Ukraine Participated in FIATA

 Representatives of OJSC “Zakarpatinterport” took part in the world congress of the Federation of International Associations of Transport Associations (FIATA). The regular congress of the FIATA took place in September 18-21, 2006 in Shanghai (China).

In the congress there participated more than 1100 participants from 86 countries from all over the world. It has been the most numerous congress since the time of its holding.

The issues on secure transporting became the key subject-matter of the congress, and in this connection there was created a special workgroup on issues of ensuring security. In addition, there were held regional meetings of forwarders of Europe, Asia and Africa.

Participants have also touched upon the issue on functioning of the TIR system. In view of this, it was noted that, notwithstanding the fact that the importance of the system for the EU had been decreased, it had considerably increased due to the process of globalization and development of the renewed “Silk Way”.

A lot of companies dealing with transporting of goods made in China from Shanghai to the ports of the western coast of the USA are intended to make it possible to transport these goods by road vehicles also from China to the ports of the Black Sea for markets of Russia, the Middle East, as well as for the future forwarding by ships to the eastern coast of the USA. At present, the USA is the most attractive market for Chinese manufacturers.

At the general meeting the FIATA Presidium nominated the candidature of Vice-President William M. Gottlib (Canada) for the post of the next President of the FIATA. The election will take place at the world FIATA congress in Dubai (the UAE) in 2007. It was also announced that the world FIATA congress of 2008 would be held in Vancouver (Canada), and the congress of 2009 would take place in Geneva. The delegates of the general meeting voted for the admission of Forwarding Associations of Saudi Arabia, Montenegro, Tanzania, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Australia (a new association that had appeared as a result of unification of the two associations) and the Association of Customs Brokers of the USA to the FIATA.

Notes. Forwarders of European countries created professional national associations for protection and lobbying of their interests, and in 1926, in Vienna, national forwarding associations of 16 European countries established the International Federation of Forwarding Associations - the FIATA.

At present the FIATA (“Federation Internationale des Associations de Transitaries et Assimilies” from French) – is the world’s largest powerful and professional, in the sphere of transport, private association combining national associations from 85 countries and approximately 2700 individual members from 140 countries from all over the world.