The logistics playbook is changing. Flexibility and harmonised tools are more important than ever, IRU said at FIATA’s global event.
IRU Director for TIR and Transit Tatiana Rey-Bellet spoke on the panel “Driving Competitiveness of Multimodal Corridors” during the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) HQ Meeting 2026.
Event participants highlighted that cost optimisation is no longer the primary concern. Instead, ensuring access to multiple transport solutions has become the key priority amid ongoing geopolitical and operational uncertainties.
In this context, Tatiana Rey-Bellet outlined new opportunities being developed by IRU in collaboration with its members and national authorities.
While supporting supply chain actors in operating across multiple corridors, she stressed the need for harmonised instruments that can be used regardless of the route. Chief among these is the global TIR transit system.
For example, customs authorities have extended the use of TIR to cover all types of e-commerce and bonded cargo in China, recognising the importance of such tools for international trade.
IRU has also been working with China Railway, manufacturers and logistics companies to pilot an intermodal corridor linking China with Central Asian countries by rail and road. (....)