ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(75)562
Vol.1975/0211

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/
COMMISSION OFTHE EUROFEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(75 )562final .
Brussels ,11November 1975
COMMISSION REPORT TOTHE COUNCIL
oncertain problems arising atthepresent stage inthenegotiation of
anagreement onthe implementation ofregulations concerning thetemporary
S
laying-up ofgoods vessels andapplicable tocertain waterways
and •- !
-v ».
PROPOSAL FOR ACOUNCIL DECISION
supplementing thedirectives appended totheCouncil Decisions of
28December 1972 and17February 1975 on "theopening ofnegotiations for
/
anagreement ontheimplementation ofregulations concerning thetemporary
laying-up ofgoods vessels andapplicable tocertain waterways .
)
\ .
I
V X ,
/ •
COM(75 )562final .

COMMISSION REPORT TOTHE COUNCIL
oncertain problems arising atthepresent stage inthenegotiation -of
anagreement ontheimplementation ofregulations concerning thetemporary
laying-up ofgoods vessels andapplicable tocertain waterways .
INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT
1. Byvirtue ofadecision taken on28December 1972 ,theCouncil (1)
authorized theCommission "toopen negotiations having astheir object the
conclusion ofanagreement towhich theContracting Parties totherevised
Convention fortheNavigation oftheRhine andtheConvention forthe '
canalization oftheMoselle together rnth theEuropean Economic Community ,
will beparties ontheimplementation ofregulations concerning thetemporary
laying-up ofgoods vessels andapplicable towaterways subject tothe
arrangements laid down intheabove –mentioned Conventions ".
Following Article 2oftheabove –mentioned decision ,"the
Commission shall negotiate onthebasis ofthedirectives contained inthe
Annex tothis decision "and "these directives maybeamended andsupplemented
bytheCouncil ,acting onaproposal from theCommission ,inaccordance
with thevoting procedure laid down inArticle 75oftheTreaty ".
2. This decision andtheappended directives were amended and
supplemented bytheCouncil Decision of17February 1975 (2)which
authorized theCommission topursue negotiations with Switzerland xvithout
further delay ;itshould bestressed that thedecision of17February
1975 also extended theterritorial application oftheplanned regulation .
(1)Doe.NoR/2904/72(TRANS 170)of22December 1972 ,p.3.
(2)Doc .NoR/351/75(TRANS 16)of6February I975 .

wm2•"
Atthepresent stage ofnegotiations ithas .been possible toreach
anagreement with Switzerland onalmost alltheproblems requiring nego­
tiation .This agreement isembodied intheprovisions setoutinthe
document ,attached tothis report asAnnex II. ...
3. However ,certain points notcovered bytheabove-mentioned directives
because oftheinstitutional andpolitical implications could notbe
settled byconcerted action bytheMember States andmust therefore be
submitted fordecision bytheCouncil .Wewould like todraw attention to
thefact that these problems have notbeen negotiated with Switzerland ;
nevertheless theSwiss delegation hasmade apoint ofmaking itsposition
onthese matters clear .
Theprobléms involve :
inserting aprovision intheAgreement with theaimofsettling the
following points : ."
a) ■thecompatibility ofthis Agreement with certain provisions of
the .Revised Convention fortheNavigation oftheRhine of17
October 1868 ;
b) theHeadquarters oftheLaying~up Fond ;
c) thenomination ofthebody whose departments aretoprovide the
Secretariat forthe Supervisory Board .
Tothese should beadded anumber ofother problems ofatechnical
nature concerning exemption from theregulations forship-borne lighters ,
theadjustment coefficient applicable topusher .tugSj thetreatment to -
beaccorded toboats notregularly using thewaterways andlikely to
undermine anylaying^up action ,andfixing theceiling fortheinitial
'loan .

ANALYSIS OFTHEPROBLEMS SUBMITTED TOTHECOUNCIL ,. ... ,_<
I. COMPATIBILITY OFTHEAGREEMENT WITH THEREVISED CONVENTION FORTHE -
NAVIGATION OFTHERHINE (Article 3ofthedraft Agreement )
A.Position oftheMember State delegations
Attheoutset ofthenegotiations most ofthedelegations andthe
Commission envisaged introducing into theLaying–up Agreement atext
aimed atamending certain previsions oftheMannheim Convention .This
type ofprocedure would have justified Member States "whowere Parties
totheRhine Convention participating inthenegotiation andconclusion
ofthesaid Agreement .Theinitial draft text therefore made the
following provision :
\
"1,TheContracting Parties which areparty totheRevised Convention
fortheNavigation oftheRhine of17October 1868 hereby acknowledge
that they areagreed ,without prejudice tothegeneral application of
Article 3ofthat Convention ,toowners ofvessels being subject ,forthe
duration ofthis Agreement andoftheStatute annexed thereto ,tothe
obligations provided forinthe said Statute .
2.TheContracting Parties which areparty totheRevised Convention
fortheNavigation oftheRhine of17October 1868 andthose which are
party totheConvention between France ,Germany andLuxembourg of27
October 1956 onthecanalization oftheMoselle areagreed that the
jurisdiction oftheRhine Navigation Tribunals andoftheMoselle
Navigation Tribunals ,asprovided forinArticles 33and34respectively
oftheabove –mentioned Conventions ,maybeextended soastoempower
those Tribunals tohear theappeals referred toinArticle 41ofthe
Statute annexed tothis Agreement andtocover thematters referred to
inArticle 48ofthe said Statute ".

However ,the French and'United Kingdom delegations felt that any
amendement :tothe Mannheim Convention should bemade through the Central
Commission fortheRhine (CCR)bymeans ofaprocedure by-which .,the
States whoareParty tothe Convention would adopt anadditional Protocol
The Commission *sDécision
Against this background the Commission delegation submitted a
compromise text which ,whilst making theStates concerned responsible
for introducing thenecessary amendments tothe Mannheim Convention in
the form' ofanadditional Protocol separate from the Agreement ,never­
theless provided alegal justification for theparticipation ofthe
Member States involved .Nevertheless this compromise issubject tothe
said Protocol ,towhich theprovision concerned aims tobind theStates
whoareParties tothis Convention ,being adopted after the conclusion
ofthe Agreement entered into bythe Community .
The compromise text (Article 3oftheAgreement )proposed bythe
Commission isworded asfollows : '
"1.The Contracting Parties which areParties tothe Revised Convention
fortheNavigation ofthe Rhine of17October 185^hereby acknowledge
that the implementation oftheStatute annexed tothis Agreement onthe
establishment ofaEuropean Laying-up Fund for Inland Waterway Vessels
implies their adoption ofanadditional protocol tothat Convention
relating toArticles 3and ;34ofthat Convention .
They undertake toadopt such aprotocol nolater than one month after •
the signature ofthese presents .
They shall approve orratify that protocol inaccordance with therules
and procedures provided forintheir constitutions ,atthe same time as
they approve orratify this Agreement .

"2.The Contracting Parties which areParties tothe Convention between
France ,Germany and Luxembourg of27October 195^onthecanalization of
the Moselle hereby acknowledge that the implementation ofthe Statute
annexed tothis Agreement implies their adoption ofanadditional protocol
tothat Convention relating toArticle 35 that Convention,' •
They undertake toadopt such aprotocol nolater than one "month after the
signature ofthese presents .
They shall approve orratify that protocol inaccordance with *therules
and procedures provided for intheir constitutions ,atthe same time as
they approve orratify this Agreement ."
Kith 'the exceptions given below ,allthe Member State delegations
were able toagree tothis compromise text :
- the German delegation ,holds totheoriginal draft text ;
– the French delegation ,requests the simultaneous adoption ofthe
Agreement and the additional Protocol .
C. Position ofthe Swiss Délégation
The Swiss delegation ,which hadstated its agreement with the
original draft text ,isalso able toaccept the compromise text given
above .
II.PLACE WHERE THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE EUROPEAN LAYIIJG-UP FUND ARE TO
BE SITUATED
(Article 2ofthedraft Statute )
A.Position ofthe Member State Delegations
The German andDutch delegations feel itwould beappropriate to

-6-
'designate astheHeadquarters oftheFund acity situated onthelower
Rhine which isanimportant centre ofshipping activity ;they therefore
propose thecity cfDuisberg .TheUnited Kingdom delegation could accept ..
this proposal .
TheFrench delegation isoftheopinion that ,given theEuropean
significance oftheFund ,theHeadquarters should heinoneofth«
three cities considered asspecifically European ,that thecity should
beontheRhine ,andtherefore propose thecity ofStrasbourg .
TheBelgian delegation requests that theHeadquarters oftheFund
should besoplaced that theSupervisory .Board and^the Board ofManagement
arenotgeographically separated .
.TheLuxembourg delegation isprepared toaccept themajority ,
decision .
B. Position ofthe Swiss délégation
TheSwiss delegation canalso accept themajority decision .
C. Position ofthe Commission
Particularly inview ofthevarious national political aspects
attached tothechoice oftheplace where theHeadquarters oftheFund "1
aretobesituated ,theCommission feels itwould beinappropriate forit
topropose aplace byname .Notwithstanding these aspects ,itfeels
that theinterests oftheCommunity ,which should betheguiding principle

inthe choice ,should result
chief characteristics :inthe choice ofaplace having the following
– itshould beaplace known asEuropean andsituated onone of
the waterways subject tothe Agreement ;
– itshould beaplace whose position andtechnical infrastructure
provides travel facilities ,particularly forthose persons
responsible forthe administration ofthe Fund ,and having atits
disposal acommunications system which would facilitate rapid
contact between theFund ,itsbranch offices andthecollection
offices ;
~ itshould not beaplace which isalso the headquarters of
•professional associations orgroupings ofshipping organisations
which arelikely toexpose the Fund toacertain amount ofexternal
pressure ; ' .
– itshould beaplace where itispossible toset upthe Fund in'
,such away astoavoid institutional confusion with other bodies
which may beestablished there ;
– itshould beinacountry which canoffer onthe whole thecentral
bodies and departments ofthe Fund the most extensive facilities .
The Commission requests the Council tonominate the place where the
Headquarters ofthe Fund istobesituated onthe basis ofthe above
critena .
III. FOIJIHATION OF THE BODY WHOSE DEBARMENTS ARE TOPROVIDE THE
SECRETARIAT OFTHE SUPERVISORY BOARD (Article 27(l)and (2)of -.
thedraft Statute ). '
A. Position ofthe Member State delegations
The French delegation hopes that theSecretariat ofthe Supervisory
Board .will betaken onbytheSecretariat General ofthe CCR.

