RECOMMENDATIONS
of
XІ International Freight Forwarder’s Day
31 May 2013
Odessa, Ukraine
RECOMMENDATIONS
of
XІ International Freight Forwarder’s Day
XI International Freight Forwarder’s Day will be dedicated to international freight through the regions of
the Black, Baltic and Caspian seas in the North-South and East-West directions. The agenda will address
development of intermodal transport in general. Special attention will be paid to the transition to the electronic
data exchange during international transport, practical application of the electronic CIM/SMGS consignment note,
international trade facilitation using Single Window concept. Also, the delegates will discuss the key aspects of
the vocational training and certification for international freight forwarders under FIATA standards.
The event will be attended by the representatives of the International Federation of Freight Forwarders
Associations (FIATA), UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Ukrainian National Committee of the
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC Ukraine), EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine
(EUBAM), Association of Railway International Electronic Documents Circulation Operators (AED), Ukrainian
government, business community, and delegates from Belgium, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Moldova, United
Arab Emirates, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Ukraine, Czech Republic and Switzerland, amounting to 100
transporters, freight forwarders and logisticians.
The program envisages discussions on the three following modules:
1.
Supply chain. Procedures for optimization and simplification.
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Electronic documents. FIATA electronic documents.
Electronic CIM/SMGS unified consignment note.
Electronic declarations.
2.
Intermodal solutions for transport corridors.
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Trends in intermodal transport.
Creating environmentally sustainable and safe corridors.
Green transport corridors for intermodal transport.
Shift from road to rail and maritime mode.
Single Window – Local Solution project. Electronic manifest.
3. Vocational training in the field of logistics, freight forwarding and supply chain management.
Certification of International Freight Forwarders.
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Training cooperation between National Associations of the CIS and Eastern Europe, using Russian
language for regional business communications.
FIATA interaction with other international organizations on training.
FIATA new training standards and new solutions.
New technologies in vocational training.
Voluntary certification of freight forwarding companies.
To develop appropriate policy for transport industry we offer the following Recommendations for your
consideration:
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1/ Regarding optimization procedures and simplification of supply chain.
To encourage National Associations to specifically inform transporters on the benefits of FIATA documents and
forms, including in the electronic format.
To draw the attention of all parties concerned that the cumbersome border procedures lead to an increase in the
cost of transport and hinder international trade, economic development and foreign investments. It is possible to
make transport and trade efficient by eliminating bottlenecks and implementation of measures to facilitate and
accelerate border crossing procedures.
To draw the attention of all parties concerned to the fact that the International Convention on the Harmonization
of Frontier Controls of Goods, 1982 (Convention on Harmonization) is a key instrument in the field of border
crossing facilitation and coordinated border management. Its proper application can not only reduce the cost of
transport and trade costs, but also minimize public expenditures on infrastructure and border crossings.
To recommend the stakeholders to take a proactive approach in the development of CIM/SMGS consignment
note, including in the electronic format certified by DS as a customs transit document in international freight
transport. Keep it in mind that Annex 9 to the Convention on Harmonization 1982 allows its usage as a customs
transit document.
To recommend Convention signatories to take internal measures in the shortest possible terms to implement the
provisions of Annexes 8 and 9 of the Convention at the national level with a view to their further practical
application. Joint application of standardized requirements to international freight transport and unified
approaches to border and customs formalities will bring tangible results.
To encourage the stakeholders to contribute to closer cooperation between the various UNECE working bodies
including Working Party on Customs Questions affecting Transport (WP.30), and the Working Party on Rail
Transport (SC.2) to develop measures for implementing Annexes 8 and 9 to the Convention on Harmonization.
To raise awareness on OSCE/UNECE Handbook of Best Practices at Border Crossings, which is a reference
document for policy makers in the development and implementation of measures to improve the efficiency of
trade, transport, border and customs policies, i.e. a useful tool assisting in simplification of border crossing
procedures in general.
