ECG – The Association of European Vehicle Logistics Issue 16.48, 28th November–2nd December 2016

CONTENTS

NEWS FROM BRUSSELS 2

More shooting incidents 2 EU in ‘Mexican standoff’ over independent checks on car emissions 2 Commission and Germany reach agreement on a fair and non-discriminatory road charging scheme 3 Evaluating the Connecting Europe Facility 3

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY 4

Alfa Romeo boosts staff at Cassino in advance of production push 4 Jaguar Land Rover will build Discovery in Slovakia 4 What’s delaying the VECTO tool for measuring truck emissions? 4

EUROPE 5

Greece shows strong interest in e-CMR 5 DB Schenker and MAN agree on platooning project 5 European road freight ‘on the threshold of systemic change’ 6 France demands European Commission to ‘clean up’ road freight 7

French minister trades blows with MEPs over dieselgate and Renault 8 The future of mobility - How rail can make it greener 8

REST OF THE WORLD 9

PSA Group bolsters its commitment to Tunisia 9 Volkswagen to start assembly in Algeria in Sovac joint venture 9 K Line enhances Ro-Ro services in Thailand-Australia trade 9

PRESS RELEASES 10

Pioneer of vehicle logistics – Horst Mosolf joins logistics Pantheon 10 Mrs. Barbara Koncewicz – the winner of The Automotive Global Awards 2016! 10 SETRAM incorporates electric vehicles into the operations of Barcelona port terminal 10 The Port Authority of Valencia will invest €50m in Valencia Zaragoza railway 11 UECC’s has taken delivery of TBN AUTO ENERGY – the second of the world’s first LNG Pure Car and Truck Carriers 11

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Tel: +32-2-706-82-80, info@ecgassociation.eu; www.ecgassociation.eu

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ECG & other industry events

►UK & Ireland Regional meeting, February 2017 TBC, Birmingham, UK ►ECG 20th Anniversary event, February 2017 TBC, Brussels, Belgium ►Quality Working Group meeting, February-March 2017 TBC, Brussels, Belgium ►Maritime & Ports Working Group meeting, March 2017 TBC, Hanko, Finland ►European Shipping Week, 23rd February-3rd March, Brussels ►ECG Spring Congress & General Assembly, 18-19th May 2017, Malta ►ECG Conference, 19-20th October 2017, Venue TBD

NEWS FROM BRUSSELS

More shooting incidents (Source: ECG, 30th November 2016) It is more than two years since the German police finally identified and arrested a truck driver who was responsible for a spate of more than 700 shootings on the German highways over a period of some five years. Regrettably ECG has now been informed about three new shooting incidents in Germany. The first case, reported by AvtoTransporti Kastelec, took place in October this year in the area between Bremen and Kassel in Germany. Several cars were damaged. Two other cases have been reported by BLG. The first one happened in the area near Aurich, Germany on 10th November when three vehicles were damaged. The other case was reported on 24th November, but the location has not been yet identified as it was only discovered at the end of the journey. Police are investigating all these cases. We publish this information to make you aware of these incidents as well as to help you to identify their area of occurrence. In case you have any information regarding similar cases of shooting please inform ECG as well as the authorities. ECG will create a database of all incidents of shooting to help with co-ordination so we need as many details as possible. There is a clear risk of people getting hurt and we need to do everything we can to help.

EU in ‘Mexican standoff’ over independent checks on car emissions (Source: The Guardian, 28th November 2016) Plans for independent checks of how much pollution new cars emit are being killed off by EU Member States, according to leaked documents seen by the Guardian. After the Dieselgate scandal, the European Commission proposed empowering its respected science wing, the Joint Research Centre, to inspect vehicles separately from national authorities, which are paid by the car manufacturers they regulate. But an EU pledge to “organise and carry out” emissions tests has been deleted from a draft regulation, which will be discussed by EU ministers this week in Brussels. Julia Poliscanova, a spokeswoman for the green campaign group, Transport and Environment (T&E), said: “There is a Mexican standoff going on, with governments afraid to act against their own fraudulent carmakers for fear it will put their domestic industry at a competitive disadvantage. This scandalous stalemate results from national governments prioritising the interests of domestic carmakers above citizens’ need to breathe clean air. National vehicle regulators in Europe have been captured by the car industry.” Millions of polluting cars remain on European roads, despite research showing that they emit three times the current standard for nitrogen oxide pollution, when driven in real world situations. Last week, the European Environment Agency increased its estimate of premature deaths caused by air pollution in Europe each year to 467,000. Since the VW emissions scandal broke a year ago, many VW group cars fitted with illegal software have been recalled in Europe, and 660,000 vehicles from Renault, Fiat, Opel and Mercedes could be voluntarily recalled, if their owners request it. But no other action has been taken to fix the millions of excessively polluting vehicles on the continent’s roads, 69% of which were sold in the UK, Germany, France and Italy. France is the only one of these countries to support independent emissions tests in meetings of the relevant EU working party, according to T&E. Modest requirements for the EU to monitor national emissions tests and ensure that regulators are consistently applying rules have also been watered down in the draft regulations’ text. Europe’s car regulations have historically provided a global benchmark for best emissions practice, everywhere except North America and Japan. But after the VW scandal, countries such as China have begun realigning their systems with US testing norms, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation, which first revealed the

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Tel: +32-2-706-82-80, info@ecgassociation.eu; www.ecgassociation.eu

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Dieselgate story. A final decision on the new European emissions testing regime is expected in February.

