ECASBA is proud to join with other European shipping organisations in announcing European Shipping Week, a new event aimed at demonstrating to the European Parliament, Council, Commission, policy makers and other stakeholders the breadth, depth and value of Europe’s shipping industry.

The inaugural Shipping Week will take place in Brussels in February or March 2015 and as a member of the steering committee, ECASBA will be closely involved in the development of the common events, which will include a welcome reception, a high-level conference and a gala dinner. ECASBA, along with the other organisations represented on the steering committee, will also be organising its own event during the week.

A copy of the initial press release issued by the steering committee members and event organiser Shipping Innovation on 31^st July is attached and further details of the event will follow in due course.

ANNOUNCING EUROPEAN SHIPPING WEEK 2015

The full range of courses for shore-based shipping professionals provided by FONASBA member associations are now publicly available for the first time via this website. This unique resource brings short summaries of all the courses together in one searchable database, allowing  students and others to sort the information using a number of criteria as well as view all entries if so required. The data in each course template is provided and maintained by the relevant association and so a link is provided to the association’s own website from where much more detail can be obtained.

The course can be directly accessed via this link www.fonasba.com/fonasba-education-and-training

A copy of the FONASBA press release announcing this latest education initiative can be found here: PRESS RELEASE – EDUCATION PAGES – MAY 2014

On 21st January 2014, four of Europe’s main port user groups – ECSA, representing shipowners, CLECAT, freight forwarders,  ESC, shippers and ECASBA, ship agents and brokers – issued a joint letter calling on the European Parliament’s Transport Committee (TRAN) to ensure that the measures included in the European Commission’s fourth port package are not diluted by amendments to such an extent that the proposal is effectively neutered.

The four organisations said that the measures originally proposed were realistic, appropriate and addressed the main issues facing the European port industry. Furthermore, they said that by being rather less ambitious than its predecessors, this fourth attempt by the Commission to liberalise and open up the provision of services in ports stood a much better chance of being introduced. Doing so would bring about the changes urgently needed to ensure the European port industry was open, efficient and better able to support Europe’s economic development.

Since its publication, however, the provisions in the proposal have been subject to significant pressure from port and service provider groups who have both tabled a large number of amendments to the proposal in Parliament and also lobbied Member State governments.

The joint letter, however, calls on the TRAN Committee to resist pressure to water down the proposals.

A copy of the joint letter can be down loaded here: JOINT PORT USER GROUP LETTER TO TRAN – JAN 2014

In April 2013, FONASBA’s Executive Committee approved the draft criteria proposed for compliance with the FONASBA Quality Standard by APRAM, the Federation’s Moroccan association.

APRAM therefore becomes the 20th association accredited to the Quality Standard. A press statement issued by FONASBA to mark this significant milestone in the development of the Quality Standard as THE global standard for ship agents and ship brokers and a copy is available here.

Further information on the Quality Standard, the countries and companies covered by it and the minimum criteria required to be met by applicant associations can be found on this website here

Proposals by the Environment Committee of the European Parliament to impose a levy on all ship calls at EU ports to fund sustainable ship recycling has been strongly opposed by a group of major European maritime sector organisations.

ECASBA joined with the European Community Shipowners Association (ECSA), the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) the Federation of European Private Port Operators (FEPORT), the European Boatmen’s Association (EBA), the European Dredging Association (EuDA) and the European Tugowners Association (ETO) in signing a joint letter to the Parliament calling for the levy to be abandoned.

Whilst welcoming the European Commission’s plans (Reg. COM(2012)) to implement the measures incorporated in the 2009 Hong Kong Convention on the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, the associations fear that imposing an additional cost burden on European ports would adversely affect their competitiveness whilst at the same time penalising shipowners who have already invested in vessels that comply with the Hong Kong Convention. Furthermore, introducing the levy may result in the main ship recycling states failing to ratify the Convention.

As well as supporting the letter, a copy of which can be found here, ECASBA has also called on its members to raise the issue with their national administrations and also their MEPS.

ECASBA has expressed its concerns about the failure of the “trilogue” (the joint decision-making body comprising the European Commission, European Parliament and Council) to reach agreement on the way forward for European customs integration. The trilogue met on 11th April but ultimately decided to postpone any further discussion for at least another four months. This further delay to the progress of customs integration, which is vital to enable the European transport industry to operate effectively, is extremely disappointing.

ECASBA has therefore taken the opportunity to express its views to both the European Parliament, via its IMCO consumer affairs committee, and to the Commission’s Directorate General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG-TAXUD). ECASBA’s twenty-one European Union member associations are also being asked to raise the issue directly with their own national administrations and their representatives in the European Parliament.

Copies of the letters are available here and here.

ECASBA has supported moves by Finnish Customs, other EU Member State customs authorities and the Finnish Shipbrokers’ Association to ensure that the guarantee waivers and level 2 simplifications available to EU ship agents under the Modernised Customs Code (MCC) are retained in the Union Customs Code (UCC) which is set to replace it.

Although to UCC is only supposed to vary from the MCC in minor respects directly related to changes in Europe following introduction of the Lisbon Treaty, it has been revealed that a number of provisions of the MCC have either been modified or in some cases not carried over at all.

Loss of the guarantee waiver facility and the level 2 simplifications will significantly increase the financial liabilities and workload of European ship agents and ECASBA’s support for the campaign to ensure their retention was assured.

Chairman Antonio Belmar da Costa therefore wrote in March 2013 to the European Commissioners for Transport, Taxation and Customs Union, senior members of their Directorates General (DG-MOVE and DG-TAXUD) and the chairmen of the European Parliament’s influential Transport and Tourism and Consumer Affairs Committees (RETT and IMCO).  A copy of his letter can be found here.