CLECAT CALLS FOR FAIR COMPETITION AND A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD IN THE MARITIME LOGISTICS SUPPLY CHAIN
Maersk and Hamburg Sud have announced that they will
cease to provide services to certain freight forwarders from 1 January
2022 through named account contracts. This refusal to deal with a part
of their customers base will apply to logistics service providers in
order to increase the carriers’ direct business with shippers who would
otherwise prefer to use freight forwarders to take care of their
logistics supply chain needs.
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PLENARY DEBATES BARRIERS TO INTERNATIONAL TRADE
On 16 December a debate was held at the Plenary
session of the European Parliament on barriers to international trade
within the European Union. At the initiative of the IMCO committee, MEPs
wanted to draw the attention of the European Commission on measures
introduced by Member States such as border restrictions to mitigate the
spread of COVID-19 and driving bans for environmental purposes
disrupting traffic along the Brenner Pass.
CLECAT WELCOMES THE NEW GUIDELINES FOR THE TRANS-EUROPEAN TRANSPORT NETWORK (TEN-T)
CLECAT welcomes the Commission proposal setting out
the new guidelines for the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). The
proposal, as part of the ‘efficient and green mobility package’ which
was published on 14 December, supports the transition to cleaner,
greener, and smarter mobility, in line with the objectives of the
European Green Deal.
CLECAT has given its response to the
CountEmissionsEU initiative which sets out the Commission’s intention to
initiate a common framework to calculate and report transport-related
greenhouse gas emissions. CLECAT supports the objectives as outlined in
the EC’s roadmap, in particular the establishment of a level playing
field for GHG emissions accounting in the transport and logistics
sectors to facilitate behaviour change.
On 15 December, the European Commission adopted an
extension to the slot relief rules for the 2022 summer scheduling
season, running from 28 March 2022 until 29 October 2022. Instead of the
normal requirement to use at least 80% of a given slot series, airlines
will only have to use 64% to retain historic rights in those slots
during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The International Council on Clean Transportation
(ICCT) published on 28 November a study analysing the total cost of
ownership (TCO) of battery-electric trucks in the highest emitting road
freight segment: long-distance tractor-trailers. The research covers
seven European countries, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, the
Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, which accounted for more than 75%
of truck sales in the European Union in 2019.
BREXIT DOES NOT NEED ANOTHER DELAY; CLECAT URGES CUSTOMERS AND HAULIERS TO PREPARE FOR THE END OF STAGED CUSTOMS CONTROLS
The past year has been a period of adaptation to a
post-Brexit trading environment, where businesses on both sides of the
Channel have worked hard to get to grips with the operational changes
that came after the end of the transition period. As trade is now
looking to embrace another portion of changes in GB’s relationship with
the EU, it seems that the lack of readiness in supply chains for the
upcoming new formalities and procedures remains, along with the somewhat
familiar crippling fear that the new year will be met with operational
chaos. However, further delays in the implementation of the Border
Operating Model will only lead to further instability and confusion, and
should therefore be avoided.
On 15 December, the UK Government announced an
extension of the current arrangements for moving goods from the island
of Ireland to Great Britain. This means that goods moving from the
island of Ireland, either from Ireland or Northern Ireland, directly to
Great Britain will continue to do so on the basis of the arrangements
that apply currently, until further notice; and will not, for now, be
affected by the changes being introduced on 1 January 2022.
CLECAT CUSTOMS INSTITUTE MEETS WITH UK HMRC AND EU COMMISSION
On 14 December, CLECAT’s Customs and Indirect
Taxation Institute (CITI) met to discuss latest developments in customs
and international trade, with a special focus on the upcoming changes in
border controls for EU-GB trade and the European Commission’s proposal
for EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.
EU COMMITS TO WTO INITIATIVES ON TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT
On 15 December, the EU committed to increase the
role of trade in the fight against climate change and protecting the
environment. It has signed up to three new initiatives to step up joint
action in the World Trade Organization, pursuing a strong environmental
agenda for trade.