Commission and Germany reach agreement on a fair and non-discriminatory road charging scheme (Source: European Commission, 1st December 2016) In the margins of the Transport Council held on 1st December in Brussels, EU Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc, met with the German Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure Alexander Dobrindt. After years of discussions between the Commission and the German authorities, both parties agreed on a solution to put an end to the legal dispute over the planned introduction of a road charge for passenger cars in Germany. This agreement upholds the fundamental right of European citizens not to be discriminated against on the basis of their nationality. It will also ensure that road infrastructure is financed in a fairer way and will help the transition to low-emission mobility. Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc said, “I am pleased that after years of discussions, Minister Dobrindt and I have found a solution to ensure that German roads will remain easily accessible for all EU citizens. I would like to thank Minister Dobrindt for agreeing to make the necessary changes to the laws that, once adopted, will ensure that the German car toll system is in line with EU legislation. This is also an important first step towards our plans to create an EU-wide road charging system that will benefit the EU’s Single Market.” German Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure Alexander Dobrindt said, “I want to thank President Jean Claude Juncker and Commissioner Violeta Bulc for their personal and continued commitment to solve these complex legal issues. The toll charge makes sense and is fair and just. It ensures that all drivers contribute adequately to the financing of our motorways. With infrastructure charges, we will strengthen the user pays principle and facilitate the transition from infrastructure financing through taxes to financing through road charges. This is an important signal for Europe as a whole. Germany welcomes the European Commission’s objective to create a single European legal framework for a single European road charging system to reinforce the user pays principle for passenger vehicles in the medium term, and is willing to support the European Commission in its efforts to achieve this at the European level.” On the basis of the revised draft provided by the German authorities, Commissioner Bulc and Minister Dobrindt reached a political understanding on a German car toll system which is fully compatible with EU law. The German Federal Government will now adopt the amendments to the Infrastructure Law (“PkW Maut”) and to the Vehicle Tax Law (“KfZ Steuer”) and pass them on to the co-legislators in Germany. Once adopted, these amendments will remove any discrimination based on nationality and incentivise the use of environmentally friendly cars. As a result, German motorways will remain easily accessible to all European citizens and especially cross-border commuters. The price of short-term vignettes – typically bought by non-resident drivers – will be substantially lowered in relation to the annual rate, while the vehicle tax reduction will specifically reward the cleanest vehicles. Road charging is the best way to reflect the user-pays and polluter-pays principles. Once adopted, this scheme will also contribute to the Commission’s political priority of low-emission mobility, by incentivising the shift to sustainable mobility. The Commission will put the infringement procedure “on hold” until further notice. The case will only be formally closed when the amending German legislation taking into account the Commission’s legal concerns is adopted and promulgated. As always, the Commission will continue to monitor the correct implementation and application of the law after adoption.

Evaluating the Connecting Europe Facility (Source: European Commission, 28th November 2016) The European Commission has launched a public consultation as part of its mid-term evaluation of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). The CEF is a unique European funding programme set up to support the development of high-performing, sustainable

The new ECG Survey of Vehicle

Logistics 2016-2017

is now AVAILABLE!

Combines global and European data and information on the automotive industry in general, and the finished vehicle logistics sector in particular

The only publication for the European Vehicle Logistics sector, also covering Russia, Turkey and Ukraine

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Tel: +32-2-706-82-80, info@ecgassociation.eu; www.ecgassociation.eu

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and efficient interconnected trans-European networks in energy, telecommunications and transport. The CEF – which makes €30.4bn available in grants and financial instruments – aims to contribute to the achievement of the Europe 2020 strategy, by boosting investments to stimulate smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. It also aims to enable the European Union to reach its sustainable development targets by 2020. Nearly three years after its launch in January 2014, the CEF will be evaluated for its relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and EU added value in achieving its objectives. A key element of this evaluation is a consultation open to the public which will not only help to assess the various aspects of the programme, but also shape its future. The survey addresses both the general objectives of the CEF as well as the specific objectives set for each of its three sectors. The public consultation will close on 27th February 2017.

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

Alfa Romeo boosts staff at Cassino in advance of production push (Source: Automotive Logistics, 29th November 2016) Italian carmaker Alfa Romeo expects to add 1,800 staff at its Cassino plant in Italy by 2018 as it gears up towards increased production of the Giulia model and Stelvio SUV. Currently the plant, which is located about 100km from Naples and has produced over 7m vehicles since 1972, employs 4,300 people in two shifts. The 1,800 extra staff will include new hires and a number of employees returning after the end of a temporary layoff scheme, according to a company spokesman. The planned boost to the workforce was revealed in a speech at the plant last week by Alfredo Altavilla, Chief Operating Officer for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Alfa Romeo brand owner, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). The event was also attended by Italy’s prime minister, Matteo Renzi. Altavilla’s speech also referred broadly to the topic of Industry 4.0 and how the company was embracing technology. Altavilla said that to accommodate the new models, the company had to rework the plant and Cassino was now a “state-of-the-art” factory in terms of automation, logistics and the organisation of production.

