Decision 2013/103 - 2013/103/EU: Council Decision of 16 June 2011 on the signing and conclusion of the Agreement with the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail on the Accession of the EU to the Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF) of 9 May 1980 , as amended by the Vilnius Protocol of 3 June 1999 - Main contents

COUNCIL DECISION

of 16 June 2011

on the signing and conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail on the Accession of the European Union to the Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF) of 9 May 1980, as amended by the Vilnius Protocol of 3 June 1999

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2013/103/EU)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 91, in conjunction with Articles 218(5) and 218(6)(a)(v) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Having regard to the consent of the European Parliament,

Whereas:

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The Agreement between the European Union and the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail on the Accession of the European Union to the Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF) of 9 May 1980, as amended by the Vilnius Protocol of 3 June 1999 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Agreement’) is hereby approved on behalf of the Union.

The text of the Agreement is attached to this Decision.

Article 2

When signing the Agreement a declaration, as set out in Annex I to this Decision, shall be made by the Union concerning the exercise of its competence and a declaration, as set out in Annex II to this Decision, shall be made by the Union in respect of Article 2 of the Agreement.

Article 3

The President of the Council is hereby authorised to designate the person(s) empowered to sign the Agreement in order to bind the Union and to make the declarations referred to in Article 2.

Article 4

The Commission shall represent the Union at OTIF meetings.

Article 5

The internal arrangements for the preparation for OTIF meetings and for the representation and voting at such meetings are set out in Annex III to this Decision.

Article 6

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

Done at Luxembourg, 16 June 2011.

For the Council

The President

VÖLNER P.

ANNEX I

DECLARATION BY THE EUROPEAN UNION CONCERNING THE EXERCISE OF COMPETENCE

In the rail sector, the European Union (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Union’) shares competence with the Member States of the Union (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Member States’) pursuant to Articles 90 and 91, in conjunction with Article 100(1), and Articles 171 and 172 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

Title VI of the TFEU establishes the Union’s common transport policy, and Title XVI provides for the Union’s contribution to the establishment and development of trans-European networks in the area of transport.

More specifically, Article 91 of Title VI of the TFEU provides that the Union may adopt:

With regard to trans-European networks, Article 171 of Title XVI of the TFEU provides, more specifically, that the Union:

On the basis of these two provisions the Union has adopted a substantial number of legal instruments applicable to rail transport.

Under Union law, the Union has acquired exclusive competence in matters of rail transport where the Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF) of 9 May 1980, as amended by the Vilnius Protocol of 3 June 1999 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Convention’) or legal instruments adopted pursuant to it may affect or alter the scope of these existing Union rules.

For subject matters governed by the Convention in relation to which the Union has exclusive competence, Member States have no competence.

Where Union rules exist but are not affected by the Convention or legal instruments adopted pursuant to it, the Union shares competence on matters in relation to the Convention with Member States.

A list of the relevant Union instruments in force at the time of the conclusion of the Agreement is contained in the Appendix to this Annex. The scope of the Union competence arising out of these texts has to be assessed in relation to the specific provisions of each text, especially the extent to which these provisions establish common rules. Union competence is subject to continuous development. In the framework of the Treaty on European Union and the TFEU, the competent institutions of the Union may take decisions which determine the extent of the competence of the Union. The Union therefore reserves the right to amend this declaration accordingly, without this constituting a prerequisite for the exercise of its competence in matters covered by the Convention.

Appendix to Annex I

EUROPEAN UNION INSTRUMENTS RELATING TO SUBJECTS DEALT WITH BY THE CONVENTION

To date, the Union has exercised its competence, inter alia, through the following Union instruments:

ECONOMIC/MARKET ACCESS LEGISLATION

INTEROPERABILITY AND SAFETY LEGISLATION

PUBLIC SERVICE OBLIGATIONS

ANNEX II

DECLARATION BY THE EUROPEAN UNION IN RESPECT OF ARTICLE 2 OF THE AGREEMENT

The term ‘governing the particular subject concerned’ is to be understood as applying to the specific case which is governed by a provision of the Convention, including its appendices, and is not governed by European Union legislation.

ANNEX III

INTERNAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE COUNCIL, THE MEMBER STATES AND THE COMMISSION IN PROCEEDINGS UNDER OTIF

Bearing in mind the requirement of unity of the international representation of the Union and its Member States in accordance with the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union also at the stage of implementation of international obligations, the Council, the Member States and the Commission will apply the following internal arrangements:

• 1. 

