News

EUROPEAN INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS CALL FOR CHANGE ON RAILWAY CAPACITY MANAGEMENT

CLECAT, together with 11 other industry associations, has issued a joint open letter urging the negotiating partners on the European Railway Capacity Management Regulation to adopt an ambitious and international approach.

US EAST COAST PORTS AVOID NEW DOCKWORKERS STRIKE

This week, the International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA) representing dockworkers and the employers’ association United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) reached a tentative agreement on a new six-year master contract, averting a potential dockworkers’ strike in US East Coast Ports from 15 January.

47 COUNTRIES AND INDUSTRY PROPOSE GHG LEVY FOR GLOBAL MARITIME EMISSIONS

At the end of December, 47 countries – including all EU Member States – and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) issued a joint contribution advocating for the introduction of an annual GHG levy per ship as part of the IMO maritime decarbonisation strategy.

CONTAINER SHIPPING RATES CONTINUE TO DECLINE

Container shipping rates on major trade routes are experiencing a significant downward trend. According to the latest data from Drewry's World Container Index, the average rate for transporting a forty-foot container from Shanghai to Rotterdam fell by nearly $400 this week, an 8% decrease. The rate now stands at $4,375 per container, 1% lower than at the same time last year.

EC WILL NOT REINTRODUCE RULE ON RETURN OF THE VEHICLE

The European Commission has confirmed that it does not foresee any legislative action to reinstate the provision which had been annulled by the Court of Justice of the EU early October. This confirmation was provided this week in an answer to a written question formulated by S&D MEPs Johan Danielsson (Sweden) and Estelle Ceulemans (Belgium).

MEMBER STATES REACH CONSENSUS ON GRACE PERIOD FOR TACHOGRAPH RETROFITTING

On 18 December, following a meeting of the EC Committee on Road Transport, Member States reached a consensus to allow a 2-month “educational learning period” the retrofit obligation provision for vehicle equipped with an analogue or digital non-smart tachograph.

COMMISSION URGES 8 MEMBER STATES TO TRANSPOSE EUROVIGNETTE DIRECTIVE

On 16 December, the Commission decided to send a reasoned opinion to Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland and Portugal for their failure to transpose the Eurovignette Directive. The revised Directive notably extends its scope to include small heavy-duty vehicles and tasks Member States to include the environmental costs of air pollution into their charging systems to set charges based on a vehicle's CO2 emissions.

NEW MILESTONE FOR THE EFTI REGULATION

The European Union has taken an important step toward modernizing freight transport with the implementation of the Electronic Freight Transport Information (eFTI) Regulation.

NEW UK SAFETY AND SECURITY DECLARATION REQUIREMENTS FOR EU IMPORTS EFFECTIVE JANUARY 2025

From 31 January 2025, all goods imported into the United Kingdom from the European Union will require a safety and security declaration, also known as an entry summary declaration (ENS).

EU-CHILE INTERIM TRADE AGREEMENT TO ENTER INTO FORCE ON 1 FEBRUARY 2025

The EU-Chile Interim Trade Agreement (ITA) is set to replace the existing EU-Chile Association Agreement on 1 February 2025, introducing several key changes for traders.

AIR CARGO DEMAND GROWS BY 8.2% IN NOVEMBER 2024

On 9 January, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) released its latest data on global air freight markets, highlighting a strong growth in demand.

CLECAT Meetings and participation in events

CLECAT Rail Logistics Institute
13 January, Online

CLECAT General Assembly
17 June, Gdansk

CLECAT Customs and Indirect Taxation Institute
17 June, Gdansk

EU Meetings

European Parliament

European Parliament Transport Committee
29-30 January, Brussels

European Parliament Environment Committee
13 January, Brussels

European Parliament Plenary
20-23 January, Strasbourg

Council of the EU

Informal meeting of transport ministers
17-18 March, Warsaw

Informal meeting of environment ministers
28-29 April, Warsaw