f) „licence” means the authorisation, in accordance with the laws and prescriptions of the State in which the carrier has the place of business of his principal activity, to carry on the activity of carrier by rail;
g) „safety certificate” means the document attesting, in accordance with the laws and prescriptions of the State in which the infrastructure being used is situated, that so far as concerns the carrier,
- the internal organisation of the undertaking as well as
- the personnel to be employed and the vehicles to be used on the infrastructure, meet the requirements imposed in respect of safety in order to ensure a service without danger on that infrastructure.
Article 4
Unless provided otherwise in these Uniform Rules, any stipulation which, directly or indirectly, would derogate from these Uniform Rules, shall be null and void. The nullity of such a stipulation shall not involve the nullity of other provisions of the contract. Nevertheless, the parties to the contract may assume a liability greater and obligations more burdensome than those provided for in these Uniform Rules or fix a maximum amount of compensation for loss of or damage to property.
Article 5
§ 1 Relations between the manager and the carrier shall be regulated in a contract of use.
§ 2 The contract shall regulate in particular the administrative, technical and financial conditions of use. It shall cover at least the following matters:
a) the infrastructure to be used,
b) the extent of use,
c) the services provided by the manager,
d) the services provided by the carrier,
e) the personnel to be employed,
f) the vehicles to be used,
g) the financial conditions.
§ 3 The contract must be concluded in writing or in an equivalent form. The absence or irregularity of a written form or equivalent form of contract or the absence of one of the matters specified in § 2 shall not affect the existence or the validity of the contract which shall remain subject to these Uniform Rules.
Article 6
§ 1 The carrier must be authorised to carry on the activity of a carrier by rail. The personnel to be employed and the vehicles to be used must satisfy the safety requirements. The manager may require the carrier to prove, by the presentation of a vaud licence and safety certificate or certified copies, or in any other manner, that these conditions are fulfilled.
§ 2 The carrier must notify the manager of any event which might affect the validity of his licence, his safety certificates or other elements of proof.
§ 3 The manager may require the carrier to prove that he has taken out a sufficient liability insurance or taken equivalent measures to cover any claims, on whatever grounds, referred to in Articles 9 to 21. Each year, the carrier must prove, by an attestation in due form, that the liability insurance or the equivalent provisions still exist; he must notify the manager of any modification relating to them before it takes effect.
§ 4 The parties to the contract must inform each other of any event which might impede the execution of the contract they have concluded.
Article 7
§ 1 The contract of use may be concluded for a limited or unlimited period.
§ 2 The manager may rescind the contract forthwith when
a) the carrier is no longer authorised to carry on the activity of carrier by rail;
b) the personnel to be employed and the vehicles to be used no longer meet the safety requirements;
c) the carrier is in arrear with payment, that is to say
1. for two successive payment periods and for an amount in excess of the equivalent of one month’s use, or
2. for a period covering more than two payment periods and for an amount equal to the value of two months’ use;
d) the carrier is in clear breach of one of the special obligations specified in Article 6 § § 2 and 3.
§ 3 The carrier may rescind the contract of use forthwith when the manager loses his right to manage the infrastructure.
§ 4 Each party to the contract may rescind the contract of use forthwith in the case of a clear breach of one of the essential obligations by the other party to the contract, when that obligation concerns the safety of persons or goods; the parties to the contract may agree the modalities for the exercise of this right.
§ 5 The party to the contract who is the cause of its rescission shall be liable to the other party for the loss or damage resulting from it, unless he proves that the loss or damage was not caused by his fault.
§ 6 The parties to the contract may agree conditions derogating from the provisions of § 2 letters c) and d) and § 5.
Article 8
§ 1 The manager shall be liable
a) for bodily loss or damage (death, injury or any other physical or mental harm),
b) for loss of or damage to property (destruction of, or damage to, movable or immovable property),
c) for pecuniary loss resulting from damages payable by the carrier under the CIV Uniform Rules and the CIM Uniform Rules, caused to the carrier or to his auxiliaries during the use of the infrastructure and having its origin in the infrastructure.
§ 2 The manager shall be relieved of this liability
a) in case of bodily loss or damage and pecuniary loss resulting from damages payable by the carrier under the CIV Uniform Rules
1. if the incident giving rise to the loss or damage has been caused by circumstances not connected with the management of the infrastructure which the manager, in spite of having taken the care required in the particular circumstances of the case, could not avoid and the consequences of which he was unable to prevent,
2. to the extent that the incident giving rise to the loss or damage is due to the fault of the person suffering the loss or damage,
3. if the incident giving rise to the loss or damage is due to the behaviour of a third party which the manager, in spite of having taken the care required in the particular circumstances of the case, could not avoid and the consequences of which he was unable to prevent;
b) in case of loss of or damage to property and pecuniary loss resulting from damages payable by the carrier under the CIM Uniform Rules, when the loss or damage was caused by the fault of the carrier or by an order given by the carrier which is not attributable to the manager or by circumstances which the manager could not avoid and the consequences of which he was unable to prevent.
§ 3 If the incident giving rise to the loss or damage is due to the behaviour of a third party and if, in spite of that, the manager is not entirely relieved of liability in accordance with § 2, letter a), he shall be liable in full up to the limits laid down in these Uniform Rules but without prejudice to any right of recourse against the third party.
§ 4 The parties to the contraet may agree whether and to what extent the manager shall be liable for the loss or damage caused to the carrier by delay or disruption to his operations.
Article 9
§ 1 The carrier shall be liable
a) for bodily loss or damage (death, injury or any other physical or mentai harm),
b) for loss of or damage to property (destruction of or damage to movable or immovable property), caused to the manager or to his auxiliaries, during the use of the infrastructure, by themeans of transport used or by the persons or goods carried.
§ 2 The carrier shall be relieved of this liability
a) in case of bodily loss or damage
1. if the incident giving rise to the loss or damage has been caused by circumstances not connected with the operations of the carrier which he, in spite of having taken the care required in the particular circumstances of the case, could not avoid and the consequences of which he was unable to prevent,
2. to the extent that the incident giving rise to the loss or damage is due to the fault of the person suffering the loss or damage,
3. if the incident giving rise to the loss or damage is due to the behaviour of a third party which the carrier, in spite of having taken the care required in the particular circumstances of the case, could not avoid and the consequences of which he was unable to prevent;
b) in case of loss of or damage to property when the loss or damage is caused by a fault of the manager or by an order given by the manager which is not attributable to the carrier or by circumstances which the carrier could not avoid and the consequences of which he was unable to prevent.
