Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine is affecting transport and logistics throughout Europe. Trade with Russia is virtually non-existent. On top of the broken air connections, the container vessels have stopped calling at Russian ports.<\/p>\n
The forest industry delivers products all over the world and is dependent on functioning transport.<\/p>\n
''For us, it is not just a question of deliveries to and from Russia and Ukraine, but also of transports to the rest of the world with staff from these countries, or from other parts of Eastern Europe. Depending on the development, competitiveness and supply of goods can be affected,'' says Karolina Boholm, spokesperson for transport and infrastructure issues at the Swedish Forest Industry Federation (Skogsindustrierna).<\/p>\n
Lack of transport capacity<\/strong><\/p>\n Representatives from the forest industry are concerned about the situation for trucks and the shortage of truck drivers. Even before the war in Ukraine, the lack of capacity was a fact, which the industry attributes in part to the mobility package currently being implemented by EU member states.<\/p>\n ''It is a storm we are seeing, where a number of interacting factors lead to a lack of transport capacity throughout Europe. The EU's mobility package has contributed to a shortage of truck drivers, which the war in Ukraine is now exacerbating. The war is primarily a major humanitarian tragedy. In addition to the human suffering, the financial damage will be great, says Magnus Svensson,'' logistics manager at SCA.<\/p>\n The purpose of the EU Mobility Directive is to reduce the risk of wage dumping and secure the drivers' working environment, an issue that the Swedish government has pursued in the EU.<\/p>\n ''The forest industries are behind the aim of improving drivers' working environment and compliance with regulations in commercial traffic. But the directive stipulates, among other things, that truck drivers must go home to their place of residence every four weeks, which can further reduce the availability of trucks, especially in prevailing circumstances with more complicated border crossings,'' says Karolina Boholm.<\/p>\n Fuel and electricity have become more expensive<\/strong><\/p>\n In the wake of the war, the prices of fuel and electricity have risen markedly, something that affects many industries. In the government's package of measures to alleviate the crisis, it was announced, among other things, that the tax on fuel will be reduced. But that is a fraction of the large price increases for diesel.<\/p>\n ''The immediate effect of the war on the forest industry has been large cost increases on fuel and electricity. Sweden is not as dependent on Russian oil and gas as the rest of Europe, but we are part of the European energy market and are still affected by the general price increase that the war brings. Due to the changed risk picture, hauliers are seeking compensation earlier than usual. It is becoming increasingly difficult to offer reliable delivery capacity to customers,'' says Magnus Svensson.<\/p>\n What can politics do?<\/strong><\/p>\n Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the forest industry has had an ongoing dialogue with the Government Offices.<\/p>\n ''The forest industry highlights the need for efficient transport throughout the EU. There may be a need to temporarily make exceptions from the mobility package. At the same time as we are facing tough sanctions against Russia, we must also ensure that the supply of raw materials works. We will raise these issues in discussions with the Government Offices and other decision-makers in the future, ''says Karolina Boholm.<\/p>\n Magnus Svensson is on the same track and emphasizes how important it is for politicians and decision-makers to listen to the industry in order to keep pace with developments.<\/p>\n ''It is important that the government is highly prepared to take the necessary measures to keep Sweden and the EU going. I have high hopes that this will be the case, but it is not entirely easy for them to know what is going on in our industry from day to day,'' says Magnus Svensson.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is affecting transport and logistics throughout Europe. Trade with Russia is virtually non-existent. On top of the broken air connections, the container vessels have stopped calling at Russian ports. The forest industry delivers products … Continue reading