As 2018, the European Year of Multimodality, begins, CLECAT is reviewing what should be brought to the table of the policymakers in Brussels. Effective multimodality permits forwarders to offer a tailor-made service to their customers, thus improving the flow of goods throughout the European economy and boosting growth. An efficient multimodal transport chain allows goods to bypass congestion, achieving value pricing through economies of scale and a flexibility that serves customer needs first. This furthermore brings important environmental benefits to the supply chain. Achieving seamless multimodality and synchro-modality in the transport system will be crucial in meeting Europe’s climate commitments.
Simplicity and flexibility must be the order of the day if the EU is to succeed in using 2018 to promote true multimodality. The Commission as well as the co-legislators must consider these points as they develop new legislation on combined transport and future transport policies. There will a lot of debate on how logistics service providers innovate in the development of multimodality, how they use this to bring value to their customers, and how multimodal transport can be facilitated through collaboration in the supply chain.
The coming months will be decisive for industry in knowing what to plan for Brexit. One big manufacturer recently rightly said: ‘One cannot re-evaluate its supply chain based on what is essentially a black box.” To soften the blow of Brexit, the UK appears to be counting on a good trade deal, “innovative” solutions, and the future customs IT system. But this is clearly not as easy as it may appear. Authorities of the EU 27 and the UK are starting to express their concerns about the impact of Brexit.
CLECAT and many other organizations have already called for a guarantee of a seamless transition period after March 2019, which replicates the current commercial, regulatory, and trading environment.