Category: EU

US tariff increases on China EV’s have wider ramifications

Only 2% of US electric vehicle (EV) imports come from China and while economists ponder how effective President Biden’s new 100% tariff will be in protecting US markets, it is likely that EV flows will be redirected to Europe by manufacturers eager to exploit profitable markets. On the 14th ... Read more

Summer 2024; France supply chain alert

This summer, a number of large-scale sporting events are likely to create some supply chain disruption, with the Olympic and Paralympic Games taking place in Paris between the 26th of July to the 11th of August, and the 28th of August to the 8th of September. The Paris 2024 Olympic Games, whic... Read more

Red Sea diversions create Western Mediterranean port congestion

The mass diversion of container ships away from the Red Sea since December has raised fears of congestion across west Mediterranean container ports, as carriers from Asia drop boxes destined for the eastern Mediterranean. Instead of entering the Mediterranean Sea dead end, created by the effec... Read more

Importers concerned at cost of Brexit trade checks

Delayed five times by the UK government, post-Brexit physical border checks of animal products, plants and plant products through the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel were finally implemented on the 30th April 2024. However, importers of affected products express concern about additional costs. Th... Read more

UK and EU customs border changes

ICS2 advance filings will be used by EU customs to identify high-risk shipments from the 3rd June, while post-Brexit import charges which come into effect on the 30th April have raised fears of UK food price inflation. The UK Common User Charge (CUC) The CUC will apply to each commodity line ... Read more

The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism

There are 195 signatories to the Paris Agreement to limit their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, though some including the EU and UK have undertaken to cut carbon emissions faster than others. The EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) continuously expands to include new sectors to encourage ind... Read more

China dumping fears growing

The United States is voicing increasing concerns that Chinese manufacturing overcapacity will hit world markets, while the EU launched an anti-dumping investigation into China’s EV industry last year. Senior US Treasury officials told the Financial Times this week that a visiting US delega... Read more

Supply chain; a year in review

2023 was supposed to be the year that global supply chains bounced back from pandemic lockdowns and factory shutdowns, trade wars, tariffs and war in Europe, but now container shipping is disrupted by attacks in the Red Sea and restrictions on the Panama Canal. The COVID pandemic and its after... Read more

EU road toll increases start in Germany

Increases in HGV road toll charges in Germany, which includes an additional CO2 emissions tax of €200 per tonne began on the 1st December 2023 and for vehicle combinations with a gross vehicle weight of up to 40 tons, prices will increase by almost 86% – giving 35.4 cents per kilometre. Th... Read more

EU-ETS surcharge latest

From the 1st January 2024 the market-based mechanism to tackle greenhouse gas emissions within the European Union known as the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) will be extended to shipping, triggering new emission linked surcharges. EU ETS sets an annual absolute limit on greenhouse gas (GHG)... Read more

EU Emissions Trading Scheme surcharge

The EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) extends to container shipping from the 1st January 2024, with significant legal, commercial and financial consequences for carriers and a new surcharges for shippers. Under the EU ETS carriers will purchase a capped number of permits, known as ... Read more

EC to end container shipping alliances

On the 9th August 2022, the European Commission (EC) issued a call for feedback on the Consortia Block Exemption Regulation (CBER) and on Tuesday announced that it will not renew the sector’s exemption to operating shipping alliances when current legislation expires on 25th  April. The Cons... Read more