Category: EU

November 2024; Customs and compliance update

Our customs consultancy team provide insights on the latest changes, making it easier for you to stay on top of your planning and development needs. To help us better support your compliance and efficiency goals, including duty/tax reclaims, we encourage you to click the button below to comple... Read more

Enhanced groupage services to France and Germany

In our continued efforts to provide exceptional trans-European logistics solutions, we have recently upgraded our groupage services to France and Germany, offering greater speed and efficiency, alongside competitive rates and our top-tier customer care. Our French groupage services continue to... Read more

Ongoing labour disputes threaten global supply chains

While recent developments in India and Canada suggest some relief from labour disputes, the threat of strikes continues to loom over port operations and global supply chains. The situation remains precarious, especially with the added complications from Red Sea diversions, which could magnify the... Read more

Import Control System 2

Enhancing supply chain security and safety, Import Control System 2 (ICS2) is the Import Control system for movements both ways between the UK and the EU, including Norway, Switzerland, and Northern Ireland. Based on similar worldwide systems that pre-declare shipments, to determine risk, secu... Read more

Europe may experience its own near-shoring boom

As planes descend into Monterrey airport, an expanse of warehouses and manufacturing complexes stretches out for miles, exemplifying the near-shoring boom that has swept through Mexico in recent years, as Asian companies and their supply chains move closer to the United States. Drivers of Mexi... Read more

Port congestion (amongst other things) continues to push rates up

With increasing amounts of ocean freight capacity soaked up by COGH (Cape of Good Hope) diversions and port congestion, spot rates are spiking, with indexes up significantly on 2023 and market led spot/FAK rates up by nearly 500%. Now, carriers desperate for ships and more capacity are setting n... Read more

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