Jaguar Land Rover will build Discovery in Slovakia (Source: Automotive News Europe, 29th November 2016) Jaguar Land Rover said on 28th November it will build its next-generation Land Rover Discovery in Slovakia, the first model chosen for the £1bn plant which is due to open in 2018. The luxury carmaker, owned by India’s Tata Motors, picked Slovakia last year as the location for the new factory that will have an annual output of up to 300,000 vehicles and is one of the country’s biggest foreign direct investments. JLR currently builds the Discovery at a capacity-constrained plant in Solihull, central England. “The production of Discovery is part of a multi-plant strategy that will see Discovery built in both Solihull and Slovakia,” a spokesman said. The carmaker rapidly boosting its model lineup and production volumes to reach 1 million units by the end of the decade and has opened new factories in China and Brazil. It has contracted Magna Steyr in Austria to build Jaguar’s forthcoming I-Pace full-electric crossover.

What’s delaying the VECTO tool for measuring truck emissions? (Source: Transport & Environment, 25th November 2016) Transport & Environment, the IRU, Leaseurope, Eaton, Clecat, the Nordic Logistics Association and the Alliance for European Logistics are strongly concerned about the slowing down of the process to introduce the VECTO tool, which is designed to measure, calculate, report and monitor CO2 emissions and fuel consumption from new heavy goods vehicles. The Commission started developing the VECTO

Booklet on national legislation for car

transporters published

A comprehensive booklet

has been assembled by ECG on the laws of each EU

Member State referring to car transporters.

The booklet is designed to help ECG and its members lobby for the long-standing aim of the Association: at least 20.75m loaded length within the European Union. The new publication can also be a precious tool for our members to settle any eventual litigation with the police as the document contains the legislative text also in the original language. The well-known maximum loaded length table has also been updated and included at the end of the document.

If you spot any inaccuracies

or have any additional information or comments,

please contact ECG at

info@ecgassociation.eu

ECG - The Association of European Vehicle Logistics, Diamant Building, Bd. Reyers 80, 1030 Brussels

Tel: +32-2-706-82-80, info@ecgassociation.eu; www.ecgassociation.eu

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test procedure for heavy duty vehicles already in 2010. From the beginning, we have welcomed and supported the development of VECTO because we see it as an opportunity to bring more transparency, choice and competition to the market of new heavy goods vehicles. If well designed, VECTO could allow road freight transport operators to make better informed investment choices for new vehicles. VECTO is also a prerequisite to achieve the goals outlined in the Commission’s Low Emission Mobility Strategy, published in July 2016. The deadline for the adoption of VECTO as the EU type approval test procedure for truck CO2 emissions and fuel consumption was scheduled for autumn 2016. However, it is has become clear this deadline will again be missed. The apparent reason for this renewed delay is the lack of progress in a parallel legislative dossier – Commission proposal (2014)0028 on the reduction of pollutant emissions from road vehicles – which will give the Commission the power to introduce VECTO in the type approval framework. Negotiations on this proposal have been stuck in trialogue discussions for months. We strongly urge the co-legislators to renew their efforts to find an agreement on this in the coming weeks, to pave the way for the final adoption and implementation of the VECTO test procedure. The entire open letter sent to the European Commission, European Parliament and the Council Presidency can be read on the T&E website.

EUROPE

Greece shows strong interest in e-CMR (Source: IRU, 30th November 2016) IRU and the Hellenic Federation of Road Transports (OFAE) in Athens met with the Greek Ministry of Transport to begin active work towards accession to the e-CMR consignment note protocol and reviewed potential for its inclusion in their binding five-year Logistics Strategy Plan. With a focus on how e-CMR might be used to fight cabotage, Greece expressed interest in taking part in a pilot project, possibly to include other Balkan countries. Participants at the meeting included Nikolaos Mavraganis, the Deputy Minister of Transport, as well as representatives from the Greek cabinet, fiscal and enforcement authorities. Greece’s support adds to the momentum for e-CMR, already building with accession to the protocol by France in October and most recently Estonia in November of this year. The launch of UNECE standardisation is another milestone, and the first pilot transports will take place early next year.