§ 3 If the incident giving rise to the loss or damage is due to the behaviour of a third party and if, in spite of that, the carrier is not entirely relieved of liability in accordance with § 2, letter a), he shall be liable in full up to the limits laid down in these Uniform Rules but without prejudice to any right of recourse against the third party.
§ 4 The parties to the contract may agree whether and to what extent the carrier shall be liable for the loss or damage caused to the manager by disruption to his operations.
Article 10
§ 1 If causes attributable to the manager and causes attributable to the carrier contributed to the loss or damage, each party to the contract shall be liable only to the extent that the causes attributable to him under Article 8 and 9 contributed to the loss or damage. If it is impossible to assess to what extent the respective causes contributed to the loss or damage, each party shall bear the loss or damage he has sustained.
§ 2 § 1 shall apply mutatis mutandis if causes attributable to the manager and causes attributable to several carriers using the same railway infrastructure contributed to the loss or damage.
§ 3 § 1 first sentence, shall apply mutatis mutandis in case of loss or damage referred to in Article 9 if causes attributable to several carriers using the same infrastructure contributed to the loss or damage. If it is impossible to assess to what extent the respective causes contributed to the loss or damage, the carriers shall be liable to the manager in equal shares.
Article 11
§ 1 In case of death, the damages shall comprise:
a) any necessary costs following the death, in particular those of transport of the body and the funeral expenses;
b) if death does not occur at once, the damages provided for in Article 12.
§ 2 If, through the death, persons whom the deceased had or would have had in the future a legal duty to maintain, are deprived of their support, they shall also be compensated for that loss. Rights of action for damages by persons whom the deceased was maintaining without being legally bound to do so, shall be governed by national law.
Article 12
In case of personal injury or any other physical or mental harm, the damages shall comprise:
a) any necessary costs, in particular those of treatment and of transport;
b) compensation for financial loss, due to total or partfal incapacity to work, or to increased needs.
Article 13
National law shall determine whether and to what extent the manager or the carrier must pay damages for bodily harm other than that provided for in Articles 11 and 12.
Article 14
§ 1 The damages provided for in Article 11 § 2 and in Article 12 letter b) must be awarded in the form of a lump sum. However, if national law permits the award of an annuity, the damages shall be awarded in that form if so requested by the injured person or by persons entitled referred to in Article 11 § 2.
§ 2 The amount of damages to be awarded pursuant to § 1 shall be determined in accordance with national law. However, for the purposes of these Uniform Rules, the upper limit per person shall be set at 175,000 units of account as a lump sum or as an annuity corresponding to that sum, where national law provides for an upper limit of less than that amount.
Article 15
The limits of liability provided for in these Uniform Rules as well as the provisions of national law, which limit the compensation to a certain amount, shall not apply if it is proved that the loss or damage results from an act or omission, which the author of the loss or damage has committed either with the intem to cause such loss or damage, or recklessly and with knowledge that such loss or damage would probably result.
Article 16
§ 1 Where the calculation of compensation requires the conversion of sums expressed in foreign currency, conversion shall be at the exchange rate applicable on the day and at the place of payment of the compensation.
§ 2 The person entitled may claim interest on compensation, calculated at five per cent per annum, from the day of initiation of a conciliation procedure, of seizure of the Arbitration Tribunal provided for in Title V of the Convention or from the day on which legal proceedings were instituted.
Article 17
The manager and the carrier shall be relieved of liability pursuant to these Uniform Rules for loss or damage caused by a nuclear incident when the operator of a nuclear installation or another person who is substituted for him is liable for the loss or damage pursuant to the laws and prescriptions of a State governing liability in the field of nuclear energy.
Article 18
The manager and the carrier shall be liable for their auxiliaries.
Article 19
§ 1 In all cases where these Uniform Rules shall apply, any action in respect of liability, on whatever grounds, may be brought against the manager or against the carrier only subject to the conditions and limitations laid down in these Uniform Rules.
§ 2 The same shall apply to any action brought against the auxiliaries for whom the manager or the carrier is liable pursuant to Article 18.
Article 20
The parties to the contract may agree conditions in which they assert or renounce their rights to compensation from the other party to the contract.
Article 21
§ 1 Any action in respect of liability brought by the auxiliaries of the carrier against the manager on account of loss or damage caused by him, on whatever grounds, may be brought only subject to the conditions and limitations laid down in these Uniform Rules.
§ 2 Any action in respect of liability brought by the auxiliaries of the manager against the carrier on account of foss or damage caused by him, on whatever grounds, may be brought only subject to the conditions and limitations laid down in these Uniform Rules.
Article 22
The parties to the contract may agree conciliation procedures or appeal to the Arbitration Tribunal provided for in Title V of the Convention.
Article 23
The validity of the payment made by the carrier on the basis of the CIV Uniform Rules or the CIM Uniform Rules may not be disputed when compensation has been determined by a court or tribunal and when the manager, duly served with notice of the proceedings, has been afforded the opportunity to intervene in the proceedings.
Article 24
§ 1 Actions based on these Uniform Rules may be brought before the courts or tribunals of the Member States designated by agreement between the parties to the contract.
§ 2 Unless the parties to the contract otherwise agree, the competent courts or tribunals shall be those of the Member State where the manager has his place of business.
Article 25
§ 1 The period of limitation for actions based on these Uniform Rules shall be three years.
§ 2 The period of limitation shall run from the day when the loss or damage occurred.
§ 3 In case of death of persons, the period of limitation shall be three years from the day after the day the death occurred, but not exceeding five years from the day after the day of the accident.
§ 4 A recourse action by a person held liable may be brought even after the expiration of the limitation period provided for in § 1, if it is brought within the period allowed by the law of the State where the proceedings are brought. However, the period allowed shall be not less than ninety days from the day when the person bringing the recourse action has settled the claim or has been served with notice of the proceedings against himself.
§ 5 The period of limitation shall be suspended when the parties agree a conciliation procedure or when they seize the Arbitration Tribunal provided for in Title V of the Convention.
§ 6 Otherwise, suspension and interruption of the limitation period shall be governed by national law.
Article 1
These Uniform Rules lay down, for railway material intended to be used in international traffic, the procedure for the validation of technical standards and the adoption of uniform technical prescriptions.
