FEPORT invites industry and institutional stakeholders to its First Stakeholders' Conference which is entitled
“Why does an efficient logistics chain require close dialogue”.
European maritime logistics and supply chains are facing big challenges resulting from the continuous increase in the size of ships.
These last years, different parties of the chain have provided responses to ensure the effective supply of goods to end consumers and customers but we are now reaching a situation where fragmented initiatives cannot reasonably constitute sustainable responses to the challenges.
Indeed, a variety of cascading effects on maritime logistics and supply chain reveal some key issues to be addressed such as the congestion of port terminals and roads, the security of supply, investment in (big, transhipment and short sea) ports and hinterland connections infrastructure, urgency for simplification of administrative procedures and use of digitalization, accelerated
obsolescence of terminal equipment etc…but above all, there is an urgent need to have a better knowledge of the needs and expectations of each party of the chain otherwise the possibility of sustainable solutions will be jeopardized.
Please read more in the report below ...
Report
Dear speakers, Dear colleagues, Dear guests,
Our warmest thanks for your participation to this first stakeholders’ conference and for the fruitful exchanges we had.
Particular thanks to the speakers from the European institutions:
For the European Commission, Ms Desiree Oen, Deputy Head of Cabinet of Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc and M. Fotis Karamitsos, Deputy Director General of DG MOVE. For the European Parliament, M. Pavel Telicka, MEP, Vice Chair of the ALDE political party and former TEN-T Coordinator.
Besides, valuable insights provided by four market, economic and academic experts, we have been lucky to have the support and listen to the views of many organizations representing: shippers, freight forwarders, road transport, inland ports, inland waterways, port authorities, shipowners, trade unions, port equipment manufacturers, combined transport, port cities, terminal operators.
Participants to panel 2 have offered us a very enriching opportunity to listen to contradictory point of views and free thoughts.
This was definitely a moment we value because it shows that there is indeed a need for dialogue to avoid misunderstanding or wrong assumptions.
It was important to hear “mainstream” points of view but also different voices particularly those who are not always listened to or often heard.
The conference was meant to be an opportunity to speak but also to listen to each other. We might have been successful up to a certain point for the first objective and we are sure that we can improve on the second because it is definitely more difficult.
The challenges (not problems...) we are facing are significant and require that actors of supply and logistics chains talk to each other.
Indeed, world economic growth is stagnant not to say depressed, and this calls for caution as it affects and will affect all of us. We have probably to reflect about the best demand driven choices to be made.
We might need to address a number of issues such as: the necessity to collect more accurate information regarding demand ie mapping of cargo flows at EU level- so as to be able to make the relevant investments for hinterland connections, the necessary progress on innovation and use of digital technologies which are real enablers of efficiency for supply and logistics chains... and probably more topics that shall be identified by stakeholders organizations in the coming months.
As it was mentioned by some speakers while commenting on topics of the conference, individual “sector-specific” silo strategies may make sense for those who choose them but can provoke important “cascading effects” on other parties. This is particularly true when those strategies are conceived and implemented without any dialogue with tne rest of the chain.
Many thanks to all of you for confirming that there is indeed a need to launch a constructive dialogue.
This first "industry and civil society led conference" was a first necessary exercise that allowed some interesting discussions. It has already been decided that it will not be the last.
We are therefore delighted to announce that the majority of the partcipating organizations have already agreed to "go" for the second "Stakeholder' Conference" in December 2016.
Meanwhile, you can have access to all conference presentations, pictures and videos by clicking on below hyperlinks.
See you all in December 2016.
FEPORT
