Shaping European logistics

Acting as a contact point with European decision-makers and sister associations in other countries, Sarah is responsible for informing FTA members – in particular European road freight operators – of regulatory changes affecting their operations in Europe. Prior to this role, Sarah worked as a European Policy Advisor at SNCF, focusing on the multimodal activities of the group, including its logistics subsidiary.

How did you get your start in transport and European policy?

I discovered the world of transport while I was at university, studying towards a career in law or policy. I realised I was much more interested in the case studies that dealt with transport than in any other sector. After graduating I joined SNCF and ended up working on the European policies affecting its logistics subsidiary.

You joined FTA in 2017. What does your current role entail?

My role is to shape the decisions taken by EU policymakers that affect FTA members in order to get the best possible outcome for them. It ranges from drivers’ hours rules to the future border checks on imports and exports of agrifood products. I am also in charge of providing information to European road freight service subscribers about the rules applying to their operations in the different European countries.

How do you represent the needs of UK logistics to EU politicians and senior officials?

Being constructive and perseverant is key. A crucial part of the job is to meet policymakers to explain the potential impact of the measures they are considering and to make alternative suggestions. But there is a lot of preparatory work before such meetings – fine-tuning arguments, gathering data and evidence to support our positions, etc. I have also spearheaded various coalitions with other trade associations from other sectors and other countries.

Since you joined FTA, the UK government has been overwhelmingly concerned with Brexit. Has it been exciting to work at the heart of such a key policy area?

It has certainly been very exciting to work on Brexit, not least because it sheds light on the incredible contribution of the logistics industry to UK plc and to our daily lives as consumers. I have to admit it has also been worrying at times, in particular when we were facing a very tangible prospect of a no-deal exit, because what is at stake is very serious. Luckily, the logistics sector is resilient and resourceful; it has been very humbling to work alongside incredibly professional people from across the industry.

As the representative of a UK business group, has your relationship with your European contacts changed since the UK left the EU on 31 January?

I still have very regular contacts with my counterparts in trade associations from European countries and with MEPs and European Commission officials. Of course, the UK no longer has MEPs and there are no longer any UK government representatives around the EU table, which means the way I work in Brussels is changing but I can still count on the diverse network of contacts from all EU countries I have built up over the years.

The transition period currently only runs until the end of 2020. How much trade negotiation work is there to be done in the months remaining?

A lot of negotiation work remains to be done! The Withdrawal Agreement ensures nothing changes until the end of the transition period but it doesn’t address what happens next – except for the movement of goods between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. From maintaining transport connectivity in all modes, to mutual recognition of professional qualifications or the frequency of border checks on meat or vegetables, negotiators will have to cover a lot of ground. The negotiation priorities for logistics are outlined in FTA’s Keeping the UK and the EU trading blueprint.

One of your projects has been the EU Mobility Package. How do you think this will impact on the logistics sector in the UK?

The first changes will kick in this summer and they will affect drivers’ hours rules. Transport managers and drivers will have to get familiar with a few novelties – FTA can help! Another very concrete impact will be the roll out of a new type of smart tachograph from 2023 for newly-registered vehicles. The technical specifications for this future version are being developed right now and one of my obsessions at the moment is to make sure that tachograph manufacturers deliver on time.

What has been your biggest policy win since being at FTA?

I was quite proud of having secured a no-deal contingency measure last year that was to maintain permit-free road connectivity and avoid a cliff-edge. There were only a handful of people in the whole of Europe who were on the case and I was ahead of the curve on this on behalf of FTA members. In non-Brexit territory, I also convinced MEPs not to require domestic van operators to apply drivers’ hours rules and fit their vehicles with tachographs overnight.

Looking ahead to 2021, how do you think the relationship between the UK logistics industry and the EU transport sector will evolve?

The last two to three years have taught me that crystal ball predictions are a risky business. But if I were to make an educated guess, I would say there will probably be a specialisation trend and an increased use of customs brokers and intermediaries. Supply chains will transform themselves as companies reassess their sourcing strategies and transport routes.

Published On: 01/04/2020 12:11:41

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