Lars Karlsson: CapacityNow

The chair pf the UK Trade Facilitation Commission is proud to announce three new Commissioners.

The knowledge, experience and sheer quality of this team is quite something. Trade Facilitation Commission Sandra Strong MBE Ana Hinojosa David Lloyd Gledhill.

The Commissioners, having released a short teaser, are now working on the full report, ready for September 2024, concentrating on the following objectives:
·      Improved border efficiency
·      A more conducive trading environment
·      More effective customs compliance and border security
·      Better border targeting
·      Reduced tax gap through more effective revenue collection
·      Increased GDP per capita (estimated to be worth £3,500 per UK household)

Welcome to the three new Commissioners on the UK Trade Facilitation Commission, Ana Hinojosa, Sandra Strong MBE & David Lloyd Gledhill.

You brings tons of competence & experience. It will be a pleasure to serve with you for the greater good of trade facilitation. I am looking forward to our work together.

The European Union is to invest a record €7 billion in sustainable, safe and smart transport infrastructure, including shore power is welcome at our terminals in Sweden, Spain, Denmark and Croatia.

The investments, hand in hand with our own in electrified equipment and renewable energy will:

• Reduce our own scope 3 emissions
• Offer our customers a better product
• Have direct influence on shipping line’s emissions

‘It is obvious that reaching Net Zero is not something we can do on our own as a terminal operator. All stakeholders in and around the ports have to contribute in the different steps of the energy supply chain,” says Peter Corfitsen, CEO, Rijeka Gateway, Croatia.

“Therefore, support for the upgrade of the port in Rijeka is a big step ahead to deliver a lower emissions product for our customers, provide better air quality in and around the port and serve as a competitive port for Croatia,” he explains.

Read about the EU grants here:

https://bit.ly/3zOkvKJ

and find more information about APM Terminals’ strategy to decarbonise terminals here:

https://bit.ly/3SgBQSN

On July 16, 2024, Secretary General Ian Saunders delivered keynote remarks at the G7 Industry Stakeholders Conference in Reggio Calabria, Italy.  This conference, sponsored by Confindustria, was held in the context of Italy serving as 2024 Chair of the Group of 7 (G7).  Secretary General Saunders joined a diverse group of industry and international leaders to discuss how the World Customs Organization (WCO) can collaborate to address contemporary challenges in international trade.

In his address during the session titled “Reconciling Economic Security and Free Trade,” Secretary General Saunders emphasized the importance of government-industry partnerships in achieving economic stability and equity within a free market. He asserted that success in reconciling these objectives depends on establishing trust among all actors involved in international trade and that this trust must be built and maintained through concrete actions and processes, not just rhetoric. 

The Secretary General highlighted the WCO’s strong tradition of engagement with the private sector, which informs the Organization’s instruments, provides critical perspective, and facilitates joint efforts to tackle significant issues like e-commerce, trade resilience, and effective use of technology.

He illustrated the success of these partnerships, stating, “This history of working together has yielded significant results, such as the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (Revised Kyoto Convention); the Authorized Economic Operator concept in the SAFE Framework of Standards; and, more recently, the creation of the WCO’s E-Commerce Package.”

He added that, “Through these initiatives, we have created the blueprint for Customs improvement; highlighted the importance of transparency of requirements, predictability of treatment, and articulation of benefits for compliant companies”.  Secretary General Saunders concluded by asserting that institutionalized trust between Customs and industry can lead to solutions that reconcile economic security with free trade.

The B7 represents the interests of the G7 business community and shares its positions with the G7 leaders. As with the G7, the B7 membership is made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.