CANADA/NORTHERN EUROPE CONFERENCES END INLAND PRICING

CANADA/NORTHERN EUROPE CONFERENCES END INLAND PRICING

    The conferences covering the trade between Canada, continental northern Europe and the United Kingdom are the latest conferences to have announced the end of joint inland pricing activities in Europe.
    The Continental Canadian Westbound Freight Conference, the Continental Canadian Eastbound Freight Conference, the Canadian North Atlantic Westbound Freight Conference and the Canadian North Atlantic Eastbound Freight Conference have withdrawn inland tariffs covering road, rail and barge cargo movements within Europe.
    A conference spokesman said that the action has been taken "to ensure compatibility with the regulatory regimes within Europe."
    The European Commission has opposed inland and intermodal pricing by conferences in Europe.
    The conferences said that, in future, only individual carriers will provide quotations of inland rates and intermodal rates containing a European inland segment.
    The conferences will continue to set joint inland and intermodal rates covering inland transport within Canada.
    The members of the conferences are Atlantic Container Line, Canada Maritime, Cast, Hapag-Lloyd and Orient Overseas Container Line.
    The Far Eastern Freight Conference and the Trans-Atlantic Conference Agreement have also recently stopped inland and intermodal rate-making in Europe.