01 April 2022

CLECAT Newsletter 2022/13

CLECAT NEWSLETTER
 
Maritime

US SENATE PASSES OCEAN SHIPPING ACT REFORM

On 31 March, the U.S. Senate passed the formal vote on the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (OSRA) which was introduced in February by Senators Amy Klobuchar (Democrat-Minnesota) John Thune (Republican-South Dakota), and was approved by the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation last week. The Senate is now ready for negotiations with the House of Representatives to find a compromise to be signed by the US President.

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Maritime

US INITIATIVE TO EASE SUPPLY CHAIN CONGESTION

On 15 March, the Biden administration and U.S. Department of Transportation launched a pilot program to have ocean carriers, ports, and retailers share data with each other to improve the flow of goods, speed up delivery times and ease supply chain congestion. The initiative is called Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) and includes eighteen participants, including port authorities, warehousing, and logistics companies.

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Maritime

AFRICA AND SOUTH KOREA INVESTIGATE ON ALLEGED PRICE FIXING BY SHIPPING LINES

Over the last week, the South Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) and the COMESA Competition Commission (CCC, representing 21 African member states) started investigating ocean carriers for allegedly coordinating in raising freight charges.

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AIR
 
Air

TRAN COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS ON REFUEL EU AVIATION

The European Parliament’s Transport and Tourism (TRAN) Committee published the amendments tabled by MEPs on the ReFuelEU Aviation proposal. Overall, MEPs tabled amendments underlining the need to reach climate goals as well as ensure air connectivity within the EU and avoid dependency from third country stakeholders.

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Air

AUTOMATIC NOMINATION OF IMPORT CARGO FOR SCHIPHOL

Starting 1 April, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) introduces new measures in the digitalisation of cargo processing on the import side through automatic nomination, a process through which shipment data will become available pre-arrival for economic operators.

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SUPPLY CHAIN SECURITY
 
Supply Chain Security

EC SEEKS TO STEP UP FIGHT AGAINST CYBERCRIME AT UN LEVEL

On 29 March, the European Commission proposed a negotiating mandate enabling the EU to take part in negotiations for a new international convention on countering the use of information and communications technologies for criminal purposes.

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CUSTOMS & TRADE
 
Customs & Trade

WISE PERSONS GROUP ON THE FUTURE OF EU CUSTOMS PUBLISHES FINAL REPORT

On 31 March, the Wise Persons Group published its final report on the future of the EU Customs Union. The Group concludes that EU Customs needs an urgent structural change which, building on the reforms of the last decade, will take Customs to the next level and prepare them to address modern challenges, such as new trade models and growing trade volumes, technological developments, the green transition, the new geopolitical context and security risks.

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Customs & Trade

ROLE OF ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES IN TRADE FACILITATION

On 29 March, the WTO and WCO launched their joint publication titled ‘The role of advanced technologies in cross-border trade: A customs perspective’, which provides the current state of play and sheds light on the opportunities and challenges Customs face when deploying these technologies.

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Customs & Trade

UN REPORT ON WAR IN UKRAINE IMPACT ON GLOBAL TRADE

On 16 March, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) published an assessment of the impact of war in Ukraine on trade and development, confirming a rapidly worsening outlook for the world economy, underpinned by rising food, fuel and fertilizer prices, heightened financial volatility, sustainable development divestment, complex global supply chain reconfigurations and mounting trade costs.

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Customs & Trade

WTO INVENTORY OF COVID-19 INFORMATION

On 30 March, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) published a compilation of information resources, such as databases and reports, that provide information and data on a wide range of issues relating to COVID-19. The inventory provides a useful tool for government officials and other stakeholders wishing to access information about the latest developments regarding COVID-19.

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Customs & Trade

UN REPORT ON PANDEMIC IMPACTS ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE

The UNCTAD has recently published a report on key statistics and trends in international trade in 2021, focusing on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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SUSTAINABILITY
 
Sustainability

EC REVAMPS EUROPEAN ALTERNATIVE FUELS OBSERVATORY

On 30 March, the European Commission launched a new version of the European Alternative Fuels Observatory (EAFO3.0). This platform aggregates information on infrastructure roll-out for alternative fuels, the uptake of alternative fuels, and support measures in the Member States and other European countries within EAFO’s scope.

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EVENTS
 

CLECAT Meetings

CLECAT Rail Freight Institute
5 April 2022, Online

CLECAT Maritime Logistics Institute
14 April 2022, Online

CLECAT Board meeting
21 April 2022, Brussels (hybrid-meeting)

CLECAT Air Freight Institute
14 June 2022, Brussels (hybrid-meeting)

CLECAT Supply Chain Security Institute
14 June 2022, Brussels (hybrid-meeting)

CLECAT General Assembly
16 June 2022, Location TBC

EU Meetings

European Parliament

European Parliament Plenary
4-7 April 2022, Strasbourg

European Parliament Transport Committee
19-20 April 2022, Brussels

European Parliament Environment Committee
20-21 April 2022, Brussels