ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(79)404
Vol.1979/0144

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(79)404 final.
Brussels,20July1979
:.J-\
1
V–■!
.v./
Proposalfora
COUNCILDECISION
concerning commonactionbytheMemberStatesforthenegotiation
ofarevisionoftheCIVandCIMConventions
(submittedtotheCouncilbytheCommission)
COM(79)404final.

iwmmMsmm
1#Withinth©frsjneworkofthe8threvisionoftheCIVandCXMconventionsconcerning
internationalrailtraffictheGovernmentsoftheStateswhichaxepartiestothese
conventionsareatpresentnegotiatinganewconventionwhoseobjectivesares
-tocreateaformalorganisationlinkingtheStateswhicharepartiestothe
conventionandwhichwillhavethetitleof"Intergovernmental organisation
forinternationalrailtransport",inorderthatthepresentco-operation
betweentheMemberStatesofthetwoconventionswillhavealegalpersonality j
–tocarryforwardtheuniformrulesconcerningtheinternational transport
contractintwoCIMandCIVregulations annexedtothisconvention#
2.Everythinghasbeendoneduringthepreparatorydiscussionstopreservethe
attitudetobeadoptedbytheCommunity.InparticulartheCouncil'sattention
isdrawntotheTransportQuestionsGroup'sreportof6September1978(doc.
R/2209/78(TRANS124))andtotheextractoftheminutesofthe4thsessionof
PreliminaryCommitteeIof14September1978atBerne,(seeAnnex)
3.The5"thsessionofthePreliminary CommitteeIwhichwilltakeplacefrom
10-15SeptemberatBerne,shouldespeciallydecideonthequestionofthe
reservations andfinparticular,onwhatistohappentotheadditionalprotocol
totheCIV/CIMConventionsof7February1970whichgivesprioritytotheEEC
andECSCTreaties.
4«TheCommissionisoftheopinionthatinthepresentsituationtheCommunity
shoulddemanditsaccessiontothenewconvention.
Initsviewasatisfactory solutionwouldconsistofensuringthemaintenance
t.
ofthepriorityofCommunitylawinrelationtothenewCIV/CIMconvention.
Thisprioritycouldbestipulatedinaclause,asforexamplethatunderIIIof
theadditionalProtocoltothepresentCIV/CIM,which,however,shouldbe
improvedandwidened.
ThissolutionshouldbeattainedbymeansofcommonactionoftheMemberStates
whoshould,inaddition,takeaccountoftheobjectivesofthecommontransport
policyasregardstheautonomyandtheresponsibility oftherailwayundertakings
fortheirowncommercialmanagement.
•/•

2
5.Inthe event that the Council does not approve this solution orthat
Member States areopposed toit,thethesis ofCommunity competence
forexternal matters should bepresented astheonly possible alter­
native andimplemented bytheadhesion oftheCommunity aswell as
Member States tothenew CIV and CIMAgreements .Inthis case ,Member
States will beobliged todefend this second solution against any reaction
from the Eastern Bloc countries .
6.Conclusions .
TheCommission proposes that theCouncil adopt theattached draft
decision concerning common action bytheMember States forthenegotia­
tion ofthe revised CIV/CIM conventions .