Article 2
For the purposes of these Uniform Rules and its Annexes, the term
a) „Contracting State” means a Member State of the Organisation which has not made a declaration in respect of these Uniform Rules in accordance with Article 42 § 1, first sentence, of the Convention;
b) „international traffic” means the circulation of railway vehicles on railway lines over the territory of at least two Contracting States;
c) „rail transport undertaking” means a private or public undertaking which is authorised to carry persons or goods and which ensures traction;
d) „infrastructure manager” means an undertaking or an authority which manages railway infrastructure;
e) „railway material” means railway material intended to be used in international traffic, in particular the railway vehicles and railway infrastructure;
f) „railway vehicle” means a vehicle suitable for circulation on its own wheels on railway lines with or without traction;
g) „traction unit” means a railway vehicle provided with a means of traction;
h) „wagon” means a railway vehicle, not provided with a means of traction, which is intended to carry goods;
i) „carriage” means a railway vehicle, not provided with a means of traction, which is intended to carry passengers;
j) „railway infrastructure” means all the railway lines and fixed installations, so far as these are necessary for the circulation of railway vehicles and the safety of traffic;
k) „technical standard” means a technical specification adopted by a recognised national or international standardisation body, according to the procedures applicable to it; a technical specification prepared within the framework of the European Communities shall be treated as a technical standard;
l) „technical prescription” means a rule, other than a technical standard, relating to the construction, operation, maintenance or relating to a procedure concerning railway material;
m) „Committee of Technical Experts” means the Committee provided for in Article 13 § 1, letter f) of the Convention.
Article 3
§ 1 The validation of technical standards relating to railway material and the adoption of uniform technical prescriptions applicable to railway material shall have as its aim to
a) facilitate the free circulation of vehicles and the free use of other railway material in international traffic,
b) contribute to ensuring the safety, efficiency and the availability for international traffic,
c) take account of the protection of the environment and public health.
§ 2 When technical standards are validated or uniform technical prescriptions are adopted, only those prepared at the international level shall be taken into account.
§ 3 To the extent possible
a) it is appropriate to ensure interoperability of technical systems and components necessary for international traffic;
b) technical standards and uniform technical prescriptions shall be performance related; if appropriate, they shall include variants.
Article 4
§ 1 The preparation of technical standards and of uniform technical prescriptions concerning railway material shall be the responsibility of the bodies recognised as competent in the matter.
§ 2 The standardiration of industrial products and procedures shall be the responsibility of recognised national and international standardiration bodies.
Article 5
§ 1 An application for validation of a technical standard may be made by:
a) any Contracting State;
b) any regfonal economic integration organisation to which its Member States have transferred competence to legislate in the field of technical standards relating to railway material;
c) any national or international standardiration body having the task of standardisation in the railway field;
d) any representative international association for whose members the existence of technical standards relating to railway material is indispensible for reasons of safety and economy in the exercise of their activity.
§ 2 The Committee of Technical Experts shall decide whether to validate a technical standard in accordance with the procedure laid down in Articles 16, 20 and 33 § 6 of the Convention. The decisions shall enter into forte in accordance with Article 35 § § 3 and 4 of the Convention.
Article 6
§ 1 An application for adoption of a uniform technical prescription may be made by:
a) any Contracting State;
b) any regional economic integration organisation to which its Member States have transferred competence to legislate in the field of technical prescriptions concerning railway material;
c) any representative international association for whose members the existence of uniform technical prescriptions relating to railway material is indispensible for reasons of safety and economy in the exercise of their activity.
§ 2 The Committee of Technical Experts shall decide whether to adopt a uniform technical prescription in accordance with the procedure laid down in Articles 16, 20 and 33 § 6 of the Convention. The decisions shall enter into forte in accordance with Article 35 § § 3 and 4 of the Convention.
Article 7
Applications referred to in Articles 5 and 6 must be complete, coherent and reasoned. They must be addressed to the Secretary General of the Organisation in one of its working languages.
Article 8
§ 1 The validated technical standards and the adopted uniform technical prescriptions shall be included in the following Annexes to these Uniform Rules numbered as follows:
a) Technical Standards and Uniform Technical Prescriptions relating to all Railway Vehicles (Annex 1);
b) Teehnical Standards and Uniform Technical Prescriptions relating to Traction Units (Annex 2);
c) Technical Standards and Uniform Technical Prescriptions relating to Wagons (Annex 3);
d) Technical Standards and Uniform Technical Prescriptions relating to Carriages (Annex 4);
e) Technical Standards and Uniform Technical Prescriptions relating to Infrastructure Installations other than those specified in letter f) (Annex 5);
f) Technical Standards and Uniform Technical Prescriptions relating to Safety and Operational Control Systems (Annex 6);
g) Technical Standards and Uniform Technical Prescriptions concerning Systems of Information Technology (Annex 7);
h) Technical Standards and Uniform Technical Prescriptions relating to any other Railway Material (Annex 8).
§ 2 The Annexes shall form an integral part of these Uniform Rules. They shall be framed in accordance with the particularities of the track gauge, the loading gauge, the systems of energy supply and the safety and operational control systems in the Contracting States.
§ 3 The Annexes will contain the version as it will be adopted, after the entry into force of the Protocol of 3 June 1999 for the modification of the Convention, by the Committee of Technical Experts according to the same procedure as that provided for in Articles 16, 20 and 33 § 6 of the Convention for modifications of the Annexes.
Article 9
§ 1 Any Contracting State may, within a period of four months from the day of notification of the decision of the Committee of Technical Experts by the Secretary General, make a reasoned declaration notifying him that it will not apply or will apply only partially, the validated technical standard or the adopted uniform technical prescription, so far as it concerns the railway infrastructure situated on its territory and the traffic on that infrastructure.
§ 2 The Contracting States which have made a declaration in accordance with § 1 shall not be taken into account in determining the number of States which must formulate an objection in accordance with Article 35 § 4 of the Convention, in order that a decision of the Committee of Technical Experts should not enter into force.
§ 3 A State which has made a declaration in accordance with § 1 may withdraw it at any time by notification to the Secretary General. This withdrawal shall take effect on the first day of the second month following the notification.
Article 10
The entry into force of the Annexes, adopted by the Committee of Technical Experts in accordance with Article 8 § 3, in all the States parties to the 1938 version of the International Convention on the Technical Unity of Railways, signed at Berne on 21 October 1882, shall abrogate that convention.
Article 11
§ 1 With the entry into force of the Annexes, adopted by the Committee of Technical experts in accordance with Article 8 § 3, the technical standards and the uniform technicalprescriptions therein shall take precedense, in relations between Contracting States, over the provisions of the 1938 version of the International Convention on the Technical Unity of Railways, signed at Berne on 21 October 1882.
§ 2 With the entry into force of the Annexes, adopted by the Committee of Technical Experts in accordance with Article 8 § 3, these Uniform Rules as well as the technical standards and the uniform technical prescriptions contained in its Annexes, shall take precedense, in the Contracting States, over the technical provisions
a) of the Regulation governing the reciprocal use of carriages and brake vans in international traffic (RIC),
b) of the Regulation governing the reciprocal use of wagons in international traffic (RIV).
