Newsletters

The European Parliament’s Research Service issued this month a report on the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on freight transport. It provides an overview of the measures taken at EU and national level to support the free flow of goods, predicts the emerging developments and trends of the industry and proposes policy recommendations to address the challenges emerging from the crisis.

On 24 January, the European Commission opened a stakeholder consultation on the Staff Working Document “For a resilient, innovative, sustainable and digital mobility ecosystem: Scenarios for a transition pathway”, which focuses on the transition of the mobility ecosystem, covering automotive, waterborne and rail supply.

On 21 January, the European Commission launched a public consultation ahead of a new legislative package later this year to adapt the way VAT is reported and collected in an increasingly digital world. The consultation seeks feedback from, among others, business federations, trade associations, companies, international organisations, national tax and customs authorities, brokers, and tax advisers. The call for feedback is open until 15 April 2022 and responses can be submitted in any official EU language.

At the beginning of this year, trade embraced another portion of changes in GB’s relationship with the EU (excluding Ireland). As of 1 January 2022, full customs controls apply to all traded goods, along with additional pre-notification requirements for certain SPS shipments. Three weeks after the entry into effect of the new requirements, CLECAT members report on their experiences.

The European Commission published today a call for evidence for the evaluation of the Directive on weights and dimensions. This Directive sets standards for the maximum weights and dimensions of heavy-duty vehicles used in national and international transport. As announced in the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, the revision of the Directive would help to make road transport more sustainable by making available sustainable alternatives and the right incentives to drive the transition.

According to data published by CLIVE for Air Cargo Netherlands (ACN), the rates for air cargo from Europe to North America reached an unprecedented level of close to $5/kg during the last weeks of 2021.

On 19 January, a freight train equipped with a Digital Automatic Coupler has started a practical test run across Europe from Berlin, lasting several months. Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC) enables freight wagons to be coupled together automatically, without manual intervention by a person, which is now the standard practice. Brakes are also coupled automatically. This enables faster, automated shunting processes, which increases the capacity of rail freight handling considerably.

On 18 January, the South Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) fined 23 ocean carriers a total of USD 81m for illegal collaboration on price fixing on the South Korea to South-east Asia lane between 2003 and 2018. Most of the major liner operators and several regional carriers were among those fined, including HMM, SM Line, Korea Marine Transport (KMTC Line), Pan Ocean, Sinokor, Maersk, Evergreen, Yang Ming, Wan Hai, SITC and Cosco.

On 18 January, the ENVI Committee published the draft report of MEP Peter Liese (EPP, Germany), Rapporteur on the Commission’s proposal for the revision of the ETS Directive. Mr Liese tabled 101 amendments, which will drive the negotiations among MEPs within the Committee.