The growth in international trade is bringing back into focus an issue that directly affects Europe’s competitiveness. It is not enough simply to increase port capacity and move more goods by sea; the real test lies in what happens after unloading.

The land-based part of the logistics chain is now under increasing pressure. Terminals, rail links, road transport and infrastructure must handle greater volumes whilst maintaining lead times, reliability and costs that are compatible with the industry’s needs.

When one of these stages slows down, the effect is quickly felt throughout the entire supply chain: waiting times increase, operating costs rise and businesses’ ability to plan production and distribution accurately is reduced.

For this reason, the issue concerns not only hauliers, but the overall capacity of the European economic system to move goods efficiently.

In this context, intermodality is becoming increasingly important. Integrating road and rail transport allows for better distribution of freight flows, the use of each mode where it offers the greatest efficiency, and a reduction in dependence on individual network hubs.

For SMET, intermodality is not an ideological choice, but an industrial tool. It means organising transport by prioritising operational continuity, reliability and the ability to adapt to the varying needs of the supply chain.

The competitiveness of European logistics will depend increasingly on the quality of the links between ports, terminals, rail networks, roads, production facilities and warehouses.

The key issue, therefore, is not merely how much freight manages to reach Europe, but how quickly and efficiently the system is able to transport it to its final destination.