The Belgian delegation refers totheposition ithad .taken ,
mentioned inpoint IIabove . .' •
The remaining delegations advocate that for reasons ofpracticality
andefficiency theSecretariat ofthe said Board should beprovided by
the party providing the Chairman who convenes this Board .
B. Position ofthe Svriss delegation - .
I
The .Swiss delegation has not yet stated its opinion . .
C. Position ofthe Ccmiaission
The Commission shares the view ofthe majority ofthe delegations .
However ,itprpposes that ,inorder totake into consideration the point
ofview ofthe French delegation ,theSecretary General forthe CCR
should beinvited toattend Supervisory Board meetings inaconsultative
capacity ,'jithout having voting rights *
IV,TLOHKICAL PROBLEMS
1) What -treatment -should beaccorded .toship-borne lighters moving
between twoseaports ?(Article 13(2)ofthedraft Statute )
A. Position ofthe' Member State delegations
The Belgian delegation hopes that the period spent byship-borne
lighters moving between two seaports will not beincluded inthe
calculation tofixtheperiod spent bythem onthe "navigable waterways
ofthe Fund .
delegations are opposed tothe Belgian request

B. Position ofthe Svâss délégation
The Swiss delegation isalso opposed tothe request ofthe
Belgian delegation .
C. Position ofthe Commission
The Commission has decided against the proposal put forward bythe
Belgian delegation which isnotjustified either atthe economic level
orfrom the point ofview ofequal treatment and which,given the very -
general formulation ofthe proposal ,would make itpossible for ship-borne
lighters toclaim exemption onalarge number oftraffic links .
2) Adjustment coefficient forpusher tugs (Article 10(2)ofthe
draft Statute )
'A. Position ofthe Member States
The Dutch delegation feels that the level ofthe adjustment
coefficient for pusher tugs advocated bythe other delegations and the
Commission should beraised ,particularly because itispossible to
operate this type ofboat very intensively .They calculate that the
coefficient should beabout 2.50 .
The German delegation also prefers acoefficient ofover 2.30
butstates that itcould accept amajority decision .
The remaining delegations hold tothe coefficient of2.30 agreed
earlier atanadhoc meeting .
Position ofthe Sifiss delegation
The Swiss delegation also holds toJhe agreement reached atthe ad
hoc meeting .

-10
C. Position ofthe Commission
TheCommission recalls that government experts aswell as
qualified representatives oftheprofession ,whowere duly consulted on
several occasions ,allstated that itisnotpossible tocalculate exact
values for thevarious adjustment coefficients with anadequate degree
ofscientific precision .Inaddition theCommission would like to
emphasize that thecoefficient forpusher tugs ,like thecoefficients
adopted forother categories of "boats ,istheresult ofageneral
1compromise .Itwould also like topoint outthat theSupervisory Board
isempowered tochange thevarious adjustment coefficients atalater
date asaresult ofexperience gained inoperation .Taking allthis into
account ,theCommission proposes that theagreement astoacoefficient
of2.30 ,arrived atduring theabove-mentioned adhocmeeting ,should
remain firm .
3) Treatment ofirregular users ofthewaterways during layiiy?-up
priods (So-called catch-all clause –Article 10(6)ofthe -draft
Statute ).
A. Position oftho Member Stat u
TheBelgian delegation states that itcannot accept thetext of
Article 10(6)except aspart ofageneral overall agreement onallthe
provisions ofthedraft Agreement andStatute .
Theremaining delegations subscribe tothe text ofthe said •
paragraph which istheresult ofacompromise . .
B4 Position ofthe Swiss délégation
TheSwiss delegation hasstated itself tobeinfavour ofthe
present wording ofArticle 10(6).

-11-
C. Position ofthe Connais sion
Tlie Commission also advocates retaining the text mquestion .
4) Ceiling fortheinitial loan (Article 53(l) (2)ofthedraft
Statute )
/  
Therespective delegations ofSwitzerland and the Member States
have sofar made nostatement onthe ceiling for theinitial loan
provided forinArticle 53(l)and (2)ofthedraft Statute .
L
The CorMssion proposes that this should befixed bythe Supervisory -
Board during the month following itsconstitution ,inaccordance with
paragraph 1ofthesaid Article ,
CONCLUSIONS
1. Inview ofthe foregoing ,the Commission feels that ,before
proceeding viith negotiations ,thedirectives annexed tothe Council
Decisions of25December 1972 and 17February 1975 »on "theopening of
negotiations for anagreement onthe implementation ofregulations
concerning the temporary laying-up ofgoods vessels andapplicable to
certain v?aterwaj^s ,should besupplemented .InAnnex Itothis report ,
the Commission istherefore forwarding tothe Council aproposal which aims
tosupplement the said directives a3set out abeve .
2. Inaddition the CoLiinission requests the Council toindicate its
agreement with the whole body ofthe remaining provisions contained inthe
draft Agreement andStatute attached asAnnex II,onwhich thedelegations
ofthe Member States have reached agreement (l)sothat negotiations maybe
completed onthis basis .
(l)TheSwiss delegation hasalso stated thatitagrees vrith allthese
provisions ,the onereservation being inconnection with theprovisions
ofthethird sub-paragraph ofArticle 44(concerning themandatory
nature ofthepreliminary rulings vis-a-vis thelegal authorities oflast resort ),which still hastobenegotiated with this delegation .

AMEX I
PROPOSAL FOR ACOUNCIL DSCISIOlT
supplementing thedirectives
appended tothe Council decisions
of28December 1972 and 17February 1975
oilthe opening ofnegotiations for an
agreement onthe implementation of
regulations concerning the temporary
laying-up ofgoods vessels and applicable
tocertain xra-torways
(submitted tothe Council bythe Commission )

THE COUNCIL OFTEEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES .
having regard totheTreaty establishing theEuropean Economic Community ,
having regard totheCouncil Decision of28December 1972 ontheopening
ofnegotiations foranagreement ontheimplementation ofregulations
concerning thetemporary laying-up ofgoods vessels andapplicable to
certain waterways ,andparticularly Article 2(2)thereof ,
having regard totheproposal from theCommission ,
whereas inthecourse of-negotiations conducted pursuant totheCouncil
decisions of28December 1972 and17February 1975 certain divergences
between thepositions oftheMember State delegations inconnection with
some problems ofaninstitutional andpolitical nature ,andsome ofa
technical nature ,became' apparent ;ifhereas inthis connection itwould
therefore beappropriate tosupplement thedirectives onthenegotiations .
HAS DECIDED
.- 'Article 1^ "! •'
Thedirectives appended totheCouncil Decisions of28December
1972 and17February 1975 shall besupplemented bythefollowing provisions
a) TheAgreement ontheestablishing ofaEuropean Laying-up Fund for .
Inland Waterway Vessels shall include afurther provision which
reads asfollows :
"1.TheContracting Parties which areParties totheRevised
Convention for -fch*Navigation oftheRhine of17October 1868
hereby acknowl# ^that theimplementation oftheStatute annexed
tothis Agreement implies their adoption ofanadditional protocol
tothat Convention relating toArticles 3and34ofthat Convention .

They undertake toadopt such aprotocol nolater than onemonth
after thesignature ofthese ,presents .
They shall approve orratify that protocol inaccordance with the
rules andprocedures provided forintheir constitutions ,atthe
same time asthey approve orratify this Agreement .
2,TheContracting Parties which areParties totheConvention
between France ,Germany andLuxembourg of27October 195& onthe
canalization oftheMoselle hereby acknowledge that theimplemen­
tation oftheStatute annexed tothis Agreement implies their adoption
•^fanadditional protocol tothat Convention relating toArticle
35ofthat Convention .
They undertake toadopt such aprotocol nolater than onemonth
after thesignature ofthese presents .
They shall approve orratify that protocol inaccordance with the
rules andprocedures provided forintheir constitutions ,atthe
same time asthey approve orratify this Agreement ".
TheStatute appended totheAgreement shall provide that the .
Headquarters oftheFund shall besituated in
TheStatute shall provide that theSecretary General ofthe
Central Commission fortheNavigation oftheRhine shall be
invited toattend Supervisory Board meetings inaconsultative
capacity ,without having voting rights ,andthat ,inaddition ,the
secretariat oftheSupervisory Board shall beprovided bythe
departments oftheCommission oftheEuropean Communities ,which
will assume theChairmanship oftheBoard ."
TheStatute shall include aprovision worded asfollows :

•'For ship-borne lighters ,thepayment ofthedaily contributions
may "bemade inadvance atthe "beginning ofeach year ajnd shall cover
theperiod oftime during which thevessels areexpected tobeon
thewaterways oftheFund .Thetime spent bythese vessels inthe
seaports shall notbeincluded' when calculating this period ,as
long asthese ship-borne lighters donotcarry butanyjourneys
toorfrom aport other than that inwhich they have been unloaded
from themother ship .
Taking asabasis theinformation recorded' inthelogbook pursuant
totheprovisions ofArticle ll,paragraph 2,theFund shall
reconcile theaccounts relating tothecontributions payable in
respect ofthese lighters attheendoftheyear ".
TheStatute shall provide foranadjustment coefficient fixed at
2.30forpusher tugs .
TheStatute shall include thefollowing provision :
"When ,during aperiod oflaying-up ,theobjectives of .thesystem
established bythis Statute arethreatened bythepresence ofan
excessive number ofvessels which ,nothaving previously signed a
periodic undertaking asprovided forinArticle 12,arelooking
forwork ,on'thewaterways oftheFund ,theSupervisory Board ,
acting unanimously ,maydeoide toimplement measures likely to
remedy thesituation."'
.. • « '- •. v* .
TheStatute shall provide fortheSupervisory Board todetermine the
ceiling fortheinitial loan .
Article 2
This decision isaddressed totheMember States ^
Done atBrussels ............ For the Council
,ThePrésident

VII/668/75-E
AÏÏÏTSX II
Drart
AGREEMENT ESTZ-BLISHEIG ASDHOPSAN LAYBIG-UP FUHD FOR
BTLAiJD TJATI-FiAY VESS3LS
This draft agreement recapitulates ,atthe appropriate places and
between square brackets ,those provisions advocated bythe Commission
initsproposal for aCouncil decision ,which istobefound at
Annex 1, 1

VII/66V75-3
TheEuropean Economie Community ,
TheKingdom ofBelgium ,
»
TheFédéral Republic ofGermany ,
TheFrench Republic ,
TheGrand Duchy ofLuxembourg ,
TheKingdom oftheNetherlands ,
TheUnited Kingdom ofGreat Britain andNorthern Ireland .
TheSwiss Confédération ,
DESIRING toremedy ..anytemporary imbalance between supply anddemand
inrespect ofcarrying capacity ,which because oftheir interpenetration ,
occurs simultaneously onmost ofthenavigable waterways ofthe Ilember
States oftheEuropean Economic Community andofSwitzerland ;
RESOLVED toimplement ajoint regulatory system having asitsaimthe
restoration ofnormal conditions ofthemarket inquestion bymeans
oftemporarily laying-up aproportion ofthecurrent excess carrying
capacity ;
WHEREAS such aIsying-up system should bevoluntary andoncondition
that suitable compensation should bepaid tothose undertakings which
temporarily withdraw equipment from themarket ,solely through funds
raised bycontributions from theinland waterway carriers concerned ;

VIl/668/75-E
NH3RI2A3 such asystem requires the establishment ofaspecial Laying-up
-Fund the management andthe control ofwhich should betheresponsibility
ofbodies representing both the inland waterway carriers and the public
authorities ,empowered totake decisions which aredirectly applicable ;
UH3ESAS the system should bedrawn upwith sufficient flexibility to
allow itslater extension toother inland waterways not covered by
theinitial geographical field ofapplication andthat its perpetuation
should beconsidered interms ofits economic effectiveness ;
HA VE DECIDED toestablish aEUROPEAN LAYING -UP FUND FOR INLAND
WATEHIiAY VESSELS andtolay down the conditions tinder which itshall
operate ,andtothis end have designated astheir Plenipotentiaries
The European Economie Community : -.
His Majesty the King ofthe Belgians :
The President ofthe Federal Republic ofGermany :
The Président orthe French Republic :
Her Royal Highness tae Grand Duchess ofLuxembourg :
Her Majesty the Queen ofthe Netherlands :
Her Majesty the Queen ofthe United Kingdom ofGreat Britain and
Northern Ireland :
The President ofthe Swiss Confederation :
WHO BEING THE CONTRACTING FARTIE 3and having exchanged their Full Powers ,
found indue and good form ,
HA VE AGRSED AS FOLLOTS :
Article 1
There ishereby established aEUROPEAN LAYING-UP FUND FOR INLAND WATER -
NAY VES33LS (hereinafter called"the Fund").