DB Schenker and MAN agree on platooning project (Source: Automotive Supply Chain, 29th November 2016) High-tech trucks on the highway: this is the first partnership between a logistics enterprise and a truck manufacturer to develop networked truck convoys and test their use in real operating conditions. DB Schenker and MAN have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to that effect and are initially planning to define the fundamental conditions for the project and subsequent practical trials. In 2018, they plan to operate a truck platoon on the Digital Motorway Testbed on the A9 motorway between the DB Schenker branches in Munich and Nuremberg. The second phase will involve the deployment of self-driving trucks on the DB Schenker grounds in Nuremberg. Platooning refers to a system of vehicles for use in road traffic in which at least two trucks drive on the motorway with only a short distance between them with the help of technical driver assistance and control systems. All the vehicles in the platoon are linked up to each other by means of electronic ‘drawbars’ in the form of car-to-car communication. The leading vehicle determines the speed and direction. The distance between the individual trucks is around ten metres, equivalent to roughly half a second’s driving time. The electronic links between the individual vehicles in the platoon guarantee the safety of operations. The primary objective of this procedure is to enable

ECG FORUM

Creating a tool for better communication among ECG members was the rationale behind the creation of the ECG members’ Forum. As the ECG Secretariat often received questions from members that were of general interest, we decided to launch a tool where members can raise an issue and directly share it with other members. What is the Forum for?

Sharing best practices among members

Seeking for advice from other ECG members on legal, operational, quality issues or even on regional topics

Giving feedback on topics that are of interest to other members

How it works?

You should have your personal login for the ECG website

If you don’t yet have a personal login, please ask for one from the ECG Secretariat

The personal login is needed as the post on the Forum will be linked to your name

Please read the legal disclaimer before using the Forum

The language of the Forum is English

We hope ECG members will start using the Forum on a regular basis! If you have any suggestions on how to improve the Forum, please contact the ECG Secretariat with your ideas.

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Events in Brussels

Rail Forum Europe holds an event on the Future of rail freight on 5th December

FEPORT is organising its second annual stakeholder conference on 8th December (ECG and Board member Michael Bünning will speak there)

ECG always attends these events whenever possible. If a member is interested in any of

them, please contact ECG.

slipstreaming and thus achieve fuel savings of up to 10% for the entire platoon. The reduction in fuel consumption also reduces carbon emissions. “Our target is to become the driver of digital business models in the transport and logistics industry and to be the provider of choice for customers seeking both digital and non-digital services,” said Jochen Thewes, Chairman of the Management Board of DB Schenker. “We therefore welcome this opportunity to co-operate with MAN and test platooning at an early stage in day-to-day operations between land transport terminals. DB Schenker and MAN expect this partnership to generate new findings for optimising logistics processes.” Ewald Kaiser, Member of the Management Board for Land Transport at DB Schenker, added: “The project focuses on customer demand for completely transparent as well as faster and more eco-friendly processes. On the whole, we expect this to deliver a significant increase in efficiency by linking up new solutions with the logistics processes of our customers. We believe that networked and automated driving has enormous potential.” Joachim Drees, Chairman of the Executive Boards of MAN SE and MAN Truck & Bus, emphasised the advantages of truck platoons from the point of view of the vehicle manufacturer: “Platooning is a real benefit to transport safety. Human error is unfortunately one of the most frequent causes of rear-end collisions. Linking trucks together electronically provides us with a promising approach to this problem. Slipstreaming brings a major reduction in fuel consumption in the process. At the same time, platooning will enable us to make much more efficient use of the transport infrastructure.” He also underlined, however, that important pre-conditions for making platooning a standard procedure have yet to be created. “Whether the concept can be realised on a wide scale will depend to a large extent on the legal framework. MAN will offer such a system once the legal setting for it has been created.” In the first phase of the project, DB Schenker and MAN Truck & Bus will clarify the fundamental issues for trial operations, identify suitable scenarios for testing platooning operations and define the technical and logistical requirements for the compilation of platoons. Another project area will deal with the collection and provision of the necessary information and the use of that information by the truck manufacturer and logistics specialist. The partners will also look at the scope for combining platooning with other digital services as well as questions of costs and savings potential. The project will additionally investigate the requirements that platooning drivers have to satisfy as well as the general impact of this new technology on the truck as a workplace, now and in future. “Many of these things are still a long way off into the future, but we wish to test and help to shape this future, and to provide inspiration and incentive,” said Jochen Thewes. “We want to integrate networked, self-driving trucks into our logistics processes and find out what benefits – apart from the savings in fuel consumption – can be achieved for our customers and operational processes.”

European road freight ‘on the threshold of systemic change’ (Source: Lloyd’s Loading List, 29th November 2016) The European road freight industry is on the threshold of a period of systemic change that will transform its operating models and disrupt markets, according to a new report from Transport Intelligence (Ti). The latest edition of its European Road Freight Transport 2016 report highlights several competing alternative fuels that are being developed “and although still not competitive against fossil fuels at the moment, they have the potential to transform the industry in the near future”. It also highlights trends among vehicle manufacturers, which “are investing huge sums in battery technology and it seems inevitable that in the next five years it will become feasible for even the largest trucks to be powered by electricity”. Other key observations include:

The road freight sector is not one single market. Rather, it is divided up into a number of different segments that may overlap, yet operate indistinctly different patterns and serve different customer types.

The European road freight transport market is highly fragmented. The top 10 players are estimated to have accounted for only 10% of the market in 2015.

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In 2015 the European road freight market is estimated to have grown by 2.5% in nominal terms, slightly lower than 2.8% growth in 2014.

