Speaking at the European Shippers Council's (ESC) Shipper's Forum in Lisbon, Chris Bourne, Executive Director of the European Liner Affairs Association (ELAA), has emphasised his members' desire to carry out their business as professionally and as efficiently as possible, providing their customers with a reliable and cost-effective service within the law.

"The lines' relationships with individual shipper customers have, on the whole been good and business-like. It is now time for that harmony to be translated into on-going accord between the representative bodies of both lines and shippers as well as the EC's Directorate General of Competition (DG Comp)," said Mr Bourne. "We need a settled regulatory regime so that lines and their customers can tackle the future challenges that face us in areas such as documentation, congestion, care for the environment and security."

Having looked closely at the post-Conferences situation, which will come into effect when the EC's Regulation 4056/86 is repealed in October 2008, the ELAA made a detailed proposal to the Commission. The proposal outlined certain collaborative practices such as data collection that the ELAA felt were necessary for the on-going provision of liner services in Europe. Mr Bourne outlined these to the Forum and commented, "We are pleased that the measures central to our proposal have been incorporated in the Draft Guidelines recently issued by DG Comp. However we feel more clarity is required in order to eliminate potential ambiguities. We are not asking for special treatment. We are determined to act within the law."

The member lines recently extended the ELAA's remit and it is set to become the new Trade Association called for in the proposal and given the green light by the Draft Guidelines. The ELAA will thus become a forum for discussion that has not existed before and give representation to the lines in cooperating with the EC and shipper bodies alike.