-3- YJTf.r' *Vx..( ....
Theaimofthis Fund istoreduce anytemporary imbalance "between supply
anddemand inrespect ofcarrying capacity which isliable tocause
serious disturbance ofthemarket ,
TheFund maynothowever beused with theaimoffixing apermanent
minimum level forfreight 'rates during allperiods ofslack demand ,or
ofremedying structural imbalance . '
Article 2
TheFund shall begoverned ,bytheStatute laid down intheAnnex tothis
Agreement ofwhich that Annex forms anintegral part andhasthelike
legal effect .
Article 3
£l.TheContracting Parties which areparty totheRevised Convention for
theNavigation oftheRhine of17October 1863 hereby acknowledge that
theimplementation ofthe Statute annexed tothis Agreement implies
their adoption ofanadditional protocol tothat Convention relating
toArticles 3and 34ofthat Convention .
They undertake toadopt such aprotocol nolater than onemonth after
thesignature ofthis Statute andAgreement .
They shall approve orratify that protocol inaccordance v:ith the .
rules andprocedures provided forintheir constitutions ,atthe
same time asthey approve orratify' this 'Agreement .
,2.TheContracting Parties which ,areparty totheConvention between
France ,Germany andLuxembourg of27October 195*5 ontheca,nalization
oftheHbselle hereby acknowledge that theimplementation ofthe
Statute annexed tothis Agreement implies their adoption ofanadditional
protocol tothat Convention relating toArticle 35 Convention .

4 VII/668/75-B
They undertake toadopt such' aprotocol nolater than onemonth
after thesignature ofthis Statute andAgreement .
They shall approve orratify that protocol inaccordance with
therules andprocedures provided forintheir constitutions ,atthesame
time asthey approve orratify this Agreement .7
Article 4
TheStates onwhose territory this Agreement and theStatute
annexed thereto areenforceable aretheKingdom ofBelgium ,theFederal
Republic ofGermany theKingdom ofDenmark ,theRepublic ofFrance ,the
Republic ofItaly ,Ireland ,theGrand Duchy ofLuxembourg ,theKingdom of
theNetherlands ,theUnited Kingdom ofGreat Britain andNorthern Ireland
and the Swiss Confederation .
Article 5
1. This Agreement shall remain inforce foraterm offive years
running from thedate onwhich theobligations imposed upon inland
waterway carriers pursuant toArticle 53(3)oftheStatute take effect .
Ifitisnotrenewed under paragraph 2,itshall remain inforce fora
further period ofoneyear ,unless anewarrangement tobeapplied later
hasbeen agreed upon inthemeantime .
2. Bydecision oftheContracting Parties acting jointly this
Agreement mayberenewed forsuccessive periods offive years .For
this purpose ,anyextension ofaterm shall bedecided upon atleast one
year before theexpiry oftheterm then current .

Article 6
TheContracting Parties shall take allgeneral orspecific
measures required toensure fulfilment oftheobligation arising under
this Agreement orunder anydecision oftheorgans oftheFund .They .
shall doallthey cantofacilitate performance bytheFund ofits
tasks .
Article 7
1. This Agreement ,drawn upinonecopy foreach oftheDanish ,
German ,English ,French ,Italian andDutch languages ,each ofthese
texts "being equally authentic ,shall bodeposited inthearchives of
theSecretariat oftheCouncil ofthe .European Communities which ..
shall transmit acertified copy thereof tothegovernment ofeach of
theContracting States .
Itshall beapproved orratified bytheContracting Parties
inaccordance with their respective constitutional requirements and
procedures .Theinstruments ofapproval orratification shall be .
jointly deposited with theSecretariat oftheCouncil oftheCommunities ,
bytheContracting Parties . .. •
2. This Agreement shall enter into force ,when .alltheContracting .
Parties have approved orratified it,onthefirst dayofthemonth
following thedate onwhich theinstruments ofapproval orratification
arejointly lodged . , . .

-6- VII/663/73-E
Do-ie at .
For the European Economic Community
For the Kingdom ofBelgium
For tr.e Fédéral Republic ofCerr;.any i
For the Fronch Republic
For the Grand Duchy ofLuxembourg
For the Kingdom ofthe ïietherlands '•
/
For the United Kingdom ofGreat Britain and Eorther Ireland
For the Swiss Confederation

-?- VIl/668/75"E
AMEX
STATUTE
ofthe
EUROP EANLAYI -IG-UP FUND FOR INLAND WATERWAY VES SELS
CHAPITHE I:General provisions
Article 1
1. The EUROPEAN LAYINC-UP FUND FOR INLAND WATERWAY VESSELS ,herein­
after called the "FUND ",isaninternational institution under public
law,established under the "Agreement Establishing aEuropean Laying-up
Fund forInland Waterway Vessels ",hereinafter called the "Agreement ",
concluded at......... .......... on ...................
2. The Fund shall begoverned bythe provisions ofthe Agreement
and ofthis Statute ,aswell as "bythe implementing provisions adopted
bythe organs ofthe Fund .Where nosuch provisions exist the laws of
the State inwhich its Headquarters are situated shall apply .
3. The Fund shall have legal personality .
4« The Fund shall enjoy the most extensive legal capacity accorded
tolegal persons ;itmay inparticular acquire ordispose ofmovable
and iLmovable property ,conclude contracts and beaparty tolegal
proceedings .
5« The Fund shall benon-prof it--moking

VII/66S/75-E
Article 2
1. TheHeadquarters .oftheFund shall be ,at£.. ,J
The Fund shall open atleast on© "branch office ineach State onwhose
territory there areinland waterways towhich this 'Statute applies aswell
asinBelgium ,except inthe event ofawaiver bytheState concerned .
Itmay also open branch offices inother .States onwhose territory this
Statute isenforceable andshall doso,ifthose States request it.
2. Proceedings maybe brought against the Fund atthe place where
ithasits Headquarters aswell asatbranch offices bynatural or
legal persons whose permanent residence orheadquarters issituated ina
State where such .abranch office ofthe Fund has been established .
Article 3
l.a.'Within the scope ofitsofficial functions ,the Fund shall be
exempt intheStates onwhose territory this Statute isenforceable ,
from alldirect taxes ,including those withheld atsource ,onthe
property ,assets ,and income aswell' asoncontributions paid pursuant •
toArticle 9joronthe compensation for laying~up paid bythe Fund
pursuant toArticle 23.
\
b. Forthepurposes ofthis Article *the term "official functions " '
ofthe Fund means anyactivities strictly necessary forits administration
I
and management .
c. Hoexemption shall begranted inrespect oftaxes and dues which
l
amount merely tocharges for public utility services .

VII/668/75-E
2. Nothing in -fchi3 Statute shall "betaken toconfer anyprivilege
ortax exemption ofanykind onthe owners oroperators ofvessels ,who
shall' remain subject ,asregards the contributions they paytothe Fund
and the compensation they receive from it,tothetax laws oftheState
inwhich they areliable totax,
3. Hotwithstrjiding any present orfuture regulations onforeign
exchange transactions ,currency restrictions ortransfers offunds ,
payment shall beallowed ,whether direct orbytransfer offunds ,of
contributions tothe Fund bythe owners oroperators ofvessels ,and
ofcompensation for laying-up paid bythe Fund tothe owners or
operators ofvessels ,and likewise anytransfer bythe' Fund from orin
favcur ofany ofitsbranch offices ,where the payment isinconnection
with one ofthe duly authorised purposes ofthe Fund .
4. Without prejudice tothe provisions ofthis Statute the Fund andits
branches cannot betreated less favourably asfarasthe making ofcapital
deposits isconcernedj than thenationals ofthe country inwhich that
office issituated . '
Article A
1. This Statute shall apply tothevessels defined inArticle o
operating onthefollowing inland waterways ,hereinafter called the
"waterways ofthe F^nd "and shown onamap annexed tothis Statute :
(a) TheRhine ,including theGrand ,Canal d'Alsace ,from Rheinfelden
tothe sea,andallother navigable waterways intheNetherlands ;

r10-
....VII/668/75-B
(b) TheMoselle ,from itsconfluence with theRhine atKoblenz ,r.s
farasMetz ; " '
(c) TheHeckar ,theMain ,theRegiiitz (uptoKm6,85),theRhine-Horne /
.Wesel-Datteln ,Datteln-Hamni andtheDortmund-Ems (asfaras
theMunster Lock )canals aswell astheRuhrwasserstrasse .
(d) Anywaterway towhich the scope of "foeStatute isextended
pursuant toArticle 5* '
Article 5
1, Theterritorial scope of .this Statute may beextended by
Belgium ,Prance orthe Federal ,Republic ofGermany ,when the l.grc enient
isconcluded oratany time thereafter ,toall orpart ofthenavigable
waterways within their respective territories ifthese waterways are
closely .linked ,operationally and economically ,tothe waterways of ;
the Pund . , ■ ■ '.
The State inquestion shall notify the other Contracting Parties ;.
ofsuch anextension andthey shall publish inthe same way asthis
Statute .
/
2. Any adjustment tothis Statute iwhich isinquired inorder to .
operate the Fund ,asaresult ofthe extension ofits scope pursuant to
paragraph 1.together with thedate anddetails ofthe entry into force
ofsuch extension and anytransitional provisions ,shall beadopted by
the Supervisory Board acting unanimously .