A. Track gauge
1. Railways with standard track gauge (1435 mm)
2. Railways with wide track gauge (Russian) (1520 mm)
3. Railways with wide track gauge (Finnish) (1524 mm)
4. Railways with wide track gauge (Irish) (1600 mm)
5. Railways with wide track gauge (Iberian) (1688 mm)
6. Other railways
B. Loading gauge
1. Railways with normal loading gauge on the European continent
2. Railways with normal loading gauge in Great Britain
3. ...
C. ...
A. Energy supply systems
1. Direct current of 3000 V
2. Direct current of 1500 V or less
3. Alternating current of 25 kV / 50 Hz
4. Alternating current of 15 kV / 16 b Hz
B. Safety and operational control systems
...
* * *
As a first step, the technical standards and the uniform technical prescriptions relating to railway material already existing and recognised at the international level, such as contained in Technical Unity, in RIV and RIC as well as in the technical leaflets of UIC, will be integrated in the abovementioned Annexes.
Article 1
These Uniform Rules lay down, for railway vehicles and other railway material, the procedure for the admission to circulation or use in international traffic.
Article 2
For the purposes of these Uniform Rules and its Annex, the term
a) „Contracting State” means a Member State of the Organisation which has not made a declaration in respect of these Uniform Rules in accordance with Article 42 § 1, first sentence of the Convention;
b) „international traffic” means the circulation of railway vehicles on railway lines over the territory of at least two Contracting States;
c) „rail transport undertaking” means a private or public undertaking which is authorised to carry persons or goods and which ensures traction;
d) „infrastructure manager” means an undertaking or an authority which manages railway infrastructure;
e) „keeper” means the person who, being the owner or having the right to dispose of it, exploits a railway vehicle economically in a permanent manner as a means of transport;
f) „technical admission” means the procedure carried out by the competent authority to admit a railway vehicle to circulation or other railway material to use in international traffic;
g) „admission of a type of construction” means the procedure, relating to a type of construction of a railway vehicle, carried out by the competent authority, by which the right is granted to deliver, by a simplified procedure, an admission to operation for vehicles which correspond to that type of construction;
h) „admission to operation” means the right granted by the competent authority for each railway vehicle to circulate in international traffic;
i) „railway vehicle” means a vehicle suitable for circulation on its own wheels on railway lines with or without traction;
j) „other railway material” means any railway material intended to be used in international traffic not being a railway vehicle;
k) „Committee of Technical Experts” means the Committee provided for in Article 13 § 1, letter f) of the Convention.
Article 3
§ 1 Each railway vehicle must, for circulation in international traffic, be admitted in accordance with these Uniform Rules.
§ 2 Technical admission shall have the aim of ascertaining whether the railway vehicles satisfy
a) the construction prescriptions contained in the Annexes to the APTU Uniform Rules,
b) the construction and equipment prescriptions contained in the Annex to RID,
c) the special conditions of an admission under Article 7 § 2 or § 3.
§ 3 § § 1 and 2 as well as the following articles shall apply mutatis mutandis to the technical admission of other railway material and of elements of construction either of vehicles or of other railway material.
Article 4
§ 1 Technical admission shall be carried out
a) either, in a single stage, by the grant of admission to operation to a given individual railway vehicle,
b) or, in two successive stages, by the grant
1. of admission of a type of construction to a given type of railway vehicle,
2. then admission to operation of individual vehicles corresponding to this type of construction by a simplified procedure confirming that they are of this type.
§ 2 This provision shall not affect the application of Article 10.
Article 5
§ 1 Technical admission of railway vehicles to circulation and of other railway material to use in international traffic shall be the task of the national or international authority competent in the matter in accordance with the laws and prescriptions in force in each Contracting State.
§ 2 The authorities referred to in § 1 may transfer to bodies recognised as suitable, competence to grant technical admission on condition that the authorities shall ensure their supervision. The transfer of competence to grant technical admission to a rail transport undertaking while others are excluded from that competence, shall not be allowed. Furthermore, the transfer of competence to an infrastructure manager participating directly or indirectly in the manufacture of railway material shall be prohibited.
Article 6
Admission of a type of construction and admission to operation by the competent authority of a Contracting, State in accordance with these Uniform Rules, as well as the corresponding certificates issued shall be recognised by the authorities, the rail transport undertakings and the infrastructure managers in the other Contracting States, without the need for another examination and another technical admission with a view to circulation and use on the territories of those other States.
Article 7
§ 1 In order to be admitted to circulation in international traffic, railway vehicles must satisfy
a) the construction prescriptions contained in the Annexes to the APTU Uniform Rules,
b) the construction and equipment prescriptions contained in the Annex to RID.
§ 2 In the absence of provisions in the Annexes to the APTU Uniform Rules, technical admission shall be based on the generally recognised technical rules. A technical standard, even if it has not been validated in accordance with the procedure laid down in the APTU Uniform Rules, shall constitute the proof that the know-how contained in that standard represents a generally recognised technical rule.
§ 3 In order to permit technical developments, derogations from the generally recognised technical rules and from the construction prescriptions of the Annexes to the APTU Uniform Rules shall be allowed on condition that proof exists
a) that at least the same level of safety as when those rules and those prescriptions are observed,
b) and also that interoperability remain assured.
§ 4 When a Contracting State intends to admit, in accordance with § 2 or § 3, a railway vehicle it shall inform the Secretary General of the Organisation without delay. He shall notify the other Contracting States of this. Within one month after the reception of the notification by the Secretary General, a Contracting State may ask for the convocation of the Committee of Technical Experts in order that it ascertains whether the conditions for the application of § 2 or § 3 are fulfilled. The Committee shall reach its decision on this within three months after the receipt, by the Secretary General, of the request for convocation.
Article 8
§ 1 In order to be admitted to use in international traffic other railway material must satisfy the construction prescriptions contained in the Annexes to the APTU Uniform Rules.
§ 2 Article 7 § § 2 to 4 shall apply mutatis mutandis.
§ 3 The obligations of the Contracting States, arising for them from the European Agreement on the Great International Railway Lines (AGC) of 31 May 1985 and from the European Agreement on the Great International Combined Transport Routes and Connected Installations (AGTC) of 1 February 1991, to which they also are Contracting Parties, shall remain unaffected.
Article 9
§ 1 The rail transport undertakings which operate railway vehicles admitted to circulation in international traffic shall be required to comply with the prescriptions relating to the operation of a vehicle in international traffic, specified in the Annexes to the APTU Uniform Rules.