  Scope

These internal arrangements will apply to any meeting of any of the bodies set up under OTIF. Any reference to a ‘meeting’ in these arrangements is understood to include mutatis mutandis a reference also to other proceedings, such as a written procedure.

• 2. 

  Coordination procedure

• 3. 

  Statements and voting in the OTIF meetings

• 4. 

  Review of these arrangements

At the request of a Member State or the Commission, these arrangements will be reviewed, taking account of experience gained from their operation.

AGREEMENT

between the European Union and the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail on the Accession of the European Union to the Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF) of 9 May 1980, as amended by the Vilnius Protocol of 3 June 1999

THE EUROPEAN UNION, hereinafter referred to as ‘the Union’,

of the one part, and

THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATION FOR INTERNATIONAL CARRIAGE BY RAIL, hereinafter referred to as ‘OTIF’,

of the other part,

Together hereinafter referred to as ‘the Contracting Parties’,

HAVING REGARD to the Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF) of 9 May 1980, as amended by the Vilnius Protocol of 3 June 1999 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Convention’), and in particular Article 38 thereof,

HAVING REGARD to the responsibilities which the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) confers on the Union in certain areas covered by the Convention,

RECALLING that following the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009, the Union has replaced and succeeded the European Community and from that date exercises all rights and assumes all obligations of the European Community,

WHEREAS the Convention establishes an Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF), the headquarters of which are at Bern,

WHEREAS the purpose of the Union’s accession to the Convention is to assist OTIF in pursuing its objective of promoting, improving and facilitating international rail transport in both technical and legal respects,

WHEREAS by virtue of Article 3 of the Convention, the obligations arising out of the Convention with regard to international cooperation do not take precedence, for Parties to the Convention which are also Member States of the Union or States party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, over their obligations as Member States of the Union or States party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area,

WHEREAS a disconnection clause is necessary for those parts of the Convention which fall within the competence of the Union, in order to indicate that Member States of the Union cannot invoke and apply the rights and obligations deriving from the Convention directly among themselves,

WHEREAS the Convention applies fully between the Union and its Member States on the one hand, and the other Parties to the Convention, on the other hand,

WHEREAS the Union’s accession to the Convention requires the rules for applying the provisions of the Convention to the Union and its Member States to be clearly established,

WHEREAS the conditions of the Union’s accession to the Convention must allow the Union to exercise within the framework of the Convention the competences conferred on it by its Member States,

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

The Union hereby accedes to the Convention under the terms and conditions laid down in this Agreement, in accordance with Article 38 of the Convention.

Article 2

Without prejudice to the object and the purpose of the Convention to promote, improve and facilitate international traffic by rail and without prejudice to its full application with respect to other Parties to the Convention, in their mutual relations, Parties to the Convention which are Member States of the Union shall apply Union rules and shall therefore not apply the rules arising from that Convention except in so far as there is no Union rule governing the particular subject concerned.

Article 3

Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, provisions in the Convention shall be so interpreted as also to include the Union, within the framework of its competence, and the various terms used to designate the Parties to the Convention and their representatives are to be understood accordingly.

Article 4

The Union shall not contribute to the budget of OTIF and shall not take part in decisions concerning that budget.

Article 5

Without prejudice to the exercise of its voting rights under Article 6, the Union shall be entitled to be represented and involved in the work of all OTIF bodies in which any of its Member States is entitled to be represented as a Party to the Convention, and where matters falling within its competence may be dealt with.

The Union may not be a member of the Administrative Committee. It may be invited to participate in meetings of that Committee when the Committee wishes to consult it on matters of common interest that have been placed on the agenda.

Article 6

• 1. 

  For decisions in matters where the Union has exclusive competence, the Union shall exercise the voting rights of its Member States under the Convention.

• 2. 

  For decisions in matters where the Union shares competence with its Member States, either the Union or its Member States shall vote.

• 3. 

  Subject to Article 26, paragraph 7, of the Convention, the Union shall have a number of votes equal to that of its Member States who are also Parties to the Convention. When the Union votes, its Member States shall not vote.

• 4. 

  The Union shall, on a case-by-case basis, inform the other Parties to the Convention of the cases where, with regard to the various items on the agendas of the General Assembly and the other deliberating bodies, it will exercise the voting rights provided for in paragraphs 1 to 3. That obligation shall also apply when decisions are taken by correspondence. That information is to be provided early enough to the OTIF Secretary-General in order to allow its circulation together with meeting documents or a decision to be taken by correspondence.

