On 9 August, the European Commission launched a call for evidence inviting feedback on the performance of the Consortia Block Exemption Regulation (CBER). This EU law exempts liner shipping consortia from EU antitrust rules under a series of conditions outlined in its text.
ETA, together with its stakeholders in the maritime and logistics sectors, has been calling for a review of CBER for several years due to the disruptive effects that this Regulation has generated, especially since the Regulation was last renewed in April 2020, with many sailings being cancelled or diverted to other ports while time shipping rates have risen to a level 3 to 4 times higher than in 2019.
“We are glad that the European Commission has launched the evaluation of the CBER. We, ETA, hope that the Commission will be carrying out a review bearing in mind that circumstances in the shipping sector have changed, many issues and questions have been raised by reports that have been published by different organizations and stakeholders. ETA is hoping as well, that the Commission will go beyond the legal criteria for assessment and will also take into consideration other relevant factors. Finally, we should bear in mind how shipping has evolved and also what the whole logistic chain is going through at the moment“, says Anna Maria Darmanin, ETA Secretary General.
The stakeholders´ feedback will support the Commission in its evaluation on whether the CBER should expire or be extended again, and whether this Regulation should be extended with or without amendments.
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