§ 2 The undertakings and administrations which manage infrastructure in the Contracting States, including operational safety and control systems, intended and suitable for operation in international traffic, shall be required to comply with the technical prescriptions specified in the Annexes to the APTU Uniform Rules and satisfy them permanently in respect of the construction and the management of that infrastructure.
Article 10
§ 1 The grant of technical admission (admission of a type of construction, admission to operation) shall be attached to the type of construction of a railway vehicle or to the railway vehicle.
§ 2 An application for technical admission may be made by:
a) the manufacturer,
b) a rail transport undertaking,
c) the keeper of the vehicle,
d) the owner of the vehicle.
The application may be made to any competent authority, referred to in Article 5, of one of the Contracting States.
§ 3 A person who applies for an admission to operation for railway vehicles by the simplified procedure of technical admission [Article 4 § 1, letter b)], must attach to his application the certificate of admission of a type of construction, established in accordance with Article 11 § 2, and demonstrate in an appropriate manner that the vehicles for which he is applying for admission to operation correspond to that type of construction.
§ 4 Technical admission must be granted irrespective of the quality of the applicant.
§ 5 Technical admission shall be granted in principle for an unlimited period; it can be general or limited in scope.
§ 6 An admission of a type of construction may be withdrawn when safety, public health or respect for the environment are no longer assured with the circulation of railway vehicles which have been or are to be built in conformity with that type of construction.
§ 7 Admission to operation may be withdrawn
a) when the railway vehicle no longer satisfies the construction prescriptions contained in the Annexes to the APTU Uniform Rules, the special conditions of its admission under Article 7 § 2 or § 3 or the construction and equipment prescriptions contained in the Annex to RID and if the keeper does not comply with the requirement of the competent authority to remedy the defects within the prescribed time;
b) when stipulations and conditions, resulting from a limited admission under § 5, are not fulfilled or complied with.
§ 8 Only the authority which has granted the admission of a type of construction or the admission to operation may withdraw it.
§ 9 The admission to operation shall be suspended
a) when technical checks, inspections, maintenance and servicing of the railway vehicle prescribed in the Annexes to the APTU Uniform Rules, in the special conditions of admission pursuant to Article 7 § 2 or § 3 or in the construction and equipment prescriptions contained in the Annex to RID are not carried out;
b) if in case of severe damage to a railway vehicle the order of the competent authority to present the vehicle is not complied with;
c) in case of non-compliance with these Uniform Rules and prescriptions contained in the Annexes to the APTU Uniform Rules;
d) when the competent authority so decides.
§ 10 The admission to operation shall become void when the railway vehicle is withdrawn from service. This withdrawal from service must be notified to the competent authority which has granted the admission to operation.
§ 11 In the absence of provisions in these Uniform Rules the procedure of technical admission shall be governed by the national law of the Contracting State in which an application for technical admission is made.
Article 11
§ 1 The admission of a type of construction and the admission to operation shall be evidenced by separate documents called: „Certificate of admission of a type of construction” and „Certificate of admission to operation”.
§ 2 The certificate of admission of a type of construction must specify:
a) the manufacturer of the type of construction of a railway vehicle;
b) all the technical characteristics necessary to identify the type of construction of a railway vehicle;
c) if appropriate, the special conditions of circulation for the type of construction of a railway vehicle and for railway vehicles which correspond to this type of construction.
§ 3 The certificate of admission to operation must specify:
a) the keeper of the railway vehicle;
b) all the technical characteristics necessary to identify the railway vehicle; this may also be done by reference to the certificate of admission of a type of construction;
c) if appropriate, the special conditions of circulation for the railway vehicle;
d) if appropriate, the period of its validity;
e) the servicing of a railway vehicle prescribed in the Annexes to the APTU Uniform Rules, in the special conditions of an admission under Article 7 § 2 or § 3 or in the construction and equipment prescriptions contained in the Annex to RID as well as the other technical examinations relating to elements of construction and to specified equipment of the vehicle.
§ 4 The certificates must be printed in at least two languages of which one at least must be chosen from among the working languages of the Organisation.
Article 12
§ 1 The Organisation shall prescribe uniform models of „Certificate of admission of a type of construction” and of „Certificate of admission to operation”. They shall be prepared and adopted by the Committee of Technical Experts.
§ 2 Article 35 § § 1 and 3 to 5 of the Convention shall apply mutatis mutandis.
Article 13
§ 1 A data bank concerning railway vehicles admitted to circulation in international traffic shall be established and updated under the responsibility of the Organisation.
§ 2 The competent authorities, or if appropriate the bodies authorised by them to admit a railway vehicle to operation, shall transmit to the Organisation, without delay, the data necessary for the purposes of these Uniform Rules relating to vehicles admitted to circulation in international traffic. The Committee of Technical Experts shall establish which are the necessary data. Only those data shall be registered in the data bank. In all cases, withdrawals from service, official immobilisations, withdrawals of admission to operation and modifications to a vehicle which derogate from the admitted type of construction shall be notified to the Organisation.
§ 3 The data registered in the data bank shall only be considered as prima facie evidence of the technical admission of a railway vehicle.
§ 4 The registered data may be consulted by:
a) the Contracting States,
b) the rail transport undertakings engaged in international traffic having their place of business in a Contracting State,
e) the infrastructure managers having their place of business in a Contracting State on whose infrastructure international traffic is carried out,
d) the manufacturers of railway vehicles, so far as concerns their vehicles,
e) the keepers of railway vehicles, so far as concerns their vehicles.
§ 5 The data to which the persons entitled referred to in § 4 have access as well as the conditions of that access shall be defined in an Annex to these Uniform Rules. This Annex shall be an integral part of these Uniform Rules. The text of this Annex shall be that decided by the Revision Committee according to the procedure referred to in Articles 16, 17 and 33 § 4 of the Convention.
Article 14
§ 1 Railway vehicles admitted to operation must bear
a) a sign, which establishes clearly that they have been admitted to operation in international traffic according to these Uniform Rules, and
b) the other inscriptions and signs prescribed in the Annexes to the APTU Uniform Rules.
§ 2 The Committee of Technical Experts shall lay down the sign provided for in § 1, letter a) and the transitional periods during which the railway vehicles admitted to circulation in international traffic may bear inscriptions and signs derogating from those prescribed according to § 1.
§ 3 Article 35 § § 1 and 3 to 5 of the Convention shall apply mutatis mutandis.
Article 15
The railway vehicles and the other railway material must be in a good state of maintenance in such a way that their condition would not compromise in any way operational safety and would not harm the environment and public health by their circulation or their use in international traffic. To that end, the railway vehicles must be submitted for the servicing and the maintenance operations prescribed in the Annexes to the APTU Uniform Rules, in the special conditions of an admission under Article 7 § 2 or § 3 or in the construction and equipment prescriptions contained in the Annex to RID.