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Article 6 ■
1. This Statute shall apply tothefollowing types ofvessel ,
laden orunladen ,operational ,laid upor'under repair ,whether they are
intended orused forthecarriage ofgoods ,whether onownaccount or
for hire orreward :
A. 'Cargo -cc-rrying -/easels .
(a)self-propelled vessels forthecarriage ofdryorliquid cargo ;
(b)non-self-propelled vessels forthecarriage ofdryorliquid
cargo ; -
(o)lighters ,including ship-borne lighters .
B. Propelling vessels
(a)tugs ;
(b)pusher craft . 1 '
Article 7
Thefollowing shall beexempt from theobligations imposed under
Articles $to13ofthis Statute :
(a) Cargo -carrying vessels ofanytype whose deadweight atmaximum
displacement does notexceed 400metric tons ,andtugs orpusher-craft
whose engine power does notexceed 140horsepower ;thethreshold of
400metric tons shall ,-however ,bereduced to300metric tons
until ......... (l);
(l) This date will befixed before thenegotiations have been completed
andwill take into account theexpiry date oftheperiod during which
themeasures forthestructural adaptation ofcarrying capacities
will beapplied intheMotherlands .

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(b) Sea-going vessels notcarrying outanytransport operations between
ports orport facilities situated onthe waterways ofthe Fund :
le) Ferry boats ;
(d) .Vessels carrying outanon-prof it-malcing public service ;
(e) Vessels which enter thewaterways ofthe Fund solely for'repairs
orconversions and leave without carrying out anytransport
ioperation ,and newvessels which leave ashipyard fora
destination outside those waterways ;
(f),Other categories ofvessels ,tobespecified bytheSupervisory
■Board byunanimous decision ofallits members which ,because of
their conditions ofoperation ,andtheir highly specialised use,
donot compete ,with thevessels falling within the scope ofthis
Statute .
I
2, Taking due account ofthetechnological developments intransport
bylighters and ship-borne lighters and oftheeffects oncompetition
which this category ofvessel mayexert with respect totheother .
categories ,the Supervisory Board may ,byaunanimous decision ofall
its members ,modify inrespect oflighters ,the tonnage limit referred
to,inparagraph 1(a). - .
1. Subject toany subsequent extension ofthe scope ofthis Statute
tonavigable waterways inBelgium ,Article 4shall not apply tovessels
leaving Belgium byway ofAntwerp andreturning' byway ofZelzate ,or
vice versa ,using the lower Scheldt estuary intransit without loading
orunloading cargo inthe Netherlands or .commencing orterminating towing
orpushing services there . .. .Article 8

13- VTI/668/75-E
2. ,Tie following shall beexempt from the requirements imposed under
Articles 9"to13ofthis Statute :vessels used solely for carrying goods
orfor pushing ortowing services onwaterways ofthe Fund between "
loading andunloading points both situated inFrance ,except where both
such points aresituated onthe Rhine oronthe canaliaed Moselle ,or -
where one ofthem issituated onthe Rhine and the other onthe
canalized Moselle .-
CIIUPTEP LII:Payment ofcontributions inrespect ofinland waterway vessels )
Article 9
1. Forallvessels which use the waterways ofthe Fund and are subject
tothis 3tatute other than those exempted under Articles 7and -8,there
shall bepaid tothe Fund adaily contribution fixed according tothe
provisions ofArticle 10. • ■ .
2. Without prejudice tothe provisions ofArticle 12concerning con­
tributions for periods ofvarying length ,the contribution shall be
pcyable inrespect ofthe number ofdays during which thevessel ison
the waterways ofthe Fund .Fractions ofdays shall becounted aswhole
days .
3. (Thecontribution is-payable totheheadquarters oftheFund orto
onecfits branches ortoany other office designated bythe Fund forthis
V
purpose ,inconformity with the currency exchange provisions inforce in
the country where the payment ismade andtalcing account oftheprovisions
ofArticle 3(3)ofthis Statute . ' -
Article 10
1. Thedaily contribution for each vessel shall becalculated bymulti­
plying its equivalent tonnage orequivalent engine-power bythebasic rate
referred toinparagraph 2.
Theequivalent tonnage andthe equivalent engine-power shall becal–-
culated bymultiplying thereal deadweight orthenominal engine –power of
thevessel inquestion bythe adjustment coefficient forthat category of
vessel .

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2. Forthefxrat year ofoperation ofthe system established bythis
Statute ,thebasic rate for contributions shall besetatasuiaequivalent
toDM0.0175 inthe currency ofthe State where the Fund hasits
Headquarters ,and .the adjustment coefficients shall beasfollows :
Ail tonnages ■ dry cr,rgo .liquid andliquified ca^go
Self-propelled vessels 1.00 I.50
Barges 0.35 1 0.53
Lighters ,including snip-borne
lighters 0.33 Ô.56
All units ofhorsepower
Tags 1.00
Pusher tugs • ■
3. Any subsequent alterations tothobasip' rate ofcontribution must
bomade by30November oftheyear preceding the calendar year towhich it
applies having regard totheavailable reserves ofthe Fund.,thefore­
seeable amount ofcompensation for laying-up tobepaid out pursuant to
Article 23.and the operating expenses ofthe Fund .
1 ' ■ .•' ,
Such alterations shall ,beadopted bythe Supervisory Board acting ■
I
onaproposal from the Board ofManagement . .
4. In .order tofix abasic rate for contributions exceeding by
more than 15%therate provided forinparagraph (2),theSupervisory
Board shall actunanimouslyj therates sofixed shall constitute the
newbasio rate theincrease ofwhich by .more than 15$shall require
the same unanimity .
1 :

VII/668/75-E
5. Anyalterations totheadjustment coefficient must bemade by ,
30November oftheyear preceding thecalendar year towhich itapplies .
These alterations shall becade bytheSupervisory Board acting
unanimously .
6./"when ,during aperiod oflaying-up ,theobjectives ofthesystem
established bythis Statute arethreatened bythepresence ofanexcessive
number ofvessels which ,nothaving previously signed anundertaking
foraperiod oftime asprovided forinArticle 12,arelooking forwork
onthewaterways oftheFund ,theSupervisory Board ,acting unanimously ,
mcydecide toimplement measures likely toremedy thesituation .7
Article 11
1. Without prejudice totheprovisions ofArticle 12(3),forevery
vessel subject topayment ofthecontribution provided forinArticle
9adeclaration ofentry must bemade when thevessel enters the
waterways oftheFund andadeclaration ofexit when itleaves them .
Inthecase ofvessels already onthewaterways oftheFund on
thedate when theobligations imposed upon inland waterway carriers pur­
suant tothis Statute take effect ,thedeclaration ofentry crust be
made within fifteen days ofthat date .
2. Entries andexits shall berecorded bytheservices oftheFund
inthelogbook ;referred toinArticle 15.Each vessel towhich
paragraph 1(l)above applies should beinpossession ofsuch alog'
book when itfirst enters oneofthewaterways oftheFund ;forship-
borne lighters thelogbook isissued atthetime ofpayment ofthe -
contributions referred toinArticle 12andinArticle 13(2).

-16- VIl/668/75-3
3. -Anyvessel whose entry hasbeen recorded initsloghook ,shall ,
until such time asitserit shall have been recorded .therein ,bedeeded
tobeusing thewaterways oftheFund ,unless theowner ,oroperator of
thevessel ortheperson incharge thereof canprove either that the
vessel didinfact leave thewaterways oftheFund butthat hewasunable ,
through nofault ornegligence ofhisown,tohave such exit recorded ,
orthat itWasunable toleave owing tocircumstances beyond his
control . * . . ■ .
4. Anyvessel using thewaterways of :theFond whose entry hasnot
been recorded initslbgbook shall be .indisputably presumed tohave
been using thesaid waterways for atleast three months unless theowner
oroperator ofthevessel ortheperson incharge thereof declares its
entry within twodays oftheentry ofthevessel upon thesaid waterways ,
andhecanatthesame time ,prove that itentered thewaterways butthat -
hevrasunable tohave theentry recorded through nofault ornegligence
ofhisownowing tocircumstances beyond hiscontrol .
5» Theprovisions ofthis Article maybealtered bytheSupervisory
Board ,acting unanimously . :
Article 12
1. Theowner ofanyvessel subject topayment ofthecontribution
provided forinArticle 9wayundertake ,atthetime oforprior toa
declaration ofentry into thewaterways oftheFund ,topaythedaily
contribution ,irrespective ofthenumber ofdays onwhich thevessel
isonthose waterways ,foroneormore ofthefollowing periods during
asingle calendar year : ' " .

-17- VII/668/75-E
a) onecalendar year ; . "'
b) 274consecutive days from thedaywhen theundertaking isgiven ;
c) 182consecutive days from thedaywhen theundertaking isgiven ;
d) 91consecutive days from thedaywhen theundertaking isgiven .
2. Where anundertaking asprovided forinparagraph 1isgiven ,
thetotal daily contributions payable fortheperiods concerned shall
bereduced asfollows :
a) by20fowhere theundertaking isinrespect ofawhole calendar'
year ; '
b) by10f?where theundertaking isinrespect ofaperiod of274
days ;
c) by7.5%where theundertaking isinrespect ofaperiod of182
days ;
d) by5$where theundertaking isinrespect ofaperiod of91days .
These reductions shall apply only totheundertaking inquestion
andmaynotbeincreased oraggregated where several successive under­
takings aregiven inthe same year .
3. Vessels inrespect ofwhich anundertaking forafixed period has
been given shall fortheperiod covered bytheundertaking notberequired
todeclare their entry toand exit from thewaterways oftheFund .
\
Article 13
1. Thedaily contributions dueasaresult ofthedeclarations pro­
vided forinArticle 11shall bepayable ,inrespect oftheforeseeable
duration ofthevessel 'sstay onthewaterways oftheFund ,from theday
onwhich thevessel enters those vraterways .
TheFund mayrequire that thewhole contribution dueinrespect of
thesaid foreseeable duration bepaid inadvance ,oritmayallow payment
byinstalments inwhichcase theowner ofthevessel mayberequired to
give security .

--18- VI1/668/75-E
ship-borne
-/~2.For/lighters ,thepayment ofthedaily contributions maybemade
inadvance atthebeginning ofeach year andshall cover theperiod of
time during which thevessels areexpected tobeonthewaterways ofthe
Fund .Thetime spent bythese vessels intheseaports shall notbe
included when calculating this period aslong asthese ship borne
lighters donotcarry outanyjourneys toorfrom aport other than that
inwhich they have been unloaded from themother ship .
Taking asabasis theinformation recorded inthelogbook pursuant
totheprovisions ofArticle 11(2)theFund shall reconcile theaccounts
\
relating tothecontributions payable inrespect ofthelighters atthe
endoftheyaar.^
3. Contributions dueinrespect ofundertakings for certain periods
asprovided forinArticle 12shall bepayable infull inadvance onthe
dayonwhich theundertaking isgiven .
TheFund mayallow payment tobemade byquarterly instalments
pa*""lei'.advance ,inwhich caso theowner ofthevessel shall be
required topayinterest ,andwhere necessary ,togive security . '
4* TheFund mayarrange tosetoffcontributions duetoitagainst
compensation forlaying-up duefrom itpursuant toArticle 23.
Vessel owners shall have noright torequire such an
arrangement .