To draw the attention to the Statement of VII Inter-Agency Meeting on facilitation of border crossing in
international rail freight and passenger transport in the UNECE ITC and OSJD. To promote active implementation
of the Programme of Action to facilitate cross-border rail transport, adopted at the VII OSJD Inter-Agency
Meeting on facilitation of border crossing in international rail freight and passenger transport.
To recommend the stakeholders to foster efficient public-private partnerships to promote the adoption of
measures to facilitate border crossing, in particular:
• to monitor the situation at border crossings and to share that information with the stakeholders,
• to comply with infrastructure requirements for the efficient functioning of border crossings,
• to use information and communication technologies (ICT) to speed up border crossing procedures.
To participate actively in the work of UNECE ITC developing Euro-Asian rail transport and the creation of a unified
railway law aimed at further strengthening of cooperation in the field of Euro-Asian rail transport, which will
contribute to the creation of a unified legal environment for international rail transport, equivalent to those
existing in other modes such as road, air, inland waterway and maritime transport.
To review existing international agreements for various modes of transport (rail, road, air, inland waterway and
maritime) and related agreements in order to identify policies and procedures that are important for the creation
of a single rail legislation.
To study the best practices in border crossing facilitation developed by international governmental and nongovernmental organizations, to identify new areas of cooperation between OSJD and CIT member states,
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railways, customs and border control authorities. To use the existing agreements, treaties, conventions and
recommendations of UNECE, UNESCAP, OSJD, OTIF, and CIT in the facilitation of rail border crossings.
To take measures to encourage the widest possible use of electronic documents and intelligent transport
systems; creation of community systems for ports, airports, and other major international transport hubs based
on the Single Window concept in accordance with the UNECE Recommendations No. 33, 34 35.
To support the initiative of Public Council under the State Aviation Service of Ukraine to establish the Working
Group to coordinate the pilot project to implement the E-freight standard in Ukraine, consisting of delegates from
airlines, airports, agency and freight forwarding organizations.
To examine the best practices in application of multinational information systems for data exchange between
transport operators and government agencies, allowing to form, transmit and process information in electronic
format, such as a TIR-EPD, established by the International Road Transport Union (IRU).
To recognize that the development of information exchange systems for the facilitation of international trade
should be based on the interoperability between information systems of government agencies and business
community. Special mechanisms should provide transport operators with an opportunity to submit information in
electronic format to control authorities only once without re-submission at the border of neighboring State.
To draw attention to the fact that international agreements are the main tools for solving the problems of border
crossing facilitation.
To draw attention of stakeholders that UNECE serves as an international center for global ITS, providing
assistance to decision-makers, spreading best practices, building capacity, and conducting research. This role
corresponds to the work UNECE successfully conducted for 60 years, and its policies, focused on promoting the
development of ITS, as it may: a) be a partner in solving the problems of internal transport, b) serve as a forum
bringing together partners from all transport world; c) be the platform to find innovative solutions and d)
promote open and transparent dialogue between governments, experts and the public.
To step up stakeholders’ efforts in building close cooperation with UNECE, European Union, experts and other
stakeholders involved in ITS around the world through the implementation of The Road Map: 20 global actions to
promote the use of ITS.
To draw attention to the fact that an efficient and technically coherent European rail system is the most
important prerequisite for a modal shift to rail, especially taking into account the need to meet the requirements
of UNECE set out in the White Paper, which is the strategy of creating competitive transport system, "Transport
2050" stating that by 2030 in Europe 30% of goods carried more than 300 km to be transported by rail or water
transport, and by 2050 this figure should be more than 50%.
To recommend the Governments to analyze the EU Member States enforcement of procedures for optimizing and
simplifying the supply chain, and if necessary, to submit proposals for revisions to the internal legislation of
stakeholders.
To draw attention to Eurasian Union of Transport, Freight Forwarding and Logistics Organizations (ESTELO)
established on 20.06.2012 in Moscow. Its main objective is to integrate and harmonize the relations between the
transport business communities in order to develop a common regulatory framework regulating the transport
activity and roads, creation of supply chain, transport corridors, harmonization of transport legislation,
implementation of a uniform tariff policy, the elimination of administrative barriers impeding international
transport of goods.
