Business, Forwarding, Freight News, Logistics


Clecat welcomes Brussels plans to cut red tape

[ February 28, 2025   //   ]

European forwarders group Clecat has welcomed the European Commission’s Omnibus proposals, saying that they are a significant step towards regulatory simplification and reduced administrative burden for many sectors, including the European freight and customs sector. It says that the initiative to streamline compliance obligations across key EU legislative frameworks marks an important shift towards a more business-friendly regulatory environment while maintaining sustainability and transparency objectives.

CLECAT commended the Commission for its pragmatic approach in refining the implementation of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) as the 50-tonne annual weight-based exemption would provide relief for smaller importers. CLECAT is equally pleased with further flexibilities for business to manage their CBAM obligations in a manner that best suits their operations, in particular the possibility for declarants to delegate CBAM reporting to a person acting on their behalf and in the name of the declarant.

Customs Manager at CLECAT, Eva Cartwright, noted: “The Commission has delivered a well-balanced solution that effectively addresses industry concerns. The proposal maintains and expands the use of default values including regional adaptations, introduces a realistic exemption threshold, enhances customs data integration and eliminates some redundant reporting steps overall demonstrating that policymakers have listened to the logistics sector.”

Clecat also welcomed adjustments to the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which it added would bring much-needed proportionality and legal certainty to sustainability obligations. The Omnibus package will also ensure that approximately 80% of companies are excluded from the scope of CSRD, focusing sustainability reporting obligations on the largest businesses that are likely to have the greatest impact on people and the environment.

It also noted: “We appreciate that the reporting requirements for large companies will be structured to ensure they do not create an undue burden on smaller businesses in their value chains. This is important for small and medium-sized freight forwarders as we expect the amount of information required by their clients in the scope of the CSRD, including GHG emissions from transport operations, to be proportionate.”

Clecat director general, Nicolette van der Jagt, stated: “These reforms reflect a strong commitment from the European Commission to ensuring a more efficient and competitive regulatory environment for logistics service providers and customs agents.  CLECAT looks forward to continuing collaboration with policymakers to ensure smooth implementation and further enhancements where needed.”

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