Article 16
§ 1 In case of aceident or severe damage to railway vehicles, the infrastructure managers, if appropriate in common with the keepers and the transport undertakings concerned, shall be required
a) to take, without delay, all necessary measures to ensure the safety of railway traffic, respect for the environment and public health and
b) to establish the causes of the accident or the severe damage.
§ 2 A vehicle shall be considered severely damaged when it cannot be repaired by a simple operation which would allow it to be joined in a train and to circulate on its own wheels without danger for the operations.
§ 3 The accidents and severe damage shall be notified, without delay, to the authority which admitted the vehicle to circulation. That authority may require the damaged vehicle to be presented, possibly already repaired, for examination of the validity of the admission to operation which has been granted. If appropriate, the procedure concerning the grant of admission to operation must be repeated.
§ 4 The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall inform the Organisation of the causes of accidents and severe damage in international traffic. The Committee of Technical Experts may, at the request of a Contracting State, examine the causes of serious accidents in international traffic with a view possibly to developing the construction and operation prescriptions for railway vehicles and other railway material contained in the Annexes to the APTU Uniform Rules.
Article 17
The competent authority referred to in Article 5, another rail transport undertaking or an infrastructure manager may not reject or immobilise railway vehicles if these Uniform Rules, the prescriptions contained in the Annexes to the APTU Uniform Rules, the special conditions of admission under Article 7 § 2 or § 3 as well as the construction and operation prescriptions contained in the Annex to RID, have been complied with.
Article 18
§ 1 Subject to § 2 and Article 10 § 9, letter c), the juridical consequences resulting from failure to comply with these Uniform Rules and the prescriptions of the Annexes to the APTU Uniform Rules, shall be regulated by the national law of the Contracting State of which the competent authority has granted the admission to operation, including the rules relating to conflict of laws.
§ 2 The consequences in civil and penal law, resulting from failure to comply with these Uniform Rules and the prescriptions of the Annexes to the APTU Uniform Rules, shall be regulated, so far as concerns the infrastructure, by the national law of the Contracting State in, which the infrastructure manager has his place of business, including the rules relating to conflict of laws.
Article 19
Two or more Contracting States, which have a dispute relating to the technical admission of railway vehicles and other railway material intended to be used in international traffic, may refer it to the Committee of Technical Experts if they have not succeeded in resolving it by direct negotiation. Such disputes may also be submitted, in accordance with the procedure specified in Title V of the Convention, to the Arbitration Tribunal.”
Az 1980. évi május hó 9. napján Bernben kelt Nemzetközi Vasúti Fuvarozási Egyezmény (a továbbiakban: „COTIF 1980”) 6. cikke és 19. cikkének 2. §-a értelmében a Nemzetközi Vasúti Fuvarozásügyi Államközi Szervezet (OTIF) 1999. május 26. - június 3. között Vilniusban tartotta az ötödik Közgyűlését.
A Közgyűlés
- meggyőződve egy olyan államközi szervezet szükségességéről és hasznosságáról, amely - lehetőség szerint - a nemzetközi vasúti fuvarozás minden kérdésével foglalkozik, állami szinten,
- úgy ítélve meg, hogy - mivel a COTIF 1980-at alkalmazza Európa, Ázsia és Afrika 39 állama, valamint az ezekben a tagállamokban működő vasúti társaságok - erre a feladatra az OTIF a legalkalmasabb,
- szükségesnek tartva a COTIF 1980 továbbfejlesztését (különösen a CIV Egységes Szabályokat és a CIM Egységes Szabályokat) abból a célból, hogy a szabályokat a nemzetközi vasúti fuvarozás új igényeihez igazítsák,
- tekintettel arra, hogy a veszélyes áruk biztonságos vasúti fuvarozása érdekében szükséges a RID (Veszélyes Áruk Nemzetközi Vasúti Fuvarozásáról szóló Szabályzat) átültetése a közjogi rendszerbe, abból a célból, hogy annak alkalmazása ne függjön többé a CIM Egységes Szabályok hatálya alá tartozó fuvarozási szerződés megkötésétől,
- tekintettel arra, hogy azok a politikai, gazdasági és jogi változások, amelyek az Egyezmény 1980. évi május hó 9. napján történt aláírása óta számos tagállamban bekövetkeztek, szükségessé teszik a szabályok továbbfejlesztését és új, egységes szabályok kimunkálását a jognak a nemzetközi vasúti forgalom szempontjából fontos további területeire vonatkozóan is,
- szükségesnek látva, hogy a tagállamok hozzanak hatékonyabb intézkedéseket - mivel ez különleges közérdeket szolgál - a nemzetközi vasúti forgalomban a határátkelésnél még fennálló akadályok megszüntetésére,
- fontosnak tartva a nemzetközi vasúti fuvarozás érdekében a vasútra vonatkozó többoldalú nemzetközi egyezmények és megállapodások aktualizálását, és - adott esetben - az Egyezménybe illesztését,
az alábbi döntéseket hozta:
1. cikk
A COTIF 1980 az e jegyzőkönyv szerves részét képező melléklet szövege szerint módosul.
2. cikk
1. § E jegyzőkönyv aláírásra bocsátásától a hatálybalépéséig a letéteményes Kormánynak a COTIF 1980 22-26. cikkeiben meghatározott feladatait - ideiglenes letéteményesként - az OTIF látja el.
2. § Az ideiglenes letéteményes a tagállamokat értesíti:
a) e jegyzőkönyv aláírásáról, valamint megerősítéséről, elfogadásáról, jóváhagyásról, illetőleg az ahhoz való csatlakozásról szóló okmányok benyújtásáról,
b) arról a napról, amelyen e jegyzőkönyv a 4. cikk rendelkezései értelmében hatályba lép,
és ellátja a letéteményesre háruló egyéb feladatokat, az 1969. május 23-án aláírt, a szerződések jogáról szóló Bécsi Egyezmény VII. Fejezetében előírtak szerint.
3. cikk
1. § E jegyzőkönyv a tagállamok számára 1999. december 31-éig aláírásra nyitva áll. Az aláírás Bernben, az ideiglenes letéteményesnél történik.
2. § A COTIF 1980 20. cikkének 1. §-a szerint e jegyzőkönyvet meg kell erősíteni, el kell fogadni, vagy jóvá kell hagyni. A megerősítési, elfogadási vagy jóváhagyási okmányokat az ideiglenes letéteményesnél a lehető legrövidebb időn belül letétbe kell helyezni.
