About us

Europlatforms, established in 1991, is the European association of freight villages. Our members include some 60 companies that have set up and manage freight villages all over Europe, in which over 1.200 transport and logistics companies operate.

Acting in and protecting the common interests related to the activities of our members, Europlatforms' main purpose is to promote and expand the concept of logistics platform in Europe and worldwide and create and develop relations among existing platforms in Europe and with similar groupings internationally. We have been involved, over the years, in a number of initiatives, projects and activities of interest to our associated freight villages and, through such actions, aim to contribute at policy level to pan-European and Cross-Mediterranean transport integration and partnership.

The definition of a freight village established in 1992 by Europlatforms has enabled us to act within a common framework in order to determine and promote the creation of a European network in accordance with EU initiatives at supporting integrated transport and communication networks:

'A freight village is a defined area within which all activities relating to transport, logistics and the distribution of goods, both for national and international transit, are carried out by various operators.

These operators can either be owners or tenants of buildings and facilities (warehouses, break-bulk centres, storage areas, offices, car parks, etc.) which have been built there.

Also in order to comply with free competition rules, a freight village must allow access to all companies involved in the activities set out above. A freight village must also be equipped with all the public facilities to carry out the above mentioned operations. If possible, it should also include public services for the staff and equipment for the users.

In order to encourage intermodal transport for the handling of goods, a freight village must preferably be served by a multiplicity of transport modes (road, rail, deep sea, inland waterway, air).

Finally, it is imperative that a freight village be run by a single body, either public or private.'

In the process of determining a European transport policy, we have been able to contribute significantly over the decade by offering a valid exchange of experience and managerial expertise within a non-profit organisation gathering professionals of logistics and freight transport activities. Europlatforms has thus established itself as a significant partner for the development of major EU-sponsored projects in the field of information technology applications, quality label on freight centres and intermodal centre network.

The challenge facing us in the next decade is to reaffirm our role in transport policy making processes and contribute to achieving real sustainable mobility in Europe.