1. Home
  2. Maritime industry news - PortNews
  3. Two European shipper associations to merge

2009 March 18   12:23

Two European shipper associations to merge

The European Shippers’ Council and the European Rail Freight Customers’ Platform today agreed to merge into a single organization.
The two organizations have worked together representing the interest of shippers and the ESC was a founding member of the rail group when it was formed in 2001. Both trade associations seek a rail network in Europe which supports expanding, reliable, accessible, efficient and competitive rail freight services.
The two organizations said the merger enables the more efficient and effective use of resources, energy, experience and influence of the two organizations to better serve European shippers’ interests.
The rail shipper-focused group was an initiative of European and national associations of industries and groupings: the aim of the platform to realize a single, customer-oriented rail freight market in Europe.
The liberalization of the European rail freight industry remains the single most important objective.
Both organizations are committed to the idea of expanding competition through liberalization. They assert that increased competition will drive the development of improved efficiency and productivity, reducing costs and prices, improving service performance, and expanding the choice of viable freight services to shippers and other rail freight customers.
“There are still many obstacles to be removed that currently prevent full liberalization of the rail sector and which hinders the development of a fully competitive European rail freight sector,” said Georges Di Lallo, chairman of the ERFCP.
“At the heart of ESC’s policy is the freight, not the mode. ESC has no preference for one mode over another,” said Dick van den Broek Humphreij, chairman of the ESC.
He said the ESC plans to establish a rail freight council within the merged organization and encouraged all shippers that have a vested interest in the future success of rail freight to join it.

Latest news

2025 April 2

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30 31