Ten transport, port and shipper associations have urged the heads of waterborne transport and antitrust at the European Commission to take immediate action against global liners.
According to the letter, signed by the Global Shippers’ Forum, the European Association for Forwarding, Transport, Logistics and Customs Services, the International Union for Road-Rail Combined Transport, the Global Shippers’ Alliance, the European Shippers’ Council, the Federation of European Private Port Operators, the European Tugowners Association, the European Transport Workers’ Federation, the European Barge Union and FIATA International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations:
The view that seems to be guiding your letter, that the entirety of our concerns are solely attributable to the effects of the global health emergency, is deeply disappointing and frustrating
The letter also continues that while there are significant impacts of the pandemic, these happen in a container shipping market, “which is fundamentally flawed.”
In fact, the signatories mention that:
In our view, an unwillingness by the Commission to address the concerns about the functioning of the market, would fail European consumers and contribute to a weakening of Europe’s competitiveness
The letter then concludes by demanding for immediate action, highligting that “European industry and consumers cannot wait for Covid to subside before the Commission begins to fully address structural issues.”