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5. Ifavessel inrespect ofwhich anundertaking foracertain
period hasbeen given becomes unfit fornavigation ,islost ,broken up,
converted orused forpurposes other than those referred toinArticle
6,orifitiswithdrawn from thewaterways oftheFund foratleast
oneyear orissold toaperson whooperates itoutside thewaterways
oftheFund ,orifitistaken outofservice andleft without a
crew orisused solely forstorage ofcargo forsix ir.onths ormore ,its
owner may ,onsurrender ofthelogbook ,request repayment ofthecon­
tribution inrespect oftheperiod subsequent tothedata onwhioh the
circumstances adduced isfound tohave first arisen less the amount of
the relevant reduction ,
6. TheSupervisory Board ,acting unanimously ,mayalter themethods
ofpayment referred tointhis Article . '
Article 14
1. TheSupervisory Board shall determine inwhich cases andsubject
towhat conditions aperson operating avessel whoisnotitsowner may .
carry outtheobligations andgive theundertakings provided forin
Articles 9"to13and18.
2. Theperson incharge oftheVessel shall ,aaregards all
declarations tobemade totheFund andasregards undertakings pursuant
toArticle 12,beregarded asthelegal representative oftheowner ofthe
vessel andinthecases referred toinparagraph 1,of .itsoperator ,and
thedeclarations "made andundertakings given' bythat person shall be
binding ontheowner oroperator infavour oftheFund .

20- VI1/668/75-E
CHAPITRE III :Certificates andRegister
Article 15
1. Allvessels subject topayment ofcontributions ,,shall carry a
logbook issued bythePund .
■{t * *
2. Thologbook shall contain counterfoils tobefilled inwhenever
adeclaration ofentry orexit ismade oranundertaking isgiven for
acertain period ,together with detachable copies ofeach declaration
orundertaking ..
Thecounterfoils shall bekept inthelogbook andthecopies
shall beretained bytheservices ,oftheFund towhich thedeclaration
orundertaking ismade andsent forthwith totheHeadquarters ofthe
Fund .
3. Theduly completed counterfoils inthelogbook shall constitute
pr that theobligations imposed bythis Statute have been carried out
and ,asthecase maybe,that laying-up isadmissible . ,
4. TheFund shall use the copies sent toittocompile aRegister ,
ofvessels entitled tothecompensation forlaying-up provided forin
Article 23,andtoprepare anyother information relevant tothestate
ofthe market .\
!
5. Every vessel which uses thewaterways oftheFund shall carry
anumber ,inaccordance with therules tobelaid down bytheSupervisory
Board . .

-21- VII/668/75-E
Article 16
Anyvessel which uses thewaterways oftheFund butisexempt under
Articles 7and8from theobligations imposed bythis Statute shall ,for
inspection purposes ,carry acertificate ofexemption which shall be
issued bytheFund when thevessel enters awaterway oftheFund on
notification bytheowner ofthevessel orother person incharge thereof
andsubject toevidence ofthecircumstances orconditions constituting
thegrounds forexemption relied on.Thecertificate shall state the
grounds forexemption .
However ,vessels referred toinArticle 8(l)andsea^-going ships
shall notberequired toproduce acertificate ofexemption .
Article 17
1. TheSupervisory Board shall lay clown standard forms forthe
certificate ofexemption andthelogbook .Itshall adopt allnecessary
provisions asregards their use andtheprocedures forissuing and
replacing them .
2. Thecertificate ofexemption or,without prejudice toArticle 22,,
thelogbook ,shall atalltimes bekept onboard the .vessel towhich ,
itrelates andmust beshown toanyperson authorised tocarry out
inspections .Inthecase oflighters andship-borne lighters ,these
documents should bekept onboard thepusher vessel which isresponsible
for their movement .
Article 18
1. Theowner ofthevessel orother person incharge thereof shall
supply allinformation andsupporting documents regarding thespecifi­
cations ofhisvessel which mayberequested bytheFund forthepurpose
ofissuing acertificate ofexemption orlogbook . *.

-22- VI1/668/75-E
2. Anyalteration intheparticulars asindicated inthecertificate
ofexemption orthelogbook shall hecommunicated totheFund without
delay bytheowner ofthevessel orother person incharge thereof .Such
communication shall beaccompanied byallsupporting documents required
bytheFund andshall berecorded inthecertificate ofexemption orin
thelogbook .'
CHAPTER IV :Laying-up
1, Ifitisestablished ,onthebasis ofthecriteria setoutin
Article 20,that atemporary imbalance hasarisen orisimminent ,adecision
shall betaken onthelaying upofallorpart ofthesurplus carrying
capacity within thelimits ofthefinancial equilibrium oftheFund .
This equilibrium sha-11 bodetermined bytaking into consideration
inparticular thereceipts oftheFund ,thereserves which ithasbuilt up,
including interest from investments ,theoperating expenses ithastobear :
andanyannual payments onloans . ■
2. Each such decision shall specify themaximum tonnage orengine
power andthecategories ofvessels tobeaccepted forlaying-up ,therates
ofcompensation forlaying-up ,theduration oflaying-up andtheclosing
date forentry inthelaying^up lists .Itshall also specify thedate of
itsentry into force andshall beadequately publicized throughout the
period during which itremains inforce .
3* Adecision may ,whenever developments .,inthesituation sorequire
andonthebasis ofthecriteria setoutinArticle 20,berepealed or
amended .
Therepeal oramendment ofadecision shall notaffect theacquired
rights inrespect ofvessels which arelaid uppursuant tothedecision which
hasbeen replaced oramended .

-23- VII/668/75-E
4. If "thesituation ortheforeseeable trend ofthemarket sowarrants
itmay "bedecided tolimit laying~up tocertain sectors ofthemarket
having "broadly similar operational andeconomic characteristics ,ortocer­
tain categories ofvessels .
Article 20
Inorder todetermine theamount ofsurplus carrying capacity ,
account shall inparticular betaken ofthefollowing :
- .thetotal tonnage orengine power awaiting work andtheaverage
'length oftheperiod spent thus awaiting freight ; ,
- theforeseeable short-term trend ofdemand forcarrying capacity ;
- average short –term rates andconditions forthecarriage ofgoods
byinland waterway andtheforeseeable trend ofsuch rates and
conditions ;and
- theprofitability ofinland waterway undertakings ingeneral .
Inorder toevaluate theabove criteria ,.useshall bemade of
information available from official sources and ofall other information
collected bytheFund .
Article 21
1. Anylaying-up decided onpursuant toArticle 19shall be •
organized onavoluntary basis .
2. Assoon asthedecision tolayupenters into force ,theFund shall ,
open laying~up lists which shall bekept atsuch ports andsites asitshall
have designated aslaying-up places inaccordance with paragraph 3.

■»24 vn/668/75-E
3» Each State on .whose territory thewaterways oftheFund are
situated aswell asBelgium shall designate ,during themonth following
theentry into force ofthis Statute ,those ports andother sites ontheir
respective territories where vessels may "belaid up.They shall be
sufficient innumber toprevent overcrowding intheberthing areas and
uneconomical journeys forthevessels .Some laying-up sites may lie
onwaterways other than those referred toinArticle 4ofthis Statute .
4. Anyvessel afloat which hasbeen duly fitted –outandprovided
with acrew towork andmaintain it,andforwhich thedaily contribu­
tions have been paid since thebeginning ofthecurrent calendar
year foratleast 274consecutive days ,maybeentered inoneofthe
laying-up lists opened pursuant toparagraph 2,provided that an
additional fee ispaid equal tothedifference bettfeen thesums
already paid andtheamount oftheannual charge without rebate .
Theowner oroperator ofavessel shall notbepermitted
toavail himself ofanundertaking foracertain period under
Article 12within 21days before theentry into force ofadecision
tolayupwith aview tosecuring entitlement tobeentered ona
laying-up list onthegrounds that heha,spaid thecontribution
for274days .
5. Entry onalaying-up list shall bevalid only fortheminimum
laying-up period decided on.
6. Avessel entered onalaying-up list shall ,from the .date of
such entry until .theendofitslaying-up ,beneither operated norsent
forrepair ;during' this period itshall remain stationary intheplace
appointed bytheauthorities incharge ofthelaying-up list inwhich
itisentered anditmaybemoved only under exceptional circumstances
with thewritten permission oforbyorder ofthese authorities .

VTl/668/75~E
Article 22
1, TheSupervisory Board shall take allnecessary meas^r^es to
ensure that theobligations imposed onvessels entered onalaying-ep '
list areenforced .Such measures shall include ,inparticular ,provision
fortemporary surrender ofthelog-book andother navigation documents .
2, .Iftheoperator ofavessel orother person incharge thereof
evades theenforcement measures thus decided on,hemay ,byadecision
under Article 35»bedeclared tohave forfeited hisright tocompen­
sation forlayingwip and "berequired torepay anysums already '
received .
Article 23
1. Forevery vessel laid upinaccordance with Article 21the
owner oroperator shall receive daily compensation forlaying –up
paid attherate applicable onthedate vihen thevessel isentered
onthelaying-up list .
2. Theamount ofthedaily compensation for ea.ch vessel laid-up
shall becalculated bymultiplying itsequivalent tonnage or •
equivalent engin© power ,obtained inaccordance with Article 10(l),
bythebasic rate referred toinparagraph 3below .•• .

-26- VII/663/75-3
3. Thebasic rate ofdaily compensation forlaying-up shall
befixed atthetime when thedecision tolayupistaken atalevel
which will encourage those concerned tolayupsufficient vessels
asisrequired torestore thesituation tonormal having regard , '•
inparticular ,totheaverage freight rates charged onthemarket
inquestion ,totheaverage percentage ofcosts saved asaresult of.laying -
up,andtotheamount ofthewages andsocial security charges for
which anoperator who lays upavessel remains liable ,
4. Ifthebasic rate fordaily compensation forlaying-up is
adjusted byadecision adopted pursuant toArticle 19(3)»and
ifsuch adjustment constitutes anincrease ,theowner shall be
paid atthenewrate with effect from thedate onwhich the
decision enters into force ;ifitconstitutes areduction ,the
rate payable onthedate onwhich thevessel wasentered onthe
laying-up list shall remain applicable until theexpiry ofthe
minimum laying-up period provided forintheoriginal decision .
Article 24
1. Compensation forlaying-up shall bepaid bytheFund at
theendofthelaying-up period ,orifthis period exceeds thirty
days ,every thirty days .
Thecompensation forlaying upispayable onrequest ofthe
beneficiary ,either incash attheheadquarters oftheFund oratone
ofitsbranch offices oratoneoftheother offices designated according
toArticle 9ofthis Statute ,orbytransfer tosuch postal orbank
account asthebeneficiary will have designated forthis purpose at
thetime ofsigning onthelaying-up list referred toinArticle 21(2).

