Brussels, 12 December 2019
Thursday the 12th of December, various companies as well as associations from the logistics sector gathered for a full day ALICE plenary session.
During the meeting, ALICE preparations for the 2021-2027 Horizon Europe programmes were discussed and ALICE’s Work Plan & Budget were approved. As the activities of the ALICE ETP are gradually expanding, ALICE Secretariat proposed a gradual membership fee increase starting as of 2020, which was accepted by the members.
Other topics discussed included the work of the ALICE thematic groups for 2020-2021. For example, During the Corridors, Hubs and Synchromodality session¸ ALICE’s plans to organize a “Collaborative Innovation Day” on ports of the future were unveiled.
The plenary session also offered plenty of space to the Commission services to contribute to the discussions, especially concerning the efforts to reduce emissions in logistics’ supply chains. In this regard, the ALICE plenary session could not have been timed better because the previous day, the 11th of December, the Commission released its European Green Deal Communication. Deputy Head of the Maritime Transport & Logistics unit at DG MOVE Annika Kroon noted that especially in the transport sector environmental action is needed, because it is one of the only sectors where emissions have actually been increasing. She pointed out that the Green Deal seeks to decarbonize transport by enhancing alternative fuel infrastructure and uptake, by introducing pricing mechanisms ensuring that the price of transport reflects the impact it has on the environment and health, and by promoting multimodal transport solutions.
Another agenda item that was perfectly timed given the release of the Green Deal Communication one day ago, was the launch of the ALICE Roadmap Towards Zero Emissions Logistics 2050. This roadmap also acknowledges that Freight emissions are still increasing. On the short-term, the roadmap sets out how to find new opportunities for efficiency gains in freight transport and logistics e.g. by better managing the available infrastructure. On the long-term, the ALICE Roadmap sets a vision for zero emissions in logistics by 2050.