TRANSPORT COUNCIL APPROVES GENERAL APPROACH ON COUNTEMISSIONS EU
On 4 December, transport ministers of the EU Member States gathered in Brussels to adopt positions on certain legislative files and discuss recent developments including the Weights & Dimensions Directive, the implementation of ETS for maritime transport or the situation at the Polish/Ukraine border.
COUNCIL AND TRAN COMMITTEE ADOPT POSITIONS ON DRIVING LICENCES DIRECTIVE
This week, the Transport Council adopted its general approach and the European Parliament’s TRAN Committee its report on the revision of the Driving Licence Directive. Both institutions broadly retained the main elements of the Commission proposal presented in March 2023, before heading to trilogues.
EP TRAN ADOPTS INI REPORT ON A EUROPEAN PORT STRATEGY
On 7 December, the EP’s TRAN Committee unanimously adopted its own-initiative report on building a comprehensive European port strategy. Led by Rapporteur MEP Tom Berendsen (EPP, NL), the report suggests several measures to improve the competitiveness of EU ports and maritime transport in general.
ATTACKS ON SHIPS IN THE RED SEA LINKED TO ISRAEL/GAZA CONFLICT
Several attacks on containerships led by Houthi rebels have been reported in the Red Sea over the last days. The attacks are the latest in a series against vessels since the rebels in Yemen issued a threat against ships with ties to Israel last month, calling them “legitimate targets”, in light of the current conflict between Israel and Gaza.
The European Union announced the extension of the current Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) regulation, a key element of its trade policy, until the end of 2027.
On December 4-5, CLECAT participated in the 41st joint meeting of the European Commission’s Customs Expert Group with the Data Integration and Harmonisation section and the TCG.
On 5 December, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported encouraging data for the global air cargo industry, revealing that October witnessed a 3.8% surge in global demand measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTKs).