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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(79)538
Vol.1979/0186

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
PROPOSAL FORACOUNCILDECISION
CONCERNING COMMONACTIONBYTHEMEMBERSTATES
FORTHENEGOCIATION OFACONVENTION
ONINTERNATIONAL MULTI-MODAL TRANSPORT
(presentedbytheCommissiontotheCouncil)COM(79)538final
Brussels,11thOctober1979
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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
HISTORY
1.WithintheframeworkofU.N.C.T.A.D. theintergovernmental preparatory
group(i.P.G.)wasaskedtodrawupapreliminarydraftconvention
oninternational multimodaltransport.ThisGrouphasheldsix
meetingsfollowingwhichitpresentedadrafttexttotheUNCTAD
Council.Duringits10thextraordinary session(March1979)this
latterdecidedtoconveneaUnitedNationsconference atthe
beginningofNovember1979inordertonegotiatethisConvention
aswellastore-openthisconferenceifitwerefeltnecessary.
Thisworkistheextensionofotherstudiesandworkdevotedtothis
problemandundertakenbyvariousinternational organisations ,
UNIDROITandIMCandfinallytheECEatGenevajointlywithI.M.C.O.
InJune1971"theCommission oftheEuropeanCommunities sentthe
Councilafirstproposeddecisionreferringtotheimplementation
ofCommunityactionunderArticle116oftheTreatyThis
proposalhasnotbeenfollowedupbecausetheworkceased
withintheECEframeworkandwastakenupbyUNCTAD.
2.AsfarastheCustomsaspectswhichwillbeexaminedwithinthe
frameworkofthisConventionareconcernedtheCommissionhas,by
letterof2August1979»alreadysenttheCouncilarecommendation
foraCouncildecision authorising theCommissiontotake
partintheGenevanegotiations inthenameoftheEEC.
•/•••
(l)Doe.COM(71)635Finalof23Juno1971
(2)LetterNo.8589/79Trans96CID31
Coc.COM(79)389Finalof19,7.1979

SPECIALINTEREST FORTHECOSiGNMARKET
3.Multi–modaltransportisbecomingmoreandmoreimportant
"becauseofcentainerisation5"door-to-door"transportofgoodsfrom
theplaceofproduction ormanufacture totheirfinaldestination
andusehas"beenconsiderably developed.Seatransport,whichis
themostimportantofinternational Iin>s,isoftenprecededor
folloitfed "byothertransportmodes(rail,road,inlandwaterway
orevenair)forthetransportofthesamegoods.Thusthereis
anobviouscommercial interestthatthesamecontractcancover
thevarioussuccessivephasesoftransport,beingdeliveredby
oneperson,th9multi-modaltransport,entrepreneur (MTE).Itis
tothisperson,iftherearedisputes,thattheshipperorthe
consigneemustgo,andnottoeachofthesuccessivetransporters .
4«ThelimitedprovisionswithintheframeworkoftheCommunitywould
notprovideasatisfactory solutiontotheprobleminquestionwhich
isaworld-wide one.TheConimvin.ityinterestshouldthereforebe
consideredinrelationtoworldregulations beingdrawnup.
Theconvention whichaimsatuniformregulationoftheessential
aspectsoftheinternational multi-modaltransportofgoodsis
ofevid.entinteresttoworldtradeandwillensurebetteruserprotection
andwill,tosomeextent,avoiddistortionsintheconditionsof
competition betweentransportmodes.

EXTENTOFCOITIONACTION
5.Thepreliminary draftconvention drawnupbytheI.P.G.should
essentially governthemultimodaltransportcontract,i.e.the
transportofgoods"byatleasttwodifferenttransportmodes,
froma,placesituatedinacountrywherethegoodsareaccepted
"bythemulti-modaltransportentrepreneur toadesignatedplaoe
ofdeliveryinadifferentcountry.Inthisconnectionthe
Conventioncontainsprovisionsconcerningthemulti-modal
transportdocument,especiallyitscontentsanditscontractual
nature,theresponsibility ofthemulti-modaltransportentre­
preneur,theresponsibility oftheshipper,therightsandactions
oftheparties.
Thedevelopingcountrieswouldalsowishtoincludesomepublic
lawprovisionsbyintroducingconcertation procedures ,asfor
seatransport,aswellasCustomsprovisionsinordertobe
abletocontroltheactivitiesofmulti-modaltransportentre­
preneurs.
AsfarastheCustomsaspectsareconcernedtheCouncilalready
hasbeforeitarecommendation foradecisionbasedonArticle113
oftheTreaty^^.
6.AsfarasthetransportaspectsareconcernedtheCommissionnotes
thatcasesofco-existence betweentheprovisionsofthisfuture
convention ,intheirpresentstateandCommunitylegislation ,are
non-existent andthereforeraisenoproblemsofincompatibility .
TheCommissiondoesnotatpresentenvisageproposingmeasures
regulatingtransportcontracts.
©/••
(1)Doe.COM(79)389Finalof19.7.1979

