In the Austrian Association of Forwarding and Logistic, the legal representation of all Austrian freight forwarders in the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ), Alfred Wolfram has recently assumed the position of Chairman.
The industry expert, who worked for DB Schenker in various positions for 30 years before starting his own business with Wolfram Logistik GmbH about ten years ago, succeeds Alfred Schneckenreither. His goal is to make politics more accountable and improve the framework conditions for member companies.
Particularly when it comes to the 4200 customs procedure, Alfred Wolfram sees great need for action due to a massive reduction in the quality of the Austrian freight forwarders. “The 4200 customs procedure, for example, makes it impossible for Austrian forwarders to carry out import customs clearance of third country traffic for immediate subsequent delivery to another Member State, without jeopardizing their existence,” he explains.
The Chairman criticised the fact that the Austrian forwarders have to pay import turnover tax in that case, although the tax would be due in another country. “Legislators must finally act and abolish this disadvantageous position of our member companies, precisely because they are in global competition and are subject to strong competitive pressure from abroad,” says Alfred Wolfram.
The new Chairman sees further need for action in the creation of suitable infrastructure, including the extension of the broad gauge in the metropolitan area of Vienna and Lower Austria in order to create a new logistics hub between western and eastern Europe and Asia.
But also promoting and expanding multimodality is an important concern for Alfred Wolfram. “The multi-modal expansion of freight terminals and the better connection of rail transport to the overseas ports should be intensified by the public hand – in the interest of more attractive solutions for our customers,” he says.
The Association of Forwarding and Logistics in the Austrian Chamber of Commerce represents the interests of the approximately 1,800 Austrian freight forwarders, who make a significant contribution to employment and prosperity in Austria. The freight forwarding industry creates around 25,000 jobs, of which 961 are apprentices.