Article 7

The scope of the competence of the Union shall be indicated in general terms in a written declaration made by the Union at the time of the conclusion of this Agreement. That declaration may be modified as appropriate by notification from the Union to OTIF. It shall not replace or in any way limit the matters that may be covered by the notifications of Union competence to be made prior to OTIF decision-making by means of formal voting or otherwise.

Article 8

Title V of the Convention shall apply to any dispute arising between the Contracting Parties in respect of the interpretation, application or implementation of this Agreement, including its existence, validity and termination.

Article 9

This Agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the first month following the signature of this Agreement by the Contracting Parties. Article 34, paragraph 2, of the Convention shall not apply in this case.

Article 10

This Agreement shall remain in force for an indefinite period.

If all Parties to the Convention which are Member States of the Union denounce the Convention, the notification of that denunciation, as well as of the denunciation of this Agreement, shall be considered to have been given by the Union at the same time as the last Member State of the Union to denounce the Convention notifies its denunciation under Article 41 of the Convention.

Article 11

Parties to the Convention other than Member States of the Union, which apply relevant Union legislation as a result of their international agreements with the Union, may, with the acknowledgement of the Depositary of the Convention, enter individual declarations with regard to the preservation of their rights and obligations under their agreements with the Union, the Convention and related regulations.

This Agreement shall be drawn up in duplicate, one original kept by OTIF and the other by the Union, in the Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, and Swedish languages, each text being equally authentic. This is without prejudice to Article 45, paragraph 1, of the Convention.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned Plenipotentiaries, duly empowered to this effect, have signed this Agreement.

За Европейския съюз

Por la Unión Europea

Za Evropskou unii

For Den Europæiske Union

Für die Europäische Union

Euroopa Liidu nimel

Για την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση

For the European Union

Pour l'Union européenne

Per l'Unione europea

Eiropas Savienības vārdā –

Europos Sąjungos vardu

Az Európai Unió részéről

Għall-Unjoni Ewropea

Voor de Europese Unie

W imieniu Unii Europejskiej

Pela União Europeia

Pentru Uniunea Europeană

Za Európsku úniu

Za Evropsko unijo

Euroopan unionin puolesta

För Europeiska unionen

За Междуправителствената организация за международни железопътни превози (OTIF)

Por la Organización Intergubernamental para los Transportes Internacionales por Ferrocarril (OTIF)

Za Mezivládní organizaci pro mezinárodní železniční přepravu (OTIF)

For Den Mellemstatslige Organisation for Internationale Jernbanebefordringer (OTIF)

Für die Zwischenstaatliche Organisation für den internationalen Eisenbahnverkehr (OTIF)

Rahvusvaheliste Raudteevedude Valitsustevahelise Organisatsiooni (OTIF) nimel

Για το Διακυβερνητικό Οργανισμό Διεθνών Σιδηροδρομικών Μεταφορών (OTIF)

For the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF)

Pour l'Organisation intergouvernementale pour les transports internationaux ferroviaires (OTIF)

Per l'Organizzazione intergovernativa per i trasporti internazionali per ferrovia (OTIF)

Starptautisko dzelzceļa pārvadājumu starpvaldību organizācijas (OTIF) vārdā –

Tarptautinio vežimo geležinkeliais tarpvyriausybinės organizacijos (OTIF) vardu

A Nemzetközi Vasúti Fuvarozásügyi Államközi Szervezet (OTIF) részéről

Għall-Organizzazzjoni Intergovernattiva għat-Trasport Internazzjonali bil-Ferrovija (OTIF)

Voor de Intergouvernementele Organisatie voor het internationale spoorwegvervoer (OTIF)

W imieniu Międzyrządowej Organizacji Międzynarodowych Przewozów Kolejami (OTIF)

Pela Organização Intergovernamental para os Transportes Internacionais Ferroviários (OTIF)

Pentru Organizația Interguvernamentală pentru Transporturile Internaționale Feroviare (OTIF)

Za Medzivládnu organizáciu pre medzinárodnú železničnú prepravu (OTIF)

Za Medvladno organizacijo za mednarodni železniški promet (OTIF)

Valtioiden välisen kansainvälisten rautatiekuljetusten järjestön (OTIF) puolesta

För Mellanstatliga organisationen för internationell järnvägstrafik (Otif)

This summary has been adopted from EUR-Lex.