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A Renewed Voice for Cold Chain in Europe
GCCA and others issue call to action to policy makers to support industry resilience.
By Shane Brennan

2024 has been billed as the year of elections with critical polls taking place worldwide. That is certainly the case across Europe, and the European parliamentary elections in June will have significant implications for the future of policy in a range of areas that affect the cold chain.

In advance of this, GCCA has come together with nine other organizations to issue a call to action that sets out how the cold chain will support Europe’s goals, and what it needs from decision makers to make this happen.

Speaking at the launch, which happened alongside the GCCA European Conference in Brussels on 11 April, Julie Hanson, Europe Director at GCCA, says, “The cold chain is vital to our European economy and way of life. In recent years, we have proved just how resilient our sector is. Storage and transportation professionals fed Europe during the pandemic and the ensuing energy crisis. During this time, policymakers have realized they can’t take supply chains for granted. Our call to action shows how they can support future success and resilience in our perishable goods supply chains.”

This initiative, coordinated by GCCA, is part of a strategic investment made by the GCCA board to increase advocacy representation for the cold chain in key economic regions. Since mid-2023, GCCA has retained specialist advisors in Brussels who provide intelligent monitoring and advice on how to best identify the decision makers that matter most.

Alongside the launch of the call to action, GCCA held meetings with key European Commission officials in the Trade, Energy and Transport Ministries. As well as appearing before an important meeting of politicians and stakeholders in the European Parliament, having published the call to action, GCCA will be seeking further meetings through the election period and once the new Parliament and Commission are in place.

To follow GCCA’s European advocacy work, sign up to our monthly briefing by emailing sbrennan@gcca.org with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

CALL TO ACTION

We urge all candidates, EU Commission team and national representatives in the European Council to acknowledge the vital role of cold chain businesses in the European economy and society, and collaborate with us to ensure positive outcomes for the future of our supply chains. The 4-Point Plan:

1. Cold Chain Is Vital to a Resilient and Sustainable Food System

We call on the EU to prioritize food security in the farm to fork strategy and recognize the importance of clear regulations and incentives for businesses offering storage and transportation capacity.

2. Cold Chain Will Thrive in a Decarbonized European Energy System

Cold chains need secure, consistent, and affordable energy. The recent energy crisis exposed vulnerabilities in our system. As Europe decarbonizes, it must prioritize food and pharma supply chain infrastructure. To do this, we can incentivize cold chain operators to invest in renewable energy and smart grid integration.

3. Cold Chain Enables European Trade And Economic Growth

Cold chain businesses must be consulted as the EU develops future trade policies to ensure that food security and resilience are at the heart of future trade policies. It must prioritize the capacity and quality of infrastructure for transporting and storing food and pharmaceuticals.

4. Cold Chain Provides Jobs for Today and Tomorrow

Logistics is a promising career path that Europe needs to recognize. Emerging innovations can bring productivity and safety benefits, and we must prepare people with the necessary skills for logistics jobs of the future.

Date

June 23, 2024

Topic

Advocacy, Cold Chain Development, Government & Regulatory Affairs, International