 billion (approximately €271 million) of a Swedish aid scheme, originally approved by the Commission on 12 May 2020 (SA.57886), to increase the support for rail freight transport in Sweden.

€410 MILLION GERMAN STATE AID FOR RAIL FREIGHT

On 30 July, the European Commission approved, under EU State aid rules, two German schemes supporting the rail freight sector and the long-distance rail passenger sector in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The two schemes will ensure increased public support in the form of a reduction of the charges paid by railway companies to access rail infrastructure to further encourage the shift of freight and passenger traffic from road to rail.

NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR IMPORTING PRODUCTS OF ANIMAL ORIGIN INTO GREAT BRITAIN

The UK Trader Readiness Team Animal and Animal Products Imports Project has announced that starting 1 October 2021, there will be new requirements to continue importing animal products from the European Union into Great Britain. These include, inter alia, pre-notifying authorities that consignments will be entering Great Britain and uploading a certified Export Health Certificate using the Import of products, animals, food and feed system (IPAFFS).

CLECAT Meetings

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

Events with CLECAT participation

Porto Maritime Week
20-24 September 2021, Porto

Market Place Seminar - Multimodality in the year of Rail
14 October 2021, Online 

GreenPort Congress 2021
21 October 2021, Place tbc

EU Meetings

Council of the European Union

Informal Transport Council
22-23 September 2021, Brussels

European Parliament

European Parliament Transport Committee
1-2 September 2021, Brussels

European Parliament Plenary
13-16 September 2021, Strasbourg