-27- VIl/668/T5~E
2. Therecipient ofcompensation for laying>-up shall forfeit hie
right tocompensation if,atanytime during thelaying-up period ,the
vessel leaves theplace specified foritslaying-up atthestart ofthat
period without thepermission ofthe competent authorities orifitis
used commercially forloading ,unloading orstowage purposes ,orifany
work byway ofrepair oroverhaul ,other than normal maintenance ,is
carried out onit.
3. Compensation forlaying-up paid bytheFund incontravention of
theprovisions ofthis Statute orofitsimplementing provisions shall "be
returned totheFund ,with interest bywayofrestitution orcompensation
calculated atthe rate inforce under the law ofthe State where the
Fond has itsHeadquarters ,without prejudice toanypenal sanctions
applicable inrespect ofsuch contravention .
Article 25
Workers employed asmembers ofthecrew ofavessel that is
laid upshall notbedismissed solely onaccount ofsuch laying-up .Any
dismissal effected incontravention ofthis prohibition shall be
automatically void . '
CHAP ITHEV:Organization oftheFund
Article 26
Thetasks assigned totheFund shall becarried outby
a) ■*aSupervisory Board and '
b) aBoard ofManagement assisted byaDirector .
Each organ shall actwithin thelimits ofthepowers conferred
onitbythis Statute .

–28-- VII/668/75-E
(Section A:Supervisory Board )
Article 27
1. TheSupervisory Board shall consist ,ofonerepresentative each
from Belgium Denmark ,Germany ,Prance ,Italy ,Luxembourg ,theNetherlands ,
theUnited Kingdom andSwitzerland andonerepresentative oftheCommission
oftheEuropean Communities whoshall actasChairman ,^"Secretarial
services shall beprovided bytheCommission oftheEuropean Communities
The States referred toabove shall send tothe Chairman ofthe
Supervisory Board thenames andaddresses oftheir representatives onwhom
they confer allnecessary power andauthority inorder that theCouncil
should beable totake indispensable decisions without delay .
Each oftheStates represented maywithdraw itsrepresentative for
aminimum oftwoyears .Such awithdrawal shall notprevent theadoption
ofdecisions requiring aunanimous decision ofallitsmembers .
£2. The .'Secretary General oftheCentral Committee fortheNavigation
oftheEhine shall beinvited toattend meetings oftheSupervisory
Board iriaconsultative capacity withnoright toVOXQJ .
3* TheSupervisory Board shall beconvened byitsChairman ,whenever
necessary orattherequest ofany ofitsmembers .
Each member shall have oneVote .TheChairman maytake part in
thediscussions butshall nothave theright tovote .
4« TheSupervisory Board maytake decisions ifatleast half ofits ,
members areprésent .

VI1/668/75-E
5. Except where this Statute othervdse provides ,theSupervisory
Board shall actbyasimple majority ofthevotes cast .This majority
must include thevotes infavour ofatleast three oftherepresentatives
ofthefollowing States :Belgium ,Germany ,Prance ,theNetherlands ,
Switzerland .
6. Except inthecases referred toinArticles 5(2),7(if2),10(4,5,
11(5)and28(l)
ofthis Statute abstentions bymembers present ortheabsence ofany
members shall notprevent theadoption bytheSupervisory Board of
acts which require unanimity .
(Section B:Board ofManagement )
Article 28
1. TheBoard ofManagement shall consist ofmembers appointed bythe
States ofwhich they arerespectively nationals ,theseats being
apportioned asfollows :four members forGermany ,twomembers for
Belgium ,twomembers forPrance ,onemember forLuxembourg ,four members
for the Netherlands and two members for Switzerland .
Each ofthese States shall make appointments onthebasis of
proposals from thenational trade organisations representing shipping -
operators ,bearing inmind that themembership oftheBoard ofManagement
should beasbroadly representative aspossible ofthemost important
categories ofinland waterway carriers .
Intheevent ofanextension ofthescope ofthis Statute ,the
number ofmembers oftheBoard ofManagement maybealtered bythe
Supervisory Board ,acting unanimously .
2. Theterm ofoffice ofthemembers oftheBoard ofManagement shall
betwoyears ,unless they areremoved from office .After expiry oftheir
term ofoffice ,members shall remain inoffice until their successors
have been appointed orthey have been reappointed .

-30-
Intheevent ofthedeath orresignation ofamember ,orifthe
conditions necessary fortheexercise ofhisoffice arenolonger
satisfied ,anewmember shall beappointed fortheremainder oftheterm
forwhich hispredecessor waselected .
3. TheBoard ofManagement shall elect from among itsmembers ,for
each newterm ofoffice ,aChairman andoneormore Vice–Chairmen ,
who shall beofdifferent nationalities .
4. TheBoard ofManagement shall beconvened ,whenever necessary
orattherequest ofanyofitsmembers ,byitsChairman or,ifthe
latter isunable toact ,byitssenior Vice-Chairman inage ,thequestions
tobedealt vjith being indicated .Itshall meet atleast twice ayear .
Themeetings oftheBoard ofManagement shall beheld attheplace
where theFund hasitsheadquarters unless another meeting place hasbeen
decided upon .
5. Subject totheprovisions laid down inArticle 31(l)>the
members oftheBoard ofManagement shall beconvened atleast tendays
before thedate onwhich themeeting istotake place byanotice in
writing stating theitems ontheagenda .Nodecision shall betaken
concerning items not ontheagenda asnotified .
Ifallthemembers oftheBoard ofManagement arepresent or
validly represented ,theBoard maymeet ,ifnoobjection israised ,even
though theprocedure laid down forconvening ithasnotbefollowed ,and
itmaydiscuss andtake valid decisions onanyitems which come within
itspowers .
6. Each member oftheBoard ofManagement shall have onevote .A
member may ,byproxy inwriting ,,authorize another member torepresent
him :however nomember mayrepresent more than twoother members .

«»31 VII/668/75-E
7. TheBoard ofManagement maytake decisions ifatleast half of
itsmembers arepresent orrepresented .Ballots shall besecret ,save
asmayotherwise bedecided .
8. TheBoard ofManagement shall take decisions byatwo-thirds
majority ofthevotes cast .
9. TheBoard ofManagement shall designate thepersons empowered
individually orjointly tocommit theFund bytheir signatures .
Itmaydelegate seme ofitspowers tosub-committees ,selected
from among itsmembers ,after theagreement of,andunder theconditions
laid down by,theSupervisory Board deciding unanimously .
(Section C:Powers )
Article 29
\
1. Itshall betheduty oftheSupervisory Board tosafeguard the
public interest andensure that theaims andprovisions ofthe
Agreement and ofthis Statute areobserved .
2. TheBoard ofManagement shall beresponsible fortheadministration
andfinancial management oftheFund ,subject tothelimits imposed by
thebudget .Itshall ensure that thedecisions adopted bytheSupervisory
Board are carried out .
Article 30
la . . TheBoard ofManagement shall prepare ,forsubmission tothe
Supervisory Board ,proposals fortheaiinual budget oftheFund andfor ...
fixing therates ofcontribution .

32- VII/668/75-E
Theproposal fortheannual budget shall contain forecasts ofthe
amount ofcompensation payable and ,where appropriate ,oftherates tobe
ficed forsuch compensation *
Such proposals shall bosubmitted totheSupervisory Board by
30October ofeach year ,forthefollowing calendar year .:
2. TheSupervisory Board shall take decisions ontheproposals
submitted bytheBoard ofManagement .
Itmayrequest thelatter tore-submit such proposals ,amended
inthelight ofitscomments thereon .
3» TheSupervisory Board shall beresponsible forapproving the
annual accounts oftheFund ,which shall besubmitted toitby30June
oftheyear following that towhich they relate ,andforgiving a
discharge totheBoard ofManagement inrespect ofitsfinancial
management .
Article 31
1. TheBoard ofManagement shall fixthelength oflaying>-up periods
andtherates ofcompensation forlaying-up onthebasis ofthecriteria
set out inArticle 20.
Forthis purpose itshall meet within thethree days following the
dispatch oftheinvitation tothemeeting ." .Acopy ofthis invitation ,the
agenda forthemeeting andallrelevant documents shall ,at .thesame time ,
beforwarded totheChairman andmembers oftheSupervisory Board .
Anymeasures decided upon bytheBoard ofManagement shall
immediately becommunicated bytelex totheChairman andtoeach member of
theSupervisory Board .They shall enter into force ontheeighth day ;„
following thedate ofsuch communication unless they aresubject toa
request that they beexamined under theconditions referred toin
paragraph 2below .

•33- VII/668/75-E
2. Anysuch measures decided upon "bytheBoard ofManagement shall be
deemed tohave been approved bytheSupervisory Board unless oneofthe
Board members requests that they beexamined .
Inorder tobevalid ,such arequest ,accompanied where possible
byastatement ofthereasons ,must bereceived bytheChairman ofthe
Supervisory Board within thefive days following thedecision bythe
Board ofManagement referred toinparagraph 1above .Assoon assuch a
request isreceived theChairman oftheSupervisory Board shall immediately
communicate ittothe members ofthe said Board and tothe Cbairoan ofthe'
Board ofManagement .
3. Where arequest forexamination hasbeen received pursuant to
paragraph 2,theSupervisory Board shall actwithin three clear days
following theexpiry oftheperiod provided forsubmitting requests
for examination .
'TheSupervisory Board mayeither :
- approve thedecision oftheBoard ofManagement ,or
- call upon theBoard ofManagement tosubmit toit,within atime-
limit fixed byit,newmeasures prepared inthelight ofthe
comments ithasmade ,or
- itself decide upon other laying-up decisions inaccordance with
such procedures asitconsiders appropriate .
Decisions taken bytheSupervisory Board shall beimmediately
notified byitsChairman totheBoard ofManagement .
4. TheSupervisory Board may ,inthelight ofexperience ,amend
theperiods laid down inparagraphs 1to3above .

-34– VII/663/75-E
Article 32
Whore theBoard ofManagement fails toact ,theSupervisory
Board may call upon ittodraw upprovisions fortheadoption orrepeal
ofalaying-up decision ,ortoprepare proposals asprovided forin
Article .30(l).
If,within twenty days following receipt ofsuch acommunication ,
theBoard -ofManagement hasstill notacted ,theSupervisory Board may
actonitsowninitiative .This time–limit shall ,however "bereduced
toseven days ifnodecision istaken concerning ameasure "based on
Article 31, - . .1
Article 33
1. TheSupervisory Board shall ,after consulting theBoard of
Management ,adopt those general provisions forimplementing this Statute
which arenotreferred toinspecific provisions .
2. -TheSupervisor Board shall actinmatters inrespect ofwhich
express powers have not "been conferred upon another organ oftheFund .
3. Decisions oftheSupervisory Board forwhich provision ismade'
inparagraphs 1and 2above shall betaken unanimously .
Article 34
1. TheSupervisory Board shall ,.onaproposal frcantheBoard of
Management ,appoint anddismiss theDirector oftheFund anddetermine
histerm3 ofservice andhis powers .

