A new European logistics body has been launched to help companies and policymakers respond to mounting pressure on supply chains.
The European Logistics Observatory officially kicked off on 18 June 2026.
The initiative is promoted by the Contract Logistics Observatory of the Politecnico di Milano in collaboration with the European Technology Platform ALICE.
It aims to create a permanent, pre-competitive body focused on producing data-led insights, supporting strategic dialogue and helping decision-making across logistics and supply chain management in Europe.
The new scientific initiative will be led by Damiano Frosi, Alberto Curnis, Fernando Liesa and Andrea Condotta.
The launch comes as Europe’s logistics sector faces growing pressure from geopolitical instability, supply chain disruption, labour shortages, cost volatility, digitalisation and the shift towards sustainability.
Those challenges have pushed logistics further into the spotlight as a key factor in Europe’s competitiveness, industrial resilience and growth ambitions.
Damiano Frosi, Director of the Contract Logistics Observatory at the Politecnico di Milano, said the new body would bring together data, analysis and industry expertise.
“The European Logistics Observatory aims to bring together data, analysis and expertise, providing companies, institutions and industry stakeholders with a shared framework for understanding the transformations reshaping European logistics,” he said.
He added that “building and disseminating a common knowledge base” was now essential to support more effective strategic decision-making across the sector.
The initiative will focus on collecting and improving access to information, industry needs and best practice that are still often fragmented across Europe.
It will examine market change, as well as the role of digital transformation and innovation in tackling the sector’s main challenges.
Alberto Curnis, Senior Researcher of the Observatory, said the research would look closely at the characteristics of Europe’s logistics ecosystem.
He said this would include issues such as transport capacity and labour shortages, assessed not only through data but also through comparison of company needs, strategies and initiatives.
Benchmarking across EU countries will also form part of the work.
Mr Curnis said the Observatory would also examine technology trends and innovation, including international start-ups, evidence from major EU-funded projects and the potential role of artificial intelligence in logistics.
“The research will focus on the key characteristics of the European ecosystem,” he said.
He added that the work would address topics such as transport capacity and labour shortages, while also looking at “the potential contribution of artificial intelligence to the sector”.
The Observatory’s programme will run through an annual cycle involving its community of participants.
This will include research streams, travelling workshops across Europe and a final public conference to share key findings with the wider sector.
Fernando Liesa, Secretary General of ALICE, said the initiative would strengthen efforts to shape the future of logistics with members.
“With the European Observatory, we reinforce our commitment to shaping the future of logistics together with our members,” he said.
He said the Observatory would help identify trends, needs and technological developments in a more systematic way.
Mr Liesa added that this would allow market realities to be translated into “well targeted recommendations for the European Commission”.
He said the aim was to ensure innovation efforts deliver greater impact and respond to real operational challenges.
The Observatory already has the participation of a wide range of organisations.
These include the European Logistics Association, the European Chemical Industry Council, Assologistica, Fraunhofer IML and ALSEA - Associazione Lombarda Spedizionieri e Autotrasportatori.
Companies involved include Innocenti Depositi, Katoen Natie, Adidas, Ariston Group, Barilla, Coca-Cola HBC, Diageo, Dr. Schär, Electrolux Group, Galderma, KIKO Milano, Midea, Nestlé, Schneider Electric and tesa.
Further organisations are also understood to be in the confirmation phase.