Market growth has been driven by volume growth in 2016, whereas the impact of changing transport prices is thought to have been smaller than the previous year, but slightly negative overall.

Implementation of a minimum hourly wage for drivers in France and Germany is likely to affect the cost structure of road freight providers operating in these markets.

Ti Economist David Buckby commented: “Both 2015 and 2016 appear to be years where the European road freight market has once again grown in the low single digits. The underlying demand environment appears to have been a little better in 2015 and 2016 than in 2014, though lower diesel prices have curtailed overall growth.” He said the main driver of change in road freight pricing was the cost of fuel. Buckby continued: “It is perhaps surprising that cheaper fuel has not had more of a negative impact on market growth, though other costs continue to rise and in any case there is no guarantee that lower overall costs translate perfectly to lower rates, in the short run or otherwise.” As well as the recent impact of diesel prices, European Road Freight Transport 2016 examines alternative fuels and their potential to transform the industry. Although governments around the world have invested heavily in the concept of alternative fuel strategies, using alternative fuels in engines designed for petrol-based fuel is not straightforward. For example, if bioethanol makes up more than a certain percentage of the fuel by volume, its corrosive nature means that engine components must be replaced. Several competing alternative fuels are being developed and although not competitive against fossil fuels at the moment, they have the potential to transform the industry in the near future. Other technologies examined in the report include Transport Management Systems, autonomous vehicles and the potential impact of drones.

France demands European Commission to ‘clean up’ road freight (Source: Lloyd’s Loading List, 28th November 2016) French Transport minister Alain Vidalies has called for the creation of a European agency to regulate road haulage along the lines of those that already exist in the air and maritime sectors. Evoking unfair competition through doctored tachographs to mask driving hours that exceed the legal limits, he said the agency would serve to clean up the sector and rid it of firms who exploit ‘posted’ workers in the EU. During a visit to the European Parliament last week where he met with European Transport commissioner Violeta Bulc, he said: “It’s an absolute necessity that a regulatory agency be set up and that each Member State does what is required to ensure unfair competition no longer exists in the transport sector. This is not the case today. We are up against fraudulent activity that is very well organised.” Vidalies said tachograph fraud was preventing the normal functioning of the road haulage market. “There needs to be a European response to this problem; otherwise it will be left to each country to find its own solution, and this could well fuel anti-European sentiment.” France, along with Germany, is lobbying to include road transport in a proposed revision of a European directive on ‘posted’ workers as a way of bringing an end to the practice of firms based in ‘low-cost’ EU states employing staff in other states on the cheap - by not respecting local legislation relating to employer contributions and minimum wage legislation. However, revising the directive has triggered strong opposition from 11 Member States, the majority in eastern Europe, notably Poland. They argue that changes would reduce the competitiveness of their firms.

ECG Office

Mike Sturgeon Executive Director

T: +32 2 706 8282 Mike.sturgeon@ecgassociation.eu

Cliona Cunningham

External Relations Manager

T : +32 2 706 8285

cliona.cunningham@ecgassociation.eu

Oleh Shchuryk Research & Projects Manager

T: +32 2 706 8279 oleh.shchuryk@ecgassociation.eu Szilvi Kiss Research & Projects Manager

T: +32 2 706 8284 szilvi.kiss@ecgassociation.eu

Andreea Priftis Communications Officer

T: +32 2 706 8280 info@ecgassociation.eu

External:

Tom Antonissen EU Affairs Adviser tom.antonissen@ecgassociation.eu

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Tel: +32-2-706-82-80, info@ecgassociation.eu; www.ecgassociation.eu

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French minister trades blows with MEPs over dieselgate and Renault (Source: EurActiv, 25th November 2016) Ecology Minister Ségolène Royal travelled to Strasbourg on 24th November to defend her response to the dieselgate scandal. But the meeting rapidly escalated, with MEPs criticising the minister’s reluctance to punish French automotive champion Renault. “I thought you invited me to congratulate me, thank goodness I came here to explain the situation to you,” said a tense Royal at the end of her hearing with MEPs. The French Minister for Ecology was forced to defend her government’s actions against tough questioning from Members of the European Parliament’s Committee of Inquiry into Emission Measurements in the Automotive Sector (EMIS). Royal argued that the French response to the scandal, which broke with revelations that Volkswagen had used sophisticated software to cheat emissions tests, had been exemplary. But many MEPs did not agree. “I launched a series of tests for French vehicle manufacturers just eight days after the VW scandal broke,” Royal said, adding that she was “the only minister to have established the principle of transparency” in the committee tasked with investigating emissions from French vehicles. “No European country has sped up the checks and lawsuits against their national manufacturers,” she said, in response to accusations that she was protecting Renault. Beside setting up the “Royal” committee, the government also referred the case to the French competition authority, opening the door to legal proceedings. Despite Royal’s assurances that the French government acted in good faith, MEPs did not pull their punches, accusing the minister of playing a double game and trying to protect France’s national champion. Renault’s emissions tests yielded very different result when conducted under laboratory and real world conditions. One of the MEPs’ main grudges was France’s decision in October 2015 to back a proposal to relax emissions standards for nitrogen oxides, after Royal publicly spoke out against it. “The French civil service stepped in on this without my instruction,” she said, even going as far as to suggest she may have been undermined by another minister. “I have disowned the decisions of my administration [on this subject]”, she said. The minister’s response did not go down well, particularly among the French members of the committee. “She completely refuses to accept her mistakes and her shortcomings. It takes away a lot of credibility when you say that you are not responsible for the mistakes of your administration, that you are not responsible for the decisions taken in your name,” said French liberal MEP Dominique Riquet (ALDE group). The “Royal” committee’s protective attitude towards Renault, which is 20% state-owned and is one of the worst performers according to the committee of inquiry’s emissions tests, was also roundly criticised by MEPs. “A certain amount of care was taken in reporting the test results to members of the committee,” said Charlotte Lepitre from the NGO France Nature Environnement. “It is true that France was the first country to launch a committee of inquiry. It is very French: we are the first to start and the last to finish,” she added. But Royal refuted those allegations. “These petty accusations that the French government is out to protect its own manufacturers are beyond belief,” the minister said, accusing Renault’s competitors of fuelling the fire. The question of whether Renault used software to cheat emissions tests or simply tuned its engines ahead of the tests was not answered by the “Royal” committee. “We will have an answer to the question of cheating software with the second phase of testing in December,” Royal said.