-35 VII/668/75-E
2. Acting under thesupervision andontneinstructions oftneBoard
ofManagement ,theDirector oftheFund shall beresponsible fortheday-
to-day administration andfinancial management oftheFund .Heshall ensure
that thedecisions oftheBoard ofManagement and ,asthecase maybe,of
theSupervisory Board areimplemented ,inparticular asregards the
collection ofcontributions andthepayment ofcompensation forlaying-up .
Keshall produce andissue thelogbooks andcertificates ofexemption .
3. TheDirector shall ,bydelegation ,represent theFund inlegal
proceedings andinadministrative proceedings .
4. TheDirector shall beresponsible forproviding secretarial
services fortheBoard ofManagement ,andfordrawing uptheminutes of
itsmeetings andmaking them available totheSupervisory Board .
5. Without prejudice toparagraph 1andsubject tothelimits imposed
bythebudget oftheFund ,theBoard ofManagement shall determine the
number ofmembers ofits staff and their terms ofservice . ..■
6. Theterms ofservice ofthemembers ofthestaff shall begoverned
bythelabour law ,andthesocial legislation oftheState inwhich their .
duties areusually carried out,'
Article 35
1. TheDirector oftheFund shall ineach case take thedecisions .,
concerning contributions orcompensation applicable inindividual cases .
Application maybemade tohimforadecision concerning compensation for
laying-up .Insuch acase ,heshall give hisdecision within thirty days .
Theabsence cfananswer totherequest bythetime this period has
expired shall bedeemed tobeanadverse decision against which anobjection
within themeaning ofparagraph 2maybeentered ."

•»36 ■»t-t"*r '"*f&"' •
2. Any person receiving notice oranindividual decision applicable
tov-hira or .oftherejection ofarequest may enter anobjection thereto .
The objection shall beentered within ten days :
- ' from the dato ofnotification ofthedecision ortherejection
oftherequest ,
- or,where theobjection concerns anadverse decision within the
meaning ofthe second sub-paragraph ofparagraph 1,from the
date ofexpiry ofthe period for answering .
Theobjection ,which shall include astatement ofthe grounds on
which itisbased ,shall besubmitted inwriting andshall beforwarded to
the headquarters ofthe Fund ortoone ofits branch offices .:
Anobjection posted onthelast day ofthe period for objection "
shall bedeemed tohave been received within that period , 1
3« Objections entered within the prescribed period shall have sus- •
pensory effect .Each objection shall beexamined bythe Board ofManagement ,
which shall give areasoned decision ineach case .Where the objection is -
toa'decision concerning the amount ofcompensation forthelaying-up ,the
decision shall begiven within thirty days from thereceipt oftheobjection .
The ,person concerned shall benotified ofthe decision .
The absence ofadecision bythe Board ofManagement within the
period specified inthe preceding sub-paragraph shall bedeemed tobean
adverse decision . ' 1
Article 36
Theright toreceive compensation for laymg-up inaccordance with
Article 23,theobligation topaythecontribution inaccordance with Articles
9ctsag and theright toarefund ofany compensation incorrectly awarded
under Article 24(3)shall become time-barred upon theexpiration oftwo
years following the end ofthe calendar year inwhich therights and obli­
gation arose .This period oflimitation shall besuspended byany court
procedure initiated .

-37- VII/668/75-E
(Section D;Audit ofAccount s)
Article 37
1, ThoSupervisory Board shall appoint ,foraterm oftwoyears ,two
independent Auditors andtwodeputy Auditors ,whoshall notbemembers of
that Board ,oroftheBor.rd ofManagement ,oroftheDirectorate ofthe
Fund .
2. TheAuditors shall examine the annual accounts oftheFund and
report thereon each year totheSupervisory Board .
(Section E;Language softheFund )
Article 38
1. .Theminutes ofthemeetings oftheBoard ofManagement ,tne
notices ofsuoh meetings ,thedocuments prepared ,formeetings oftheorgans
oftheFund ,thedecisions ofgeneral application adopted bythem ,and ,.
theAudit ors' report shall bedrawn upinGerman ,French andDutch .The .
members ofthose organs mayexpress themsiyes inanyofthose languages .
2. Individual decisions anddecisions based onArticle 35(3)»log
books andcertificates ofexemption shall be .drawn upinGerman ,
French andDutch .Persons affected bysuch decisions mayuseanyof
those three languages intheir dealings' with theFund .
/

-38- ,VTl/6ô8/75~L'
(Section F:Effect andPublication ofDecisions ofGeneral Application )
Article 39
Decisions ofthe organs of-.the Fund having general application
shall "bebinding intheir entirety anddirectly applicable inall Member
States ofthe European Community and in -Switzerland .'
\
They shall enter into force onthe date fixed therein . ■ ■
\
Article 40
1. Decisions ofthe Supervisory Board orofthe Board ofManagement
adopted inpursuance ofthis Statute and having general application ,
general implementing provisions' and provisions amending this Statute
adopted bythe Supervisory Board shall bepublished intheofficial
journals ofthe European Community and ofSwitzerland .
2* Decisions onlaying-up periods and compensation shall benotified
forthwith bythe Chairman of "theSupervisory Board Hothenational
authorities designated forthis 'purpose byBelgium and bytheother States
having waterways subject tothis Statute .These authorities shall ensure
that before their entry into force ,thedecisions aredisplayed in '
harbour board offices ,handling andberthing areas ,freight offices and
markets t:'tour derole' offices (rotation booking )andanyother place
which they consider -appropriate ,- • . ■ . ■....
The Supervisory Board may decide tochange the method of '
publishing these decisions .

-39- VII/668/75-E
CHAPTER VI :Supervision bythe Courts
Article 41
1. Natural orlegal persons whocanestablish aninterest shall have
theright toappeal totheCourts against individual decisions taken by
theFund under Article 35(3)asspecified inaccordance villa ,the
provisions ofparagraph 2.
Each appeal shall contain astatement ofgrounds andmust be
brought ,accompanied bytherelevant supporting documents ,within thirty
days following notification ofthecontested decision ,orwithin thirty
days oftheexpiry oftheperiod required fortheabsence ofsuch a .
decision tobedeemed tobeanadverse decision .Anappeal shall nothave
asuspensory effect inrespect ofthecontested decision .
2. TheStates inwhose territory theHeadquarters orabranch office
oftheFund issituated shall designate thecourts tohave jurisdiction
intheappeals provided forinparagraph 1.InStates where ,pursuant
totheRevised Convention fortheNavigation oftheRhine of17October .
1868 ortotheConvention between France ,Germany andLuxembourg of .27' .
October 195^onthecanalisation oftheMoselle .,Rhine Navigation Tribunals
orMoselle Navigation Tribunals have been setup,these Tribunals maybe
declared tohave jurisdiction insuch appeals .
Theappeals shall begoverned bytherules ofprocedure ofthe
courts before which they arebrought .
3. Theappeals referred toinparagraph 1above shall bebrought
before thecourts fortheplace where theFund has .itsHeadquarters ,or,
inthe case ofpersons whose permanent residence orheadquarters isina
State where theFund hasabranch office ,before thecourts fortheplace
where thebranch office issituated .

VXI/668/75-E
Article 42
1. Acourt called the "Fund Tribunal "ishereby setuptoensure that
intheinterpretation andapplication oftheAgreement andofthis
Statute the law isobserved .
2. ,TheFund Tribunal shall consist ofseven judges appointed fora-
tern offive years ,onejudge tobenominated bySwitzerland -andsix
other judges byalltheother Contracting Parties (l). .Thejudges shall
elect thePresident oftheTribunal from among their number .
Intheevent ofthedeath ,orthe -resignation ofajudge during his -
term ofoffice ,heshall bereplaced fortheremaining period ofhis
term ofoffice . ' ■- -*
3« TheFund Tribunal shall not .sitinpermanent -session .Itshall
sitwhen convened byitsPresident tohear theactions brought before it.
4« TheFund Tribunal shall laydown theprovisions necessary ,forits
operations .These provisions shall relate inparticular tothe'rules for
theorganisation oftheCourt 'swork andtoitsrules ofprocedure,' as
well astotheguarantees concerning theimpartiality ofthejudges and
their immunity from legal proceedings inrespect -of :acts performed by
them intheir official capacity ..
TheCourt shall decide where itshall sit ,depending upon the
facilities which maybeoffered itbytheContracting Parties forthis
purpose (2). . . •'
5. Judgments shall state thereasons upon which they arebased .
(1) Itbeing understood that theEECregulation approving theAgreement
will have toindicate themethod bywhich thesixEECjudges are .
appointed .These methods will have totake theform of/naking the
-Court ofJustice oftheEuropean Communities responsible forappoint­
ingthesixjudges from among itsnumber .
(2) Itbeing understood that theEECregulation approving theAgreement
will inolude aprovision stipulating that theCourt ofJustice ofthe
European Communities will plaoe itsbuildings andClerk atthe
disposition oftheFund Tribunal .

41- VII/668/75-E
6. Theoperating costs ofthefund -Tribunal will not "beincluded
inthelegal costs ofeither thedefending parties ortheFund itself .
Article 43
1. TheTribunal shall review thelegality ofacts oftheorgans of
thePunc 1..Itshall forthis purpose have jurisdiction inactions brought
"byoneoftheStates inwhose territory this Statute isenforceable or
bytheCommission oftheEuropean Communities ongrounds oflack of
competence ,infringement ofanessential procedural requirement ,infringe­
ment oftheAgreement ,ofthis Statute ,orofanyrule oflawrelating
toitsapplication ,ormisuse ofpowers .
These actions shall beinstituted within onemonth ofthe
publication ofthe actconcerned .
Iftheaction iswell-founded ,theTribunal shall declare the
actconcerned tobevoid .Nevertheless ,theTribunal shall ,ifitconsiders
this necessary ,state which oftheeffects cftheacts which ithas
declared void shall beconsidered asdefinibive ,
2. Should theSupervisory Board ,ininfringement oftheAgreement or
ofthis Statute ,fail totake decisions ,theStates onwhose territory
this Statute isenforceable ,andtheCommission oftheEuropean
Communities maybring anaction before theTribunal tohave theinfringe­
ment established .Theaction shall beadmissible only iftheSupervisory
Board hasfirst been called upon toact.If,within' onemonth ofbeing
socalled upon ,theSupervisory Board hasnotdefined itsposition ,the
action maybebrought within afurther period ofonemonth .
3. Theorgan oftheFund whose acthasbeen declared void orwhose
failure toacthasbeen declared contrary totheAgreement ortothis
Statute shall berequired totake thenecessary measures tocomply with
the judgment oftheTribunal .
4. Action brought before theFund Tribunal shall nothave suspensory
effect .TheTribunal ma^however ,ifitconsiders that circumstances so
recjuire ,order that application ofthecontested actbesuspended .

