Brussels, 08/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - At the start of next year, the European Commission will publish a strategy document outlining a long-term vision for logistics in Europe. It will expand on the idea of e-Freight and tangible steps for introducing it, said EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas at a logistics conference in Brussels on Thursday 7 November.
Kallas explained that logistics requires all parts of the supply chain to work together and use advanced technology and computers for up-to-the-minute information. In order to encourage and support this, the Commission is working to develop e-Freight to facilitate the flow of information. The information in question is not solely about transport, but also about infrastructure, administration and cargoes. One-stop-shops will be set up, along the lines of what has been done with SafeSeaNet and eMaritime for shipping. He mooted the idea of an e-Manifest to reduce red tape at customs.
The commissioner said that the Commission was not planning to get involved in social or environmental issues, but such matters do deserve a helping hand from Europe to harmonise standards. Industry could then self-regulate when it applies them, said Kallas. There could be an EU standard for transport's carbon footprint, for example, to improve comparisons between different types of freight transport, or professional qualifications standards that would apply across the board to all forms of logistics. (MD/transl.fl)