3. § Azok a tagállamok, amelyek e jegyzőkönyvet az 1. §-ban meghatározott határidőn belül nem írják alá, valamint azok az államok, amelyeket - felvételi kérelmük elfogadásával, a COTIF 1980 23. cikkének 2. §-a szerint - várhatóan még e jegyzőkönyv hatálybalépése előtt felvesznek teljes jogú tagként a COTIF 1980-ba, az ideiglenes letéteményesnél letétbe helyezett csatlakozási okmánnyal csatlakozhatnak e jegyzőkönyvhöz.
4. § Ha egy állam a COTIF 1980-hoz - annak 23. cikke szerint - csatlakozási kérelmét e jegyzőkönyv aláírásra való megnyitása után, de még a hatálybalépése előtt nyújtja be, úgy kell tekinteni, hogy mind a COTIF 1980-hoz, mind pedig annak az e jegyzőkönyv melléklete szerinti új szövegéhez csatlakozik.
4. cikk
1. § E jegyzőkönyv azt a hónapot követő harmadik hónap első napján lép hatályba, amelyben az ideiglenes letéteményes értesíti a tagállamokat annak az okmánynak a letétbe helyezéséről, amellyel a COTIF 1980 20. cikkének 2. §-a szerinti feltételek teljesültek. Az említett 20. cikk 2. §-ának az alkalmazása szempontjából tagállamnak tekintendő minden olyan állam, amely már tag volt az ötödik Közgyűlés döntésének az időpontjában és tag akkor is, amikor az e jegyzőkönyv hatálybalépéséhez szükséges feltételek teljesülnek.
2. § A 3. cikket azonban e jegyzőkönyv aláírásra való megnyitásától kezdve kell alkalmazni.
5. cikk
Az Egyezménynek az e jegyzőkönyv mellékletével módosított 42. cikke 1. §-ában említett nyilatkozatok és fenntartások bármikor megtehetők, illetve bejelenthetők, akár e jegyzőkönyv hatálybalépése előtt is, hatályossá azonban csak e jegyzőkönyv hatálybalépésével válnak.
6. cikk
1. § Az OTIF Főtitkárának a Közgyűlést a jegyzőkönyv hatálybalépését követően legkésőbb hat hónapon belül össze kell hívnia abból a célból, hogy:
a) kijelöljék a következő időszakra az Intéző Bizottság tagjait, [a COTIF e jegyzőkönyv mellékletével módosított 14. cikke 2. §-ának b) pontja], és - ha szükséges döntsenek - a funkcióban lévő Intéző Bizottság mandátumának a megszüntetéséről,
b) rögzítsék, hat évre, a Szervezet költségeinek a COTIF egyes költségvetési időszakára érvényes felső határát [a COTIF e jegyzőkönyv mellékletével módosított 14. cikkének 2. §-ának e) pontja], és
c) megválasszák - amennyiben szükséges - a Főtitkárt [a COTIF e jegyzőkönyv mellékletével módosított 14. cikkének 2. §-ának c) pontja].
2. § Az OTIF Főtitkárának e jegyzőkönyv hatályba lépését követően legkésőbb három hónapon belül össze kell hívnia a Műszaki Szakértői Bizottságot.
3. § E jegyzőkönyv hatálybalépését követően az Intéző Bizottság mandátuma, amelyet a COTIF 1980 6. cikke 2. §-ának b) pontja szabályoz, a Közgyűlés által meghatározott időpontban jár le, amelynek egybe kell esnie a Közgyűlés által kijelölt új intéző bizottsági tagok és póttagok mandátumának a kezdetével [a COTIF e jegyzőkönyv mellékletével módosított 14. cikke 2. §-ának b) pontja].
4. § A Központi Hivatal e jegyzőkönyv hatálybalépése idején hivatalban lévő Vezérigazgatójának a mandátuma a COTIF 1980 7. cikke 2. §-ának d) pontja szerint meghatározott időszak lejártával szűnik meg. E jegyzőkönyv hatálybalépésétől kezdődően a Vezérigazgató látja el a főtitkári feladatokat.
5. § A COTIF 1980 6., 7. és 11. cikkeinek a vonatkozó rendelkezései e jegyzőkönyv hatálybalépését követően is alkalmazandók a következőkre:
a) a könyvvizsgálatra és a Szervezet éves beszámolójának az elfogadására,
b) a tagállamoknak a Szervezet költségeit fedező pénzügyi hozzájárulása meghatározására,
c) a hozzájárulások megfizetésére,
d) a Szervezet költségei legnagyobb összegének öt évre történő - e jegyzőkönyv hatálybalépése előtti - meghatározására.
Az a), b) és a c) pontok a jegyzőkönyv hatálybalépésének évére, valamint az azt megelőző évre vonatkoznak.
6. § A tagállamok által az e jegyzőkönyv hatálybalépésének évére fizetendő éves hozzájárulást a COTIF 1980 11. cikkének 1. §-a alapján kell kiszámítani.
7. § Amennyiben egy tagállamnak a COTIF e jegyzőkönyv mellékletével módosított 26. cikke alapján kiszámított hozzájárulása magasabb, mint az 1999. évre fizetendő hozzájárulása, kérésére a Közgyűlés az e jegyzőkönyv hatálybalépésének évét követő három évre meghatározhatja az adott tagállam hozzájárulásának a mértékét, a következő elvek figyelembevételével:
a) az átmeneti hozzájárulás meghatározásának alapja vagy a fent említett 26. cikk 3. §-ában meghatározott legkisebb hozzájárulás, vagy - amennyiben az magasabb - az 1999-re megállapított hozzájárulás,
b) a hozzájárulást fokozatosan, legfeljebb három lépcsőben kell kiigazítani, amíg el nem éri a fent említett, 26. cikk alapján kiszámított hozzájárulás mértékét.
Ezt a rendelkezést nem lehet alkalmazni a legkisebb hozzájárulás összegével tartozó tagállamokra; a legkisebb hozzájárulást mindenképpen ki kell fizetni.
8. § A tagállamok közötti nemzetközi forgalomban lebonyolított személy-, vagy árufuvarozásra a CIV 1980. Egységes Szabályok vagy a CIM 1980. Egységes Szabályok alapján kötött szerződésekre e jegyzőkönyv hatálybalépését követően is a szerződés megkötésének időpontjában hatályos Egységes Szabályokat kell alkalmazni.
9. § Azokra a szerződésekre, amelyeket e jegyzőkönyv hatálybalépése előtt kötöttek, a CUV Egységes Szabályok és a CUI Egységes Szabályok kötelező rendelkezéseit e jegyzőkönyv hatálybalépését követő egy év eltelte után kell alkalmazni.