-42-
Article 44VII/668/75-E
t
The Pond Tribunal shall have jurisdiction togive preliminary
rulings concerning theinterpretation ofthe Agreement and ofthis Statute
and concerning thevalidity andinterpretation ofdecisions taken bythe
organs ofthe Fund inorder toensure uniform interpretation ofthese
provisions inallthe States concerned .
Any Court ortribunal ofaState onwhose territory this Statute
isenforceable ,nay request the Tribunal togive aruling onamy such
question which ariseis before itifitconsiders that adecision onthe
question isnecessary toenable ittogive judgment .
/Acourt ortribunal against vrhose decisions there isnojudicial
remedy under national lawshall bring any such pending question before the
Fund Tribunal 7(1)»
'Article 45
t ■ •• ' '
States represented onthe Supervisory Board ,andthe Commission of
the European Communities ,may,after raising thematter atameeting of
this Board with aview tofinding anacceptable solution ,inform the
Court ofJustice ofthe Fund ifthey consider that aState onwhose
territory this Statute isenforceable hasfailed tofulfil anobligation
under the Agreement orunder this Statute .
Ifthe Court finds that aState lias sofailed tofulfil anobli­
gation that State shall berequired totalce thenecessary measures to
comply with the judgment ofthe Court ofJustice ofthe Fund .
(l) TheSwiss delegation isopposed tothewording ofthis sub-paragraph .
Itcould ,however ,accept the wording oncondition that the following
phrase were added tothe beginning ;."The Contracting Parties can
decide that ... (andsoonwithout change )". This addition would
allow the .Community toprescribe this obligation inthe EECregulation
approving the Agreement and soensure uniform application ofthe
Statute inthe Member States ofthe Community .

-43- VII/668/75-E
CHAPTER 7x1 :Inpl ement at1onofdecisions ,Assistance byNational
authorities ,Penalties ). ,■
Article 46
1. Decisions ofthe organs ofthe Fund inrespect ofwhich nofurther
objection orappeal ispossible ,and which impose pursuant tothis
Statute apecuniary obligation onthe owner oroperator ofavessel ,shall
beenforceable and shall 'berecognised assuch ineach ofthe States on
whose territory this Statute isenforceable . , r
2. Enforcement shall begoverned bythecivil rules ofprocedure in
force inthe State intheterritory ofwhich itiscarried out.The
order for enforcement shall beappended tothedecision ,without other
formality than verification oftheauthenticity ofthedecision ,bythe
competent national authority .
3. The courts ofthe country concerned shall have jurisdiction over
complaints that enforcement isbeing carried outinanirregular 'manner .
Article 47
1. Inorder tosecure observance ofthis Statute and implementation
ofitsprovisions and ofdecisions taken inpursuance thereof ,the Fund
cay request the assistance ofthe public authorities ofthe States on
whose territory this Statute isenforceable under conditions tobe
established bycoamon agreement .
2. -Thepublic authorities oftheStates onwhose territory this
Statute isenforceable andthe Fund shall communicate' toeach other ,on
request ,any information concerning vessels towhich this Statute applies
that may prove necessary for the implementation ofthis Statute .
' ■ ■
By1Ilarch ofeach year the Fund shall ,attherequest ofthe
public authorities oftheStates inwhose territory theStatute is
enforceable ,forward tothose authorities copies ofrecords forthe

' -44-* VIl/668/75-^
f ' '• ." i 4
preceding year ofpayments tomembers oftheBoard ,ofManagement ,Fund ,
employees andowners oroperators ofboats having their domicile fortax
purposes intheapplicant State ,showing thename andaddress andstating
thereason forthepayments made .: •
Article 48
1. TheStates onwhose territory theheadquarters orabranch office
oftheFund isestablished shall take thenecessary measures ,after
consulting each other within theSupervisory Board ,011thedraft measures
toensure that sanctions arcimposed forthefollowing offences :
«• using avessel entered onalayingMip list ,tocarry outloading ,
unloading ,transport ,stowage ,towing orpushing operations or
putting such avessel ,into adock-yard orcarrying outorattempting
tocarry outatransport operation using avessel forwhich a
certificate ofexemption hasbeen issued foracertain kind of
traffic ; ■.. ■ > ■ '
–; .refusing toshow thelogbook orthecertificate ofexemption when
requested bytheenforcement authorities *
2. Without prejudice tothepenalties applicable under national law
inrespect ofother unlawful acts ,theoffences referred toinparagraph ,
1shall bepunishable byanadministrative fine orpenal sanction ofa
maximum sum ,equivalent inthecurrency oftheState where judgment is
made ,of1.000 DM.
3. Offences Bhall bedealt with bythecourt fortheplace where the
offence wascommitted .This court may'beaRhine navigation Tribunal or
aMoselle Navigation Tribunal inthose' States where such atribunal has
been established . , ■ '
4. ,Thedecisions ofthe courts referred toinparagraph 3shall be
enforceable inalltheother States referred toinparagraph 1in
accordance with theprocedures laid down bythelaws ofthecountry inwhich
they aretobeenforced . •

-•45- VII/668/75-E
5. Theoffences referred toinparagraph .1may bepenalized in
special legal proceedings or -anappropriate administrative procedure .
CHAPTER VII :Financial Provisions
Article 49
1. All items ofrevenue and expenditure ofthe Fund shall be'included
inestimates tobedrawn upfor each financial year andshall beshown in
the budget .Therevenue andexpenditure shown inthebudget shall bein ,
balance .
2. Thefinancial year shall run from 1January to31December .
3. The budget ofthe Fund shall bedrawn up,and the accounts kept ,in
the currency oftheState inwhich the Fund hasits Headquarters .
4. Contributions and compensation for laying –upshall becollected and
paid inthe currency ofthe State inwhich payment takes place ,in
accordance with theofficial rate ofexchange inforce inthat State on
the day ofpayment .
Article 50
1. The revenue ofthe Fund shall consist solely ofcontributions from
owners ofvessels asprovided for inArticles 9etseq aswell asthe in­
terest from their investments andshall beapplied solely for paying
compensation for laying-up provided for inArticle 23andfor meeting the
operating costs ofthe Fund .
Byway ofderogation from the preceding sub-paragraph ,the Fund
may,inthe event ofitsencountering liquidity difficulties ,raise short-
term loans ,theduration and amount ofwhich shall bereasonable in
relation toitsanticipated revenue .Such borrowings shall not .involve
theContracting Parties ,either directly orindirectly ,inanyfinancial
obligations .

2. TheFund shall besolely liable inrespect ofthepayment of
compensation forlaying*-up .The .Contracting Parties shall bo .innoway
liable asregards thecommitments undertaken bytheFund .
Article 51
Decisions astotheraising ofloans shall betaken bytheBoard of
Management ,subject tothelimits andconditions laid -down byunanimous
decision oftheSupervisory Board . .TheSupervisory Board shall check
that itsdecisions inthis ,respect areimplemented . ,
CHAPTER IX :Winding-up oftheFund
Article 52
1. Termination oftheAgreement shall -bring about thesimultaneous
dissolution oftheFund .Insuch case ,theSupervisory Board shall appoint
oneormore liquidators toclose theaccounts and liquidate theassets
ofthe Fund .
2. Subject totherecovery ofcontributions andthepayment ofcom­
pensation dueforthepreceding period asfrom thedate ofwinding–up ,
theFund shall collect nofurther contributions norpayanyfurther
compensation forlaying-up ,andanylaying-up measures which maybein
hand shall lapse .
«*1 !
3. After discharge ofallliabilities ,thenetassets oftheFund
shall bedistributed among the .owners ofthevessels inrespect ofwhich
contributions have been paid during theyear inwhich thedissolution
takes place andthetwopreceding calendar years ,inproportion tothe
contributions paid totheFund during that period .•
Ontheexpiry oftwoyears' following publication .bytheliquidators
oftheschedule ofdistribution theright ofowners toparticipate insuch
distribution shall -lapse .

- -47- VII/668/75-E
4. The Supervisory Board shall unanimously take --anyadditional measures
required inorder toliquidate -the -assets ofthe Fund .
CHAPTER X:Setting upofthe Organs ofthe Fund
Article 53*
1. The Supervisory Board provided for "inArticle 27ofthis Statute
shall beset upwithin one month following the entry into force ofthe
Agreement ,Itshall take upitsduties assoon asitisset upandshall
meet within amonth following itssetting-up ,inparticular ./"tofixthe
limit fortheinitial loanJ7 ^cr"^epurpose ofdetermining theterms of'
service and the powers oftheDirector and toappoint him,asprovided
forinArticle 34oftheStatute ,andalso toappoint theauditors as
provided forinArticle 37ofthe Statute .
2. The Board ofManagement provided forinArticle 28ofthis Statute
shall take upitsduties and meet within &month following the appointment
ofits members .Itshall immediately submit proposals -regarding the --~-
Birectcr ofthe Fund ,histerns ofservice andhis powers .Itshall also
take isteps v/itLout delay toorganise the Fund .Itshall immediately
draw upadraft Budget forthefirst financial year .This budget may ''
provide forraising aloan tostart the Fund ,andthe Fund shall be
aivthorised toapprove thelean uptoamaximum of£~...fixed bythe
Supervisory BoardJ /*
3. Theobligations imposed upon inland waterway carriers pursuant to
this Statute shall take effect onthefirst dajr ofthe calendar year
fixed bythe Supervisory Board .
4« The Fund Tribunal set upunder Article 42ofthe Statute shall
meet within three months following theentry into force ofthis Statute ,
inorder toestablish the measures necessary foritsoperation *

VII/668/75-E
.-,DECLARATIONS TOBEINSERTED INTHEMINUTES CONCLUDING THE AGREEMENT
Declaration concerning Article 5oftheAgreement :
"TheCouncil andtheCommission oftheEuropean Communities recall that ,
inconformity with theCouncil Resolution of2?January 1970 ,theregu­
lations concerning thetemporary laying-up ofvessels should "be
complemented .bymeasures aimed atremedying structural imbalance *In .
particular ,measures concerning the "breaking upofvessels should be
co-ordinated with theneed topromote along term healthy development
ofthecapacity oftheinland waterways .Inanother connection ,within
five years ,andinthelight ofinformation obtained from theabove -
mentioned regulations ,co-ordinating measures will bedrawn upwith the
aimofensuring along-term andjustifiable development ofthecapacity
offered byinland waterways ."
Declaration concerning Article 7:ofthe Agreement :
"TheCouncil hereby states that thetonnage threshold ofvessels
subject tothese ,regulations iaaybereviewed should thelaying-up
scheme beextended toinclude Belgian waterways ." .. .

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