The future of mobility - How rail can make it greener (Source: CER, 29th November 2016) On 28th November, the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), with the kind support of the Slovak Presidency of the EU, organised a political debate on the contribution of railways in low-emission mobility. CER was pleased to welcome Maroš Šefčovič, European Commission Vice-President for Energy Union, as the event’s keynote speaker. The debate focused on Europe’s low-emission mobility strategy. It’s a fact that transport is now the only sector increasing its greenhouse gas emissions in Europe, as revealed in the annual EU emission inventory released in June 2016 by the European Environment Agency. That’s why the transport sector needs to be placed at the heart of EU climate and energy policies to effectively tackle the emissions. Shifting more transport to rail will contribute to transport decarbonisation as well as increased energy security. In addition to Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, Slovak Deputy Permanent Representative Alexander Micovčin, MEP Ismail Ertug (S&D, DE), European Commission Acting Director for DG MOVE Directorate B Herald Ruijters, Thalys CEO Agnès Ogier and NSB CEO Geir Isaksen reflected upon greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, the environmental commitment of the European railways, as well as the EU strategy and actions. European Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Maroš Šefčovič said: “If we want to retain our European way of life in the future, Europe needs to remain competitive. Building the Energy Union is one of the key initiatives promoting the competitiveness of Europe while also making sure we lead on Climate Action. The promotion of low-emission mobility is essential. On 20th July, the Commission adopted the European Strategy for Low-Emission Mobility. Since rail transport is among the most energy-efficient modes, larger volumes of rail transport flows should lead to a reduction in the overall energy consumption.” CER Executive Director Libor Lochman said: “Decarbonising the transport sector remains both a challenge and an opportunity for European policymakers, and low-carbon transport modes such as rail can play a big role in effectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Rail is the most energy and emissions-

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Tel: +32-2-706-82-80, info@ecgassociation.eu; www.ecgassociation.eu

9

efficient major mode of transport and when coupled with active mobility modes such as walking and cycling, a wider move towards a low-emission EU transport system can be achieved.”

REST OF THE WORLD

PSA Group bolsters its commitment to Tunisia (Source: Automotive Purchasing, 29th November 2016) PSA Group and STAFIM, Peugeot’s long-term partner in Tunisia, have signed a letter of intent to assemble and sell a Peugeot brand Pick-up truck in Tunisia. This planned assembly plant will start operations in mid-2018, producing 1,200 units annually to meet the demand in the Tunisian market. This agreement falls within the core model strategy of the ‘Push to Pass’ organic profitable growth plan, demonstrating the Group’s intention to build its presence in the Pick-Up segment. At the ‘Tunisia 2020’ International Conference on Investment held in Tunis, with Béji Caïd Essebsi, President of Tunisia and Manuel Valls, the French Prime Minister in attendance, Jean-Christophe Quémard, Executive Vice-President for Middle East & Africa, reaffirmed the PSA Group’s commitments and goals for investment in Tunisia and throughout the region. With annual sales volume in excess of €250m, the PSA Group plays a key role in the growth of the Tunisian automotive industry. On this occasion, Jean-Christophe Quémard declared: “As a long-standing partner in the growth of the Tunisian automotive sector through its three brands, Peugeot, Citroen and DS, with this project, the PSA Group shows its intent to lead.”

