FIATA wishes all a restful and enjoyable end to 2023!

As the year 2023 comes to a close, FIATA would like to wish all of its members, collaborators, followers and their loved ones a peaceful and enjoyable end to the year, and a happy start into the year 2024!

This year has seen great progress for FIATA and its work (for a summarised overview from the FIATA Director General, click here), with new collaborations, opportunities to meet with members in-person, ongoing work with many global organisations and new partners. We now head into 2024 with a new President and vision (for the President's recent message to the FIATA community, click here), and very much look forward to welcoming you to the 2024 FIATA HQ Meeting in Geneva from 23-26 April 2024!

Of course, none of FIATA's accomplishments this year would have been possible without you, FIATA's members and collaborators. Therefore, a big thanks goes to everyone who worked with the FIATA HQ, the FIATA Bodies and Institutes, Working Groups, the Extended Board, and FIATA Presidency!

2024 FIATA HQ Meeting Registrations officially open!

This week, FIATA was thrilled to launch the registrations for the 2024 FIATA HQ Meeting, which will bring together the FIATA global membership in-person once again. This interactive meeting, with its new warmly welcomed workshop style, will connect FIATA's international community and foster collaboration between members, its HQ team and partners. In particular in 2024, the Presidency welcomes participants to experience an improved programme format aimed at increasing engagement.

The preliminary programme, which will see final update in early February, can be found here. The Extended Board meeting will take place on Friday 26 April in the afternoon after the Closing Ceremony. Information on other invitation-only meetings will be provided by the HQ Team via email.

Registration 

To participate in the FIATA HQ Meeting 2024, please register using the dedicated form.

Should a visa be required to attend the event, please ensure that registration is completed sufficiently in advance of the meeting to allow time for the issuance of a visa letter if required, and for visa processing times.

If a FIATA member is prevented from attending the event in-person due to force majeure, it is advised that they contact the FIATA Events team at events@fiata.org for individual assistance as soon as possible.

Please note that registration to the FIATA HQ Meeting is open until Friday 29 March 2024 inclusive, and that any refund requests are to be made before this date.

Should you have any questions regarding this event, please reach out to the FIATA Events team. 

First in-person Working Group Sea meeting since before the pandemic brings delegates together in São Paolo, Brazil

FIATA was thrilled to bring together its Working Group Sea delegates in São Paolo, Brazil, after a hiatus of many years due to the pandemic, allowing delegates to reconnect and delve into several key maritime topics in depth. The meeting also saw Presidency members attend as observers, providing valuable insights on a high-level. 

Key focus points included an overview of the work done in the past year, Emissions Trading System (ETS) and related surcharges in Europe, updates on FIATA’s IMO observer status, the work of the CIG (Cargo Integrity Group), ICS 2 Release III (see article below for more information), best practices on Detention and Demurrage, and a round table discussion on how to optimise the use of the FIATA Digital FBL and its standard in sea freight. 

The host Association for this occasion was ACTC - Sindicomis (the Brazilian National Association of Forwarding Companies, Air Freight Forwarders, Customs Agents and Intermodal Operators). FIATA thanks ACTC for its support and logistical organisation of the meeting, as well as its proactive efforts in providing key statistics of maritime trade in Brazil and information on the unique challenges faced locally. FIATA also congratulates ACTC for its efforts to promote usage of FIATA Documents and to help shape the future of the supply chain through its advocacy efforts leveraging FIATA resources with regulators. 

Delegates are invited to stay tuned to for more updates from the Working Group, and to register to the 2024 FIATA HQ Meeting to ensure they remain up to date on the most important maritime topics for the year to come.

Update on ICS2 Release III goes live on 3 June 2024

The third release of the European Union’s Customs pre-arrival safety and security system – Import Control System 2 (ICS2) – goes live on 3 June 2024. ICS2 is an IT system that collects data on all goods entering or transiting the EU prior to their arrival. Those involved in handling, shipping, or transporting goods (including express and postal consignments) to or through the EU, Northern Ireland, Norway, or Switzerland by sea and inland waterways, must be aware of the new ICS2 requirements and take the necessary steps to comply with them. These requirements also concern eCommerce businesses.

The EU Commission communicated the ICS2 'go-live' date and deployment window for maritime and inland waterways, and road and rail transport, further information of which is available on the ICS2 Release III page.

A factsheet for the maritime and inland waterways sector is now also available in several languages on the same page, under 'How to prepare'. This includes key information about the changes and steps to get ready. Furthermore, a video and a second factsheet about the technical preparation can be found online. A factsheet for the rail and road sectors is under preparation and will be published in 2024.

Celebrating professional development milestones at the 54th FIATA Diploma Validation/Revalidation sessions

FIATA extends its warmest congratulations to the below Association members for their remarkable achievement in successfully revalidating their training programme leading to the FIATA Diploma during the 54th Validation/Re-validation session: 

• ESTONIAN LOGISTICS & FREIGHT FORWARDING ASSOCIATION (ELFA) - FDFF (FIATA Diploma in Freight Forwarding)
• PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT FORWARDERS ASSOCIATION (PIFFA) - FDFF 
• SRI LANKA FREIGHT FORWARDERS' ASSOCIATION (SLFFA) - FDFF 
• ASSOCIATION FOR TRANSPORT, FREIGHT FORWARDING AND LOGISTICS ORGANIZATIONS IN UKRAINE (UKRZOVNISHTRANS) - FHDSCM (FIATA Higher Diploma in Supply Chain Management)

Interested in taking or delivering the FIATA Diploma? Visit our dedicated webpage, our FAQ page and/or get in touch with us at training@fiata.org.

Agenda

Upcoming events:

• 13-14 February 2024 ¦ IATA-FIATA Consultative Council (IFCC)
• 5-6 March 2024 ¦ RAME Field Meeting 
• 12-14 March 2024 ¦ IATA World Cargo Symposium
• 23-26 April 2024 ¦ 2024 FIATA HQ Meeting