All news & events

At the ESPORG Conference 2023, which took place on 1 March at the European Parliament, the European Commission announced that a new study on Safe and Secure Truck Parking Areas (SSTPAs) will be launched in summer. The announcement comes almost a year after the publication of the Delegated Act on SSTPAs, which was strongly supported by CLECAT, as it harmonises EU Standard and contains clear and unambiguous rules on security, safety and comfort levels. The standard, which is based on four levels of security, a common level of service and certification procedures builds on the work of the 2019 Commission study on SSTPAs.

The European Commission adopted on 1st March a proposal revising the Driving License Directive, as port of a broader Road Safety Package. The measures are aimed to improve safety for all road users and alleviate the shortage of professional drivers.

In the aftermath of the earthquakes in southeast Turkey, CLECAT’s associate member UTIKAD, representing freight forwarders and logistics companies in Turkey, started immediate coordination activities for the distribution of humanitarian aid, working around the clock to get domestic and international aid to the affected areas.

On 14 February, the Plenary of the European Parliament approved the agreement to include REPowerEU measures in Member States recovery and resilience plans, with the aim to be more independent from Russian fossil fuels and speed up the green transition.

On 14 February, the European Parliament in Plenary session formally approved the agreement reached in trilogues over the revision of the CO2 standards for light-duty vehicles, by 340 votes in favour, 279 against and 21 abstentions.

The forthcoming ISO 14083 standard – “Greenhouse gases — Quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions arising from transport chain operations” entered its final preparation stage before its scheduled publication in March 2023. This new international standard is expected to support the industry globally in its carbon reduction efforts by providing the first universal method for logistics emissions accounting.

Since 13 February, Member States have started to apply new excise duty rules following an update of the Directive on general arrangements for excise duty. These rules will make the taxation of alcohol, tobacco and energy products fully paperless across the EU.

On 20 February, the Swedish Presidency of the Council, on behalf of the EU, signed an aviation agreement with Japan. The agreement will give all EU air carriers non-discriminatory access to routes between the EU and Japan, thereby promoting open and fair competition.