News

COUNCIL ADOPTS FIFTH PACKAGE OF SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA

In light of Russia’s continuing war of aggression against Ukraine, and the reported atrocities committed by Russian armed forces in Ukraine, the Council decided on 8 April to impose a fifth package of economic and individual sanctions against Russia. The package will prevent Russian vessels and trucks from accessing the EU, with exceptions made for oil, gas, food and medicines.

EU STANDARDS FOR SAFE AND SECURE TRUCK PARKING AREAS ADOPTED

On 7 April, the European Commission adopted new EU standards and procedures to support the development of a network of safe and secure truck parking areas (SSTPAs) throughout the EU. The standard, which is based on four levels of security, a common level of service and certification procedures builds on the work of the 2019 Commission study on SSTPAs.

OCEAN SCHEDULE RELIABILITY IMPROVES SLIGHTLY BUT REMAINS LOW

Maritime analyst Sea Intelligence published on 30 March the latest issue of the Global Liner Performance report, with schedule reliability figures up to February 2022. The report shows that schedule reliability slightly improved by 4 percentage points on month-to-month basis reaching 34%, the first significant improvement since March 2021.

EC PROPOSES ROAD TRANSPORT AGREEMENTS WITH UKRAINE AND MOLDOVA

On 6 April, the European Commission sent two recommendations for a Council decision authorising the opening of negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova in order to conclude road freight transport agreements between the EU and both countries. This initiative seeks to secure supply chains, including food security, following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine which has closed traditional transport routes.

EP GIVES FINAL APPROVAL TO THE DIRECTIVE ON HIRED VEHICLES

On 5 April, MEPs formally approved the revised Directive on use of vehicles hired without drivers for the carriage of goods by road. The new Directive will ease existing restrictions in place for the hiring of these vehicles from other EU countries.

COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE NATIONAL VAT SYSTEMS

On 7 April, the European Commission published its Screening and Diagnostic Report of VAT Administration in the EU containing a series of recommendations to help Member States improve their VAT revenue collection, control procedures and processes.

ICCT WHITE PAPER ON CO2 STANDARDS FOR TRUCKS

The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) published on 30 March a white paper on the required CO2 standards for heavy-duty vehicles to meet the EU climate targets set in the European Climate Law. The study notes that the current HDV CO2 standards require most new trucks to reduce their emissions by 15% in 2025, and 30% in 2030. However, growing levels of activity in the HDV sector offset the CO2 benefits from the standards, with emissions projected to grow by 8% by 2050 under the current adopted policies.

CLECAT RAIL INSTITUTE MEETS

On 5 April, CLECAT's Rail Logistics Institute met to discuss its position on ongoing policy initiatives at EU level, including the revision of the Combined Transport Directive, the RFC Regulation, and the TEN-T Guidelines, as well as to discuss contentious issues such as the quality issues in rail freight and how to resolve them.

PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON BOOSTING CROSS-BORDER RAIL

The European Commission has opened a public consultation on the initiative to ‘Put in place measures to better manage and coordinate international rail traffic, including if necessary through revised rules for capacity allocation and infrastructure charging in rail’. The public consultation will remain open until 22 June.

AIR CARGO GROWTH CONTINUES IN FEBRUARY, UP 2.9%

On 6 April, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for global air cargo markets showing that demand in February increased despite a challenging operating backdrop.

CLECAT Meetings

CLECAT Maritime Logistics Institute
14 April 2022, Online

CLECAT Road Logistics Institute
20 April 2022, Online

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

CLECAT Sustainable Logistics Institute
26 April 2022, Online

CLECAT Customs & Indirect Taxation Institute
28 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 Transport Committee
19-20 April 2022, Brussels

European Parliament Environment Committee
20-21 April 2022, Brussels

European Parliament Plenary
2-5 May 2022, Strasbourg