Newsletters

On 23 March, the European Commission published its monthly trade report for the year 2021, confirming that the total value of EU agri-food trade reached a record €328.1 billion in 2021, a 7% increase year on year. The report features a special focus on EU agri-food trade with Ukraine and Russia in the past year, and indicates that Russia's unprovoked military aggression against Ukraine is having a significant impact on agri-food trade in the EU and around the world.

The World Customs Organization (WCO) Secretariat has issued a dedicated Secretariat Note to reiterate the important role that Customs plays in humanitarian crises, as well as to remind Member Customs administrations of the available WCO instruments, tools and guidance material and the measures they can implement with regard to the clearance of humanitarian supplies, including medicines and medical equipment.

On 25 March, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) published a Decision which proposes that air operators be allowed to reduce the amount of fuel carried during operations, thereby reducing the CO2 emissions of the overall flight and environmental impact of the flight.

On 24 March, on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, the European Rail Freight Association (ERFA) presented the conclusions of its study on the current status of liberalisation, its effects on the rail freight market and remaining hurdles which have to be overcome in order for rail freight to be able to play its necessary role as the most sustainable means of freight transportation.

On 21 March, the European Commission approved, under EU State aid rules, a €120 million Spanish scheme made available through the Recovery and Resilience Facility ('RRF') to encourage freight traffic to shift from road to rail transport. The measure will also contribute to improving the environmental performance of rail transport, in line with the objectives of the Commission's Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy and the European Green Deal.

The CLECAT Road Logistics Institute met on 22 March to exchange views on developments affecting road transport and logistics at national and EU level. Members discussed the impact of the war in Ukraine on road transport, the practical implementation of the new rules introduced by the Mobility Package I and the political developments related to the Fit for 55 Package.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on 22 March approved the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (OSRA), paving the way for a formal vote in the Senate in the coming weeks. For reference, the OSRA of 2022 was introduced in the Senate in February by Senator Amy Klobuchar (Democrat, Minnesota) and is co-led by Senator John Thune (Republican, South Dakota), as well as co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of 27 senators.

On 22 March, the European Parliament’s Environment Committee (ENVI) discussed the over 1700 amendments tabled on the revision of the EU Emission Trading System (EU ETS) and over 1300 amendments tabled on the proposal for a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

On 24 March, CLECAT attended a special ad hoc meeting of the DG TAXUD Trade Contact Group (TCG), dedicated to the war in Ukraine and the challenges EU traders and logistics operators are confronted with. Many TCG members provided factual updates on how the ongoing war in Ukraine and EU trade sanctions against Russia and Belarus are impacting trade and logistics, as well as various recommendations on how to better cope with the operational disruptions. The Commission also presented recent initiatives towards improving coordination among Member States and providing better guidance on the implementation of the EU sanctions currently in place.