2/ Regarding intermodal solutions for transport corridors.
To consider joining the Agreement on the development of freight traffic in the direction of the Baltic Sea - Black
Sea as of 12.05.2008 for the purpose of developing and strengthening cooperation between the parties in the
development and launching of international freight transport, including intermodal, in the direction of the Baltic
Sea - Black Sea.
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To support the initiative of Ukraine regarding the possibility of creating the international transport corridor Baltic
Sea - Black Sea (in the framework of intermodal transport development in the direction of the Baltic Sea - Black
Sea) which accepts all modes of transport, including VIKING combined train.
To draw attention to the fact that the use of VIKING train platform will increase the efficiency of transport links
between the stakeholders to conduct container and piggyback freight in the Baltic and Black seas, in the direction
of the Europe-Caucasus-Asia via TRACECA corridor, as well as from Turkey and Middle East to Europe and back,
which in turn contributes to the active development of intermodal transport and introduction of innovations to
improve transport and logistics products to ensure safe, environmentally-friendly and timely delivery.
To recommend the stakeholders within the CIM area to join the VIKING project.
To draw attention to the new UNECE portal, which provides online information on national policies of the UNECE
Member States to stimulate intermodal transport (http://apps.unece.org/NatPolWP24/).
To draw attention to the fact that Ukraine in 2005 joined European Agreement "On Important International
Combined Transport Lines and Related Installations", concluded on Feb. 1, 1991 in Geneva, thus confirming its
commitment to undertake development of combined transport network in accordance with international
standards.
To draw attention to work conducted by experts of OSJD and CIT aimed at publication of the new version of the
functional, legal, and technical specifications for the electronic CIM/SMGS consignment note.
To draw attention to the work of the CIT Expert Group "Multimodality", which aims to provide the legal provisions
in the framework of CIT, which will meet the needs of its members for mixed rail-ferry transport using CIM/SMGS
consignment note, including the electronic format and certified by EDS as a customs transit document in the
Baltic and Black Seas.
To support the Ukrainian Railways proposal to establish fruitful cooperation between all stakeholders in the
development of intermodal transport in the Black Sea Region at the international seminar of experts on which it
would be appropriate to discuss issues connected with the legal, functional and technical aspects of the rail and
ferry services.
3/ Regarding vocational training in the field of logistics, freight forwarding and supply chain
management. Certification of International Freight Forwarders.
To recommend National Associations (UKRZOVNISHTRANS and AIFFU) to make a written appeal to the FIATA,
CLECAT, UIC, OSJD, CIT, Ukrainian Railways and other organizations concerned about the initiation of a joint
Working Group to develop minimum standards for vocational training of international freight forwarders in rail
transport.
To recommend National Associations (UKRZOVNISHTRANS and AIFFU) to initiate the signing of a Memorandum
of Understanding in the field of training and certification of international freight forwarders operating in the ports
between the Administration of Seaports of Ukraine, FIATA and other interested organizations.
To draw attention of all interested parties on the need to promote FIATA standards in vocational training for
international freight forwarding and supply chain managers as a necessary basic qualification requirements for
the personnel of national freight forwarding and logistics companies.
To encourage the stakeholders to take all possible measures to involve more countries to participate in the
Agreement between the National Associations (FIATA Associate Members), using Russian language for
international communication, to promote cooperation in vocational training in the field of transport, freight
forwarding, logistics, customs and other related services provided by transporters.
To recommend National Associations (UKRZOVNISHTRANS and AIFFU) to take into account the experience of the
Association of Russian Freight Forwarders to implement voluntary certification of freight forwarding companies,
which will rise competitiveness of these organizations in the domestic and foreign markets, and initiate the
creation of joint Working Group on the development and implementation of the relevant standard in Ukraine.
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