EBU and ESC call upon EC to guarantee the free movement of goods after the long-lasting strikes in France
Inland waterway transport (IWT) since the beginning of the strikes in France is targeted and restricted in its free movement both on the river Rhine and the French waterways, according to ESC. Due to this still lasting situation, the barge owners and operators sailing on these waterways face blockades at locks with serious consequences in terms of delays and additional costs.
This leads to an increased unreliability of the sector towards its clients, causing EBU and ESC to address the European Commission to call upon France for taking actions to end the infringement of the free movement of goods. ESC, the European Shippers Council, representing the interests of cargo owners in Europe, and EBU, the European Barge Union, representing barge owners and operators in Europe, therefore are jointly concerned about the free movement of goods within the European Union. For both organisations, the free movement of goods is of paramount importance.
European Shippers’ Council was founded in 1963 to represent the logistic interests of manufacturers, retailers, and wholesalers, collectively referred to as shippers, in all modes of transport. ESC members are national shippers’ councils, key European commodity trade associations, and corporate members. European Shippers’ Council represents the freight transport interests of more than 75,000 companies both SMEs and large multinational companies. Internationally, ESC works closely with the Asian Shippers’ Alliance (ASA) and the American Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI), together forming the Global Shippers’ Alliance (GSA).
The European Barge Union (EBU) represents the inland navigation industry in Europe. Its members are the national associations of barge owners and barge operators of 9 European inland navigation countries (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Romania and Switzerland). Besides it represents the interests of a number of international organisations dealing with IWT and Short Sea Shipping.
