Newsletters

On 28 April, MEPs from the EP’s Transport and Tourism (TRAN) Committee adopted a resolution on the impact of Russian illegal war of aggression against Ukraine on the EU transport and tourism sectors, by 43 votes in favours, one against and five abstentions.

On 27 April, CLECAT participated in a workshop on transport and logistics, forming part of the stakeholder dialogue on the EU Toolbox against counterfeiting, organised by the European Commission and the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). During the workshop, a presentation was given on the state of play of the EU Toolbox against counterfeiting, following which an extensive discussion was held between the stakeholders, the Commission and the EUIPO on identified trends, challenges and good practices to prevent the use of transport and logistics services for IP-infringing activities.

On 28 April, CLECAT’s Customs and Indirect Taxation Institute (CITI) met in a hybrid format to discuss important developments across Europe impacting customs and trade, including the ongoing war in Ukraine and the implementation of related EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus, as well as preparations for the next phase of post-Brexit UK controls on EU imports.

CLECAT, together with the European Express Association (EEA), the European Shippers’ Council (ESC) and the International Road Transport Union (IRU) issued a joint statement on 26 April calling on Members of the ENVI Committee of the European Parliament to agree on the inclusion of road transport in the ETS provided that the following principles are embraced.

On 8 April, the European Commission decided to bring forward the date for awarding grants for transport infrastructure projects supporting military mobility in the European Union, under the Connected Europe Facility (CEF) calls for proposals launched in September 2021.

On 11 April, the European Commission approved, under EU State aid rules, a €47.5 million Spanish scheme to support the digitalisation of freight transport services. The scheme will be funded through the Recovery and Resilience Facility ('RRF'), following the Commission's positive assessment of the Spanish Recovery and Resilience Plan and its adoption by Council.

Rail freight traffic between Finland and Russia will gradually cease after the existing transport contracts of state-controlled company VR Group end, with traffic being still possible for the time being.

On 12 April, the Council adopted legislation to ensure continued supply of medicines to Northern Ireland, and to Cyprus, Ireland and Malta, as part of the Commission's package of measures proposed in October 2021 to facilitate the implementation of the protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland on the ground. The new directive and regulation will apply retroactively from 1 January 2022.

On 12 April, the WTO and the World Economic Forum launched the publication ‘The promise of TradeTech: Policy approaches to harness trade digitalization’. The publication notes that TradeTech - the set of technologies that enables global trade to become more efficient, inclusive and sustainable - adoption is moving fast, largely driven by the private sector, but leveraging technologies for trade requires more than innovation: trade policy must keep pace.