Parcel Industry Calls for Further Measures to Protect Supply Chains

The Federal Association of Parcel and Express Logistics (BIEK) welcomes the fundamental agreement between the federal government and the states to lift the Sunday driving bans. However, a nationwide and unbureaucratic implementation is essential for the stable maintenance of supply chains.

(Berlin 13.03.20) The current Corona crisis poses a challenge to social and economic coexistence in Germany and Europe. “Parcel service providers will contribute to overcoming this by ensuring the supply of the population and commercial recipients,” says Marten Bosselmann, Chairman of BIEK.

Functioning supply chains to commercial and private recipients of goods are now particularly important. Therefore, BIEK demands:

• Sunday driving bans must be lifted nationwide and within a uniform federal period. Trips must be approved with minimal bureaucracy.
• All goods groups must be allowed for transport on Sundays.
• Labor law must be opened up so that transported goods can also be received and redistributed on Sundays.
• If restricted zones or quarantine areas are established in the future, the access regulations must be clear, simple, and consistent to maintain supply.
• Depots, sorting centers, and other logistical facilities may only be closed as a last resort and with strict adherence to the principle of proportionality.

The security of supply for the population and businesses will be crucial in mitigating the economic impacts of the Corona crisis. “Given the limited period of permissible Sunday driving until the end of April, politics must ensure lean and time-efficient solutions. Only in this way can it be prevented that the already limited capacities in companies and administration are unnecessarily tied up,” Bosselmann emphasizes.

Parcel service providers transport, in addition to vital medications and food, urgently needed spare parts, whose reliable nationwide delivery is essential for the entire economy, especially in a crisis situation.

Now, politics and authorities must quickly and decisively take the necessary measures to ensure a smooth supply for the population and the economy. For this, BIEK offers its cooperation.

www.biek.de