-4-
Thereis-therefore,atpresent,noneedto.requiretheadhesionofthe
Communitytothenawconventionforthetransportaspects.
Itisclearthatifthenegotiations wouldmake
itappearthatsomeoftheprovisionsoftheConventioncouldaffect
presentCommunityprovisionsitwouldbenecessarytodrawthe
necessaryconsequences fortheapplication ofCommunitylaw.
7•Similar^tothecaseofCIM/CIV(Conventionconcerninginternationalrailtransport
forwhichtheCouncilhasadoptedadecisionconcerning commonaction
voiderArticle116,theCommissionproposesthattheMemberStates
pursuetheirworkatGenevawithintheframeworkofcommonaction,
underArticle116,followingthedirectives'setoutintheannex
tothedraftdecision.
ThiscommonactionoftheMemberStatesshouldhaveasanobjective
theconclusionofaconventionsatisfyingtheneedsoftheinterests
ofworldtrade,whiletakingaccountatthesametimeofCommunity
interests.
PromthispointofviewtheMemberStatesshouldtakeupcommon
positionsonthemainprovisionsoftheconvention ,ifpossiblein
collaboration withtheotherindustrialised countriesinGroupB.
Inthepresentstateofthenegotiationsitisnotpossiblenow
todrawupadefinitive commonpositiononthemainprovisionsofthe
conventionbuttheprinciplesenumeratedintheattacheddirectivestothe
proposeddecisionshould,inanycase,bedefendedbytheMemberStates
withintheframeworkofcommonaction.
8.Implementation ofcommonaction
Theprinciplesenunciatedintheattacheddirectivestotheproposed
shouldbefollowedintheprovisionstobeinsertedintheconvention.For
thistherepresentatives oftheMemberStatesandoftheCommissionwill
consulteachotherinGenevaasneedb°asthenegotiations developinthe
workinggroupsofthediplomaticconference.
9I+0O

5
9.CONCLUSIONS
TheCommissionproposesthattheCounciladopttheattachedproposeddecision
concerning commonaction "bytheMemberStatesfortheGenevanegotiations
foraconvention oninternational multi-modaltransport.

PROPOSAL FORA
COUNCILDECISION
CONCERNING COMMONACTION
BYTHEMEMBERSTATE3FORTHE
NEGOCIATION OFACONVENTION ON
INTERNATIONAL MULTIMODAL TRANSPORT
THECOUNCILOFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
HAVINGREGARDTOtheTreatyestablishing theEuropeanEconomicCommunity,
and.inparticularArticle116thereofj
HAVINGREGARDTOtheproposalfromtheCommission 5
WHEREAS,withintheframeworkoftheUnitedNationsConference on
TradeandDevelopment ,adiplomaticconferencewill"beconvenedat
thebeginningofNovember1979forthepurposeofdrawingupa
convention oninternational multi-modaltransport ;
WHEREASthepurposeofsuchaconvent -ionwillbeinparticulartoesta'bli
rulesasregardsliabilityarisingfromcontractsfortheinternational
multi-modaltransportofgoodsj
WHEREAStheapplication ofsuchuniformralesisofparticularinterest
forthecommonmarketandnecessitates commonactionbytheMemberStates
withintheframeworkoftheinternational organisations concerned }
whereas,withintheframeworkofthiscommonaction,theMemberStates
shouldensurethatthedevelopment ofCommunitylawinthissectorisnot
prejudiced ;
WHEREAStherepresentatives oftheMemberStatestosuchorganisations
andtherepresentatives oftheCommissionshouldconsulteachother
duringthenegotiations onmattersarisinginconnectionwiththecommon
action:
HASIECUSDASFOLLOWSi

SOLEARTICLE
Asregardstransport,theMemberStatesshall,withintheframeworkof
thediplomaticconferenceconvened "bytheUnitedNationsConference
forTradeandDevelopmentatGenevaforthepurposeofconcluding
aconvention oninternational multi-modaltransport,carryoutthe
work"bymeansofcommonactiononthebasisoftheannexeddirectives.
Therepresentatives oftheMemberStatesand-oftheCommissionshall
consulteachotherduringsuchcommonaction.
DoneatBrussels,
FortheCouncil
ThePresident

ANNEX
DIRECTIVES
Theagreement reached in1977 (l)between theregional groups
shall remain the framework for the future convention and
i - '
constitute apriori thelimit ofthepossible concessions on .
thepart oftheMember States oftheEuropean -Communities .
Asfar astheprovisions oftheConvention areconcerned the
Member States oftheEuropean Communities will ask that the
following principles beinserted inthis convention :
a)optional application oftheconvention whilie respecting
theprinciple ofcontractual freedom ;
b)largest possible territorial application oftheconvention ;
exclusions orexemptions ,should only beenvisaged ifthey are :
necessary inthe interest ofusers for theneeds oftrade or
foravoiding conflicts with other unimodal conventions such
asCIV/CIMandCMR ;
ν.c)application oftheconvention toalltransport modes with the
-exception ofthemodes used for the initial andterminal
sectors where these are oflittle importance inrelation to
the total journey ; -
d)ifpossible determination ofauniform regime ofliability
and limiis ontheliability ofthemulti-modal transport
entrepreneur ;thenetwork liability regime will be
applied when damage orloss canbelocalised . .
e)insertion ofaclause safeguarding thedevelopment ofCommunity
law inthesector covered bythe future convention .
(l)Agreement between allthegroups onthe scope 'ofthedraft
convention reached during thesecond part ofthethird session
oftheT.P.G. (of10-28 /1/77)Doc .Annex 1'toDocTD/B/6^0and
TD/B/AC15/23. *