Volkswagen to start assembly in Algeria in Sovac joint venture (Source: Automotive Logistics, 30th November 2016) Volkswagen is setting up a joint venture with its local partner in Algeria for the assembly of VW, Seat and Škodabrands, including commercial vehicles. Sovac has been VW’s import and sales partner in Algeria since 2001 and previously vehicles for that market have been imported as finished units from plants in Europe. With the set-up of the joint venture – Sovac Production SPA – work has begun on an assembly building in the region of Relizane, west of Algiers. VW said the plant would be building up production capacity from the second quarter of 2017 to more than 100 vehicles a day. Those vehicles will include VW Golf, Seat Ibiza, Škoda Octavia and the Caddy from VW Commercial Vehicles. “For us, local assembly is an effective way of starting production in Algeria,” said Andreas Lauenroth, Head of foreign production for the VW brand. “We will be providing targeted training for local employees in quality, production and logistics at the European production facilities of our brands. This will enable us to reach ‘made in Europe’ quality standards in Algeria.” The vehicles built at the Relizane facility are most likely to be assembled from complete knockdown (CKD) kits imported from Germany and Spain though further details on the delivery routes and partners have not so far been made available. “The Volkswagen Group opted for participation in Sovac Production SPA as we have co-operated successfully with our sales partner Sovac for many years,” said Dr Josef Baumert, member of the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles board of management responsible for production and logistics. “For us, this is a logical step towards increasing vehicle sales in Algeria in the long term.” The news comes after VW committed to production of the Polo Vivo in Kenya as part of strategy to expand its operations in Africa. That project is also being carried out in conjunction with its local import and sales partner, DT Dobie. Units of the Polo Vivo are being assembled from CKD kits at a plant operated by Kenya Vehicle Manufacturers from next year. The kits are being supplied from VW ’s Uitenhage plant in South Africa.

K Line enhances Ro-Ro services in Thailand-Australia trade (Source: Automotive Supply Chain, 29th November 2016) There are currently strong car sales in Australian domestic market, and it is forecasted to steadily and continuously grow in the future as well. On the other hand, the structure of Australian automobile industry is drastically changing, and imported vehicles are taking the place of domestic produced vehicles in the market. In this connection, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) has decided to enhance its Ro-Ro service in Thailand-Australia trade by commencing brand-new service route of anti-clockwise loop in addition to current existing clockwise loop. With this service enhancement, they will provide shortest transit time to each Australian Port with additional frequency and more sufficient and reliable carrying capacity, supporting the increasing transportation demand in the growing import automotive market in Australia. K Line will continue its offering of a solid Ro-Ro service in Thailand-Australia trade by utilising its business expertise and know-how which has been acquired through its long experience since the service began. The clockwise service will run on a weekly basis, every Saturday at Laem Chabang. The new anti-clockwise service will significantly increase frequency around the region, adding two additional sailings per month.

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Tel: +32-2-706-82-80, info@ecgassociation.eu; www.ecgassociation.eu

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PRESS RELEASES

Pioneer of vehicle logistics – Horst Mosolf joins logistics Pantheon (Source: Horst Mosolf, 28th November 2016) Entrepreneur Horst Mosolf (*1928 †2015) will join the ranks of the pantheon members as a pioneer of vehicle logistics and inventor of specialised automotive transport. He was already setting new benchmarks in specialised automobile transports back in the 1950s and revolutionised the transport industry in this segment. Among other things, he commissioned the construction of the first double-decker wagon in 1959. The motto for the 2016 voting period for the Logistics Hall of Fame was “Historic Milestones of Logistics” and in total, 13 big names from the field of transport, intralogistics, IT and insurance will be welcomed to the pantheon of the world’s most famous logisticians this year. “The new members complete the timeline of milestone achievements in logistics and illustrate how logistics has made life better and safer over the course of time,” is how Anita Würmser, Executive Jury Chairperson of the Logistics Hall of Fame, explains the decision of the jury of international experts. The official induction ceremony took place during a gala dinner at the Federal Transport Ministry on 29th November in Berlin. The aim of the Logistics Hall of Fame is to document key milestones in logistics and honour the people behind them, in order to underline the performance capability of logistics and to improve the image of logistics.

Mrs. Barbara Koncewicz – the winner of The Automotive Global Awards 2016! (Source: Adampol, 25th November 2016) The Director of the Sales Department of Adampol SA – Mrs. Barbara Koncewicz was presented with the awards Rising Star Supply Chain 2016 in the plebiscite where the award is given to the best and most effective companies at the automotive market – The Automotive Global Awards. The ceremonial presentation took place on 9th November during the ball in Claridges Hotel in London. Mrs. Barbara Koncewicz, during her 22-years work experience in Adampol SA, has learned all the secrets of the automotive branch. The projects managed by her contributed to the great development of the company and the achievement of the international carrier’s status.

All the employees of Adampol SA are very proud of the victory and look forward to new achievements!

SETRAM incorporates electric vehicles into the operations of Barcelona port terminal (Source: SETRAM, 28th November 2016) SETRAM, multimodal logistics operator specialized in automotive logistics, has included four electric vehicles in the operations of its vehicle terminal in the Port of Barcelona. It is a pioneer innovation - bringing significant CO2 level reduction - in the port logistics solutions for the automotive industry. Economic savings and pollution reduction were the drivers for searching alternative vehicle-propulsion energy sources in the activities of this operator, specialized in automotive logistics. The first studies were carried out back in 2010; however, technology and car adaptation were still in an initial development phase at that point.

