BRUSSELS, Belgium — The International Express Carriers Conference (IECC) which is the international trade association of the express delivery industry, recently became the Global Express Association (GEA).

"We believe that the new organization better represents the nature of our association and gives emphasis to the much more active posture we want to take in matters affecting global commerce and transportation", said Anton van der Lande, UPS Vice President for Public Affairs International and the new Chairman of the GEA Executive Committee.

The IECC was founded in 1983 to promote and protect the interests of the international express industry and to carry out studies and other similar activities aimed at helping to develop the role of the express industry in international commerce. The GEA has been formed to continue the work of the IECC, and to be more active in pursuing opportunities for promoting global trade facilitation and removal of border barriers, such as the World Trade Organization’s Doha Development Round. GEA will also be more active in opposing anti-competitive practices and excessive regulation of express delivery operations.

The express delivery companies that the GEA represents, including DHL, FedEx Express, TNT, and UPS, have operations in over 220 countries with over 700,000 employees worldwide.

For more details, call John Simpson at 32(0)2 230-4714.