7. cikk
1. § E jegyzőkönyvet angol, francia és német nyelven írták alá. Eltérés esetén a francia nyelvű szöveg az irányadó.
2. § Bármely érintett tagállam javaslatára a Szervezet e jegyzőkönyv hiteles fordítását más nyelven is közzéteszi, amennyiben az adott nyelv legalább két tagállam területén hivatalos nyelv. A fordítást az érintett tagállamok illetékes hatóságaival együttműködve kell elkészíteni.
A fentiek értelmében e jegyzőkönyvet a tagállamok kormányai által teljes jogkörrel felhatalmazott képviselők írták alá.
Kelt Vilniusban, 1999. június 3-án, egy-egy eredeti francia, német és angol nyelvű példányban. Az eredeti példányokat az OTIF archívumában helyezték el. A tagállamok hiteles másolatot kapnak.
(Aláírók a tagállamok nevében)
1. cikk
1. § Ennek az Egyezménynek a részesei, mint tagállamok, megalapítják a Nemzetközi Vasúti Fuvarozásügyi Államközi Szervezetet (OTIF) (a továbbiakban: Szervezet).
2. § A Szervezet székhelye Bernben van. A Közgyűlés dönthet a székhely más tagállamba való áthelyezéséről.
3. § A Szervezet jogi személy. Így - különösen - szerződéseket köthet, ingó és ingatlan vagyont szerezhet és azt elidegenítheti, valamint peres eljárásban félként szerepelhet.
4. § A Szervezet, annak alkalmazottai, az általa meghívott szakértők és a tagállamok képviselői - az Egyezményhez csatolt, a Szervezet kiváltságairól és mentességéről szóló jegyzőkönyvben meghatározott feltételek szerint - élvezik mindazokat a kiváltságokat és mentességeket, amelyek feladatuk teljesítéséhez szükségesek.
5. § A Szervezet és a székhelye szerinti állam közötti viszonyt székhely-megállapodás szabályozza.
6. § A Szervezet munkanyelve az angol, a francia és a német. A Közgyűlés más munkanyelvek bevezetéséről is dönthet.
2. cikk
1. § A Szervezet célja a nemzetközi vasúti fuvarozás előmozdítása, fejlesztése és megkönnyítése minden szempontból, különösen az alábbiakkal:
a) egységes jogrendszer kialakítása az alábbi jogterületeken:
1. szerződések a nemzetközi vasúti személy- és árufuvarozásra vonatkozóan, beleértve a vasúti fuvarozás kiegészítéseként más szállítóeszközzel ugyanazon szerződés alapján végzett fuvarozást is;
2. szerződések a nemzetközi vasúti fuvarozásban szállítóeszközként alkalmazott járművek használatára vonatkozóan;
3. szerződések az infrastruktúra használatára a nemzetközi vasúti fuvarozásban;
4. veszélyes áruk fuvarozása nemzetközi vasúti forgalomban;
b) a különleges közérdeket figyelembe véve, a nemzetközi vasúti forgalomban a határátkeléseknél fennálló akadályok - a lehető legrövidebb időn belül történő - elhárításának elősegítése, amennyiben az akadályok elhárítása a tagállamok hatáskörébe tartozik;
c) a vasutak kölcsönös átjárhatósága és műszaki harmonizációja kiteljesítésének elősegítése műszaki szabványok érvényesítésével és egységes műszaki előírások elfogadásával;
d) a nemzetközi forgalomra szánt vasúti gördülőállomány műszaki vizsgálatára vonatkozó egységes eljárás kidolgozása;
e) a Szervezetben elfogadott szabályok és ajánlások alkalmazásának figyelemmel kísérése;
f) az a)-e) pontban említett egységes jogrendszer, szabályok és eljárások továbbfejlesztése, figyelemmel a jogi, gazdasági és műszaki fejfődésre.
2. § A Szervezetnek jogában áll:
a) az 1. §-ban kitűzött célok elérése érdekében más egységes jogrendszert kidolgozni;
b) olyan keretet kialakítani, amelyben a tagállamok kidolgozhatnak más nemzetközi egyezményeket, azzal a céllal, hogy előmozdítsák, fejlesszék és megkönnyítsék a nemzetközi vasúti forgalmat.
3. cikk
1. § A tagállamok elvi kötelezettséget vállalnak arra, hogy erősítik a Szervezet keretében nemzetközi együttműködésüket a vasúti közlekedés területén, ezáltal is következetes együttműködést biztosítva a 2. és a 4. cikkben a Szervezetre rótt feladatok teljesítésében. A fenti cél elérése érdekében a tagállamok megtesznek minden szükséges és hasznos intézkedést annak érdekében, hogy azok az érvényben levő, nemzetközi sokoldalú konvenciók és megállapodások, amelyeknek ők szerződő felei, váljanak alkalmassá arra, hogy kiterjedjenek a nemzetközi vasúti együttműködés területére, és adjanak más kormányközi és civil szervezeteknek hatáskört a Szervezet feladataihoz hasonló feladatok ellátására.
2. § Az 1. §-ból adódó kötelezettségek azoknak a tagállamoknak az esetében, amelyek egyben az Európai Közösségeknek is tagjai, illetve az Európai Gazdasági Térségről szóló Egyezménynek is részesei, nem érintik azokat a kötelezettségeket, amelyek a tagállamokat mint az Európai Közösségek tagjait vagy mint az Európai Gazdasági Térségről szóló Egyezmény részeseit terhelik.
4. cikk
1. § A Szervezet a Közgyűlés döntése alapján átvállalhat - a 2. cikkben meghatározott céloknak megfelelő - olyan hatásköröket, forrásokat és kötelezettségeket, amelyeket más kormányközi szervezetek adnak át neki a velük kötött egyezmények keretében.
2. § A Szervezet a Közgyűlés döntése alapján hatásköröket, forrásokat és kötelezettségeket adhat át más kormányközi szervezeteknek, az azokkal kötött egyezmények keretében.
3. § A Szervezet az Intéző Bizottság jóváhagyásával átvállalhat a céljával összhangban levő olyan közigazgatási feladatokat, amelyekkel valamelyik tagállam bízza meg. A Szervezet olyan költségeit, amelyek e feladat teljesítéséből erednek, az adott tagállam viseli.
5. cikk
1. § A tagállamok megállapodnak abban, hogy megtesznek minden szükséges intézkedést a nemzetközi vasúti forgalom könnyítése és gyorsítása érdekében. E célból minden tagállam a lehetőségei szerint vállalja, hogy:
a) kiiktatja a fölösleges eljárásokat,