ANN3X
Extractfromtheminutesoftheseventhmeeting'ofthefourthsessionof
PreliminaryCommissionIinBerneon14September1978
AsactingPresident ,oftheEuropeanCommunityforthisyeartheFederal
RepublicofGermanywouldlikethefollowingdeclarationto"beenteredin
theminutesonthequestionofthe"additionalprotocol:
"RelationsbetweentheEuropeanCommunitiesandthefutureIntergovernmental
OrganizationforInternational RailTransportarebeingstudiedbythecompetent
Communitybodies..
TheMemberStatesoftheCommunities maythereforeraisethismatteragainat
afuturedate.SomeprovisionsofthepresentdraftConventionappeartocon–.
• , '1flictwithCommunitylaw.ThequestionoftheCommunities *accessionassuch
mayalsoberaised." . . v
t'.r.AII3URGagreedtodrawupareportonthismatterfortheCommission's
fifthsession.Hewishedtopointouttothedelegati-onsthattoomany
derogations wouldbecontrarytotheveryaimoftheOrganization .TheCentral
OfficepreferredtoleaveituptotheStatestomakeproposalsconcerning
possiblereservations buthopedthattheywould,berestrictedtospecificand
welldefinedpointsratherthangeneralmatters.
1 - ..-• ' <
/
TheChairmanstatedthattheagenda,hadbeenexhausted -andinformedthe
Commissionthattheminuteswouldbesubmittedforapprovalthefollowing
day* "•' '
Themeetingroseat11.45hours.' •

Proposalfora
COUNCILDECISION
concerning commonactionbytheMemberStatesforthenegotiation of
arevisionoftheCIVandCIMConventions
THECOUNCILOFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishing theEuropeanEconomicCommunity,
andinparticularArticle116thereof,
HavingregardtotheproposalfromtheCommission,
WhereasatpresentarevisionoftheInternational Conventionconcerning
thecarriageofpassengers andluggagebyrail(CIV)andtheInternational
Conventionconcerningthecarriageofgoodsbyrail(CIM)istakingplace
intheorganizations createdbythoseConventions ;
WhereastheprovisionswhicharethesubjectofthedraftConvention
governinginternational transportcontracts,togetherwiththetransport
rateswithwhichtheyformacoherentandinseparable whole,constitute a
mattercapableofcomingunderthecommontransportpolicy;
WhereastheMemberStatesshouldpursuetheworkwithintheframeworkof
commonaction;

VJhereas,inordertosafeguardthedevelopmentofthecommontransportpolicy
andhavingregardtotheinterestwhichtheCMinparticularrepresents
fortheorganisation oftheinternational goodstrafficmarketswithinthe
frameworkofthispolicyaswellascertainprovisionsoftheadditional
ProtocoltothepresentCIV"andCIMas"regardstheircompatibility with
Communitylav;,itisnecessary,withintheframeworkofcommonaction,to
defendtheprincipleofthepriorityofCommunitylawwithregardtothe
revisedCIV/CIMConvention }
MAS'DECIDEDASFOLLOWS:
Article 1
Withintheframeworkofthe8thordinaryrevisionoftheCIVandCIM
•Conventions theMemberStatesshallpursuetheworkbymeansofcommonaction
inaccordance withthedirectives annexedhereto.
Article 2
TherepresentativesoftheMemberStatescUicLtheCommissionshall
.consultinthecourseofthiscommonaction;theyshall
continuethi3actionuntiltheendofthenegotiations onthe8thordinary
revisionoftheCIVandCIMConventions .
DoneatBrussels
BytheCouncil
Président

mm
DIRECTIVES
1.Thegeneralreservation infavouroftheEECandECSCTreaties
containedinChapterIIIoftheadditionalProtocolof7February1970
totheCIVandtheCHIshould "bemaintainedwhilewideningittotraffic
betweentheEuropeanCommunities andthirdcountriesaswellastomeasures
whichtherailwayundertakings havetotakeincarryingoutCommunitylaw.
2.AsfarastheCH>Iinparticularisconcernedtherevisionshould "be
pursuedwhiletalcingaccountoftheobjectivesofthecommontransport
policyorientedtowardstheautonomyandresponsibility oftherailway
undertakings fortheirowncommercial management.
3.ChaptersI,2(subpara(a))andII,2(subpara(a))oftheProtocol
mentionedshouldbere-draftedtotaleeaccountoftheobligationsforthe
UnitedICLngdomandIrelandfollowingtheiraccessiontotheEECandECSC
TreatiesarisingfromtheregulationsunderCommunitylawwhichprovide
foradequatepublicityaswellasnon-discriminatory application ofcertain
ratesandconditionsoftransport.