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Tel: +32-2-706-82-80, info@ecgassociation.eu; www.ecgassociation.eu

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In the summer of 2015, SETRAM carried out a new feasibility study, which conclusions were favourable to the use of electric vehicles in its port terminal. This initiative joined the on-going SETRAM’s initiative to implement the requirements of ISO 14001. In this way, the project of integrating electric vehicles became a reality. The project also involved the installation of fast charging poles to meet vehicle productivity requirements. Four Peugeot iPartner commercial vehicles, rented from Alphabet, will provide support to SETRAM’s operations as well as complementary added-value services. The next stage of this initiative will consist in increasing the number of SETRAM’s electric vehicles in the terminal of Port of Barcelona, benefiting of the subsidies foreseen for the next fiscal period. MOVEA 2 in 2017 and the evolution of electric cars The MOVEA 2 Plan will enter into force on 1st January 2017 in Spain, which will aid alternative-fuelled vehicles with a total amount of €17m. It will include little changes as compared with the current period; however, one of them will be a limit of €4,000 per company, versus the limit for individuals, which will remain at €5,500. In terms of the future of the electric cars in Spain, the market is still modest and calls for more economic vehicles, a nationwide network of charging facilities and fast-charging domestic plugs. However, the irruption of self-driven cars by 2020 could boost the sales of electric cars in the mid-term.

The Port Authority of Valencia will invest €50m in Valencia Zaragoza railway (Source: Port Authority of Valencia, 29th November 2016) The Port Authority of Valencia (PAV) will invest €50m to improve the rail freight line between Valencia and Zaragoza; an agreed concept with Ports of the State that will be incorporated in the next Business Plan of the Port Authority of Valencia and processed through the Financial Fund of Port Accessibility. The announcement of the investment was made by the President of Comunitat Valenciana, Ximo Puig, after the meeting held in Valencia with the President of the Government of Aragon, Javier Lambán and the president of PAV Aurelio Martínez. The investment of PAV is in addition to the actions foreseen in the 2017 Investment Plan, which was recently closed with State Ports, which provide €31m for the rail access to Sagunto (€20m through the Financial Fund of Port Accessibility); €4m for the sidings in the stretch to Teruel, which are extended to €13m for the improvement of sidings so as to allow the crossing of compositions of 750 m; And €3m in 2020 for a railway station to support the Port of Sagunto. In total, almost €100m. According to the President of PAV, “the level of investment to be taken by PAV will allow an improvement in the competitiveness of the use of the line and that it becomes an operational corridor and able to serve rail freight traffic between Aragon / Valle del Ebro and the Ports of Sagunto and Valencia; As well as solving the multiple bottlenecks in the road.”

UECC’s has taken delivery of TBN AUTO ENERGY – the second of the world’s first LNG Pure Car and Truck Carriers (Source: UECC, 30h November 2016) The formal delivery ceremony for TBN AUTO ENERGY took place on 29 November 2016 at the NACKS shipyard in Nantong, China and the vessel was successfully delivered to United European Car Carriers (UECC) at 17:00 hrs (local time). Mr. Glenn Edvardsen, CEO of UECC, began his speech with, “To construct the most technically advanced PCTC ever built, where the LNG installation would be a pioneering design, and one of the largest employed on any commercial vessel, and the largest yet of its kind on a pure car and truck carrier, we all knew already then that this would be a very challenging task ahead. Needless to say, this required highly skilled and a dedicated group of engineers along with great teamwork and co-operation from all. The result of this long process is the vessel you see here: A triumph of engineering, teamwork and international co-operation. AUTO ENERGY will help UECC achieve its vision: To be recognised as the leading provider of short sea Ro/Ro transport in Europe. But more than that, the AUTO ENERGY serves as a bold statement of UECC’s commitment to environmental sustainability.”

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Mr. Han Chengmin, President of NACKS stated: “Green shipping is a dream that is pursued by all the shipping companies in the world, the delivery of AUTO ENERGY marks one firm step in pacing towards building global environmental friendly vessels. During her construction, NACKS undertakes the trust from Owner, and collaborate with the people from more than ten different nationalities; it is beyond the diversity of regions, cultures and companies. We are honoured to make this dream realized as one partner.

Under great support of UECC, Wallenius Lines, NYK Line, site office and LR surveyors, NACKS completed all the items including sea trial and gas trial. We will never forget that all of you make us confident when we face the difficulties together, and we will never forget that all of you make us motivated when we trust each other, taking this opportunity, we would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to all the concerned parties. Additionally, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to KHI for their kind support and to NACKS staffs for their feeling of responsibility.” As reported earlier, UECC, jointly owned by Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) and Wallenius Lines, has signed a contract to construct two dual fuel LNG PCTCs with 1A Super Finnish/Swedish ice class. TBN AUTO ENERGY was the second of these vessels to be delivered. The launch of the two vessels also constitutes a milestone in the history of the global shipping industry as well as for UECC. We are proud of being a frontrunner for a greener shipping industry. With the two new vessels in our fleet, we are able to deliver more sustainable, stable and efficient services to our customers.