An initiative launched May 23 will improve operations and onward transport connections at over 300 key seaports, the European Commission said. Currently, 74 percent of goods entering or leaving Europe go by sea, but one-fifth of that passes through just three ports: Rotterdam. Hamburg and Antwerp. That imbalance results in congestion and extra costs for shippers, transport operators and consumers, it said. The proposals could save Europe's economy up to 10 billion euros ($13 billion) by 2030 and help forge new short sea links, it said.
Dugie Standeford
Dugie Standeford, European Correspondent, Communications Daily and Privacy Daily, is a former lawyer. She joined Warren Communications News in 2000 to report on internet policy and regulation. In 2003 she moved to the U.K. and since then has covered European telecommunications issues. She previously covered the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and intellectual property law matters. She has a degree in psychology from Duke University and a law degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law.
The European Commission decided “in principle” Wednesday to launch an own-initiative (ex officio) anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation of imports of mobile telecom networks and essential elements such as radio access networks and mobile network cores from China, Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said. The decision won't be activated right now to “allow for negotiations towards an amicable solution with the Chinese authorities,” he said in a statement. China exports telecom network equipment to the EU market valued at just over 1 billion euros ($1.29 billion) per year, the EC said.
EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht touted the proposed EU-U.S. transatlantic trade and investment partnership (TTIP) in a flurry of speeches April 18-19 in Dublin, Ireland. At the Institute for International and European Affairs April 19, De Gucht said EU trade ministers are focused on negotiations for the agreement not because those talks are more important than progress in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and multilateral trading, but because the TTIP will strengthen those existing systems. Moreover, he said, the scale of the treaty “is such that it is undeniable that it will impact the rest of the world.”
The European Commission wants to modernize Europe's trade defense system, it said April 10. It proposed changes to make the regime work better for producers, importers and other stakeholders. Anti-dumping and anti-subsidy instruments will be more efficient and better enforced to shield EU producers from unfair practices by foreign firms and to protect against retaliation, the EC said. Importers will have more predictability about changing duty rates, making their business planning easier. In addition, the entire system will become more open and user-friendly, it said.
Airlines for America hired Sean Williams, Connecticut House of Representatives member, as vice president-state and local government affairs.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced receipt of petitions for decisions that nonconforming 2012 Porsche GT3RS, 2010 BMW Z4 and 2007 Ford Escape Multi-Purpose passenger cars that were not originally manufactured to comply with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards are eligible for import in the U.S. because: (1) they are substantially similar to vehicles that were originally manufactured for sale in the U.S. and that were certified by their manufacturer as complying with the safety standards, and (2) they are capable of being readily altered to conform to the standards. Comments are due May 4.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has received the following applications for certificates of public convenience and necessity and foreign air carrier permits under Subpart B (formerly Subpart Q) of DOT Procedural Regulations (14 CFR 301.201 et seq.), according to a Federal Register notice for publication April 4:
President Barack Obama designated Mario Cordero as chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), said an April 2 FMC press release. Cordero has been a commissioner since June 2011. Prior to his appointment, he was an attorney in private practice and served eight years on the Board of Harbor Commissioners for the Port of Long Beach. Cordero said he looks forward to continued work on fostering a “fair, efficient and reliable international ocean transportation system” and protecting the public from unfair and deceptive practices.
The International Longshoremen's Association April 2 published a draft six-year collective bargaining agreement with the New York Shipping Association. A vote on the contract is scheduled for April 9.
Freer access to global markets and investment is helping to ensure growth in the Asia-Pacific region and buoying global trade, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat Executive Director Alan Bollard said April 3. But he cautioned that inadequate connectivity could hamper the area's growth prospects as demand outstrips existing infrastructure, leading APEC countries to make connectivity a priority, he said at a symposium at the Institute for Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore.