Convention on the Protection of the Rhine - Protocol of Signature
Date: 1999-04-12
Institutions: European Community, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland
Subjects: Rhine Valley, environmental cooperation, environmental protection, international convention, pollution control measures, pollution of waterways, watercourse

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TRANSLATION

CONVENTION ON THE PROTECTION OF THE RHINE

THE GOVERNMENTS OF

THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY,

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC,

THE GRAND DUCHY OF LUXEMBOURG,

THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS,

THE SWISS CONFEDERATION,

and THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY,

Desiring to work towards the sustainable development of the Rhine ecosystem on the basis of a comprehensive approach,
taking into consideration the natural wealth of the river,

its banks and alluvial areas,

Desiring to step up their cooperation on conserving and improving the Rhine ecosystem,

Referring to the Convention of 17 March 1992 on the protection and use of
transboundary watercourses and
international lakes and the Convention of 22 September 1992 on the protection of the marine environment of the
north-east Atlantic,

Taking into account the work carried out under the Agreement of 29 April 1963 concerning the International
Commission for the Protection of the Rhine against Pollution and the Additional Agreement of 3 December 1976,

Considering that efforts must be made to further the improvement in water quality achieved under the Convention of 3
December 1976 for the protection of the Rhine against chemical pollution and under the Rhine Action Programme of 30
September 1987,

Aware that the restoration of the Rhine is also necessary to conserve and improve the ecosystem of the North Sea,

Aware of the importance of the Rhine as a European waterway and of its various uses,

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Definitions

For the purposes of this Convention:

(a) ‘Rhine’ means the Rhine from the outlet of Lake Untersee
and, in the Netherlands, the branches Bovenrĳn, Bĳlands
Kanaal, Pannerdensch Kanaal, Ĳssel, Nederrĳn, Lek, Waal,
Boven-Merwede, Beneden-Merwede, Noord, Oude Maas,
Nieuwe Maas and Scheur and the Nieuwe Waterweg as far
as the base line as specified in Article 5 in connection with
Article 11 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of
the Sea, the Ketelmeer and the Ĳsselmeer;

(b) ‘Commission’ means the International Commission for the

Protection of the Rhine (ICPR).

Article 2

Scope

This Convention applies to:

(a) the Rhine;

(b) groundwater interacting with the Rhine;

(d) the Rhine catchment area,

insofar as its pollution by

noxious substances adversely affects the Rhine;

(e) the Rhine catchment area, insofar as it is of importance for

flood prevention and protection along the Rhine.

Article 3

Aims

The Contracting Parties
through this Convention:

shall pursue the following aims

1. sustainable development of the Rhine ecosystem,

in par-

ticular through:

(a) maintaining and improving the quality of the Rhine's
waters, including the quality of suspended matter, sedi-
ments and groundwater, notably by

— preventing, reducing or eliminating as far as possible
pollution caused by noxious substances and by
industry and
nutrients from point sources (e.g.
municipalities) and diffuse sources (e.g. agriculture
and traffic) — including that from groundwater —
and pollution from shipping,

(c) aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems which interact or could

— ensuring and improving the safety of installations

again interact with the Rhine;

and preventing incidents and accidents;

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(b) protecting populations of organisms and species diver-
sity and reducing contamination by noxious substances
in organisms;

Article 5

Undertakings by the Contracting Parties

(c) maintaining, improving and restoring the natural func-
tion of the waters; ensuring that flow management takes
account of
solid matter and
promotes interactions between river, groundwater and
alluvial areas; conserving, protecting and reactivating
alluvial areas as natural floodplains;

the natural

flow of

(d) conserving, improving and restoring the most natural
habitats possible for wild fauna and flora in the water,
on the river bed and banks and in adjacent areas, and
improving living conditions for fish and restoring their
free migration;

To achieve the aims set out in Article 3, and in the light of the
principles set out in Article 4, the Contracting Parties under-
take:

1. to step up their cooperation and to inform one another,
particularly regarding actions taken in their territory to
protect the Rhine;

2. to implement in their territory the international measuring
programmes and the studies of the Rhine ecosystem agreed
upon by the Commission and to inform the Commission of
the results;

(e) ensuring environmentally sound and rational manage-

ment of water resources;

3. to carry out analyses with a view to identifying the causes of

and parties responsible for pollution;

into account when
(f) taking ecological
implementing
to develop the
waterway, e.g. for flood protection, shipping or the use
of hydroelectric power;

requirements
technical measures

2. the production of drinking water from the waters of the

Rhine;

3.

improvement of sediment quality in order that dredged
material may be deposited or spread without adversely
affecting the environment;

4. general flood prevention and protection, taking account of

ecological requirements;

5. to help restore the North Sea in conjunction with the other

actions taken to protect it.

Article 4

Principles

To this end, the Contracting Parties shall be guided by the
following principles:

(a) precautionary principle;

(b) principle of preventive action;

(c) principle of rectification, as a priority at source;

(d) polluter pays principle;

(e) principle of not increasing damage;

(f) principle of compensation in the event of major technical

measures;

4. to initiate the autonomous actions they deem necessary in

their territory, and in any event ensure that

(a) discharging of waste water liable to affect water quality
to prior authorisation or to general rules

is subject
laying down emission limits;

(b) discharges of hazardous

substances

are gradually

reduced with a view to complete elimination;

(c) compliance with authorisations and general rules is

monitored, as are discharges;

(d) authorisations and general rules are periodically exam-
ined and adjusted where substantial
improvements in
the state of the art so permit or where the state of the
receiving medium so necessitates;

(e) the risk of pollution from incidents or accidents is
reduced as far as possible by regulations, and the
requisite measures are taken in the event of an emer-
gency;

(f) technical measures liable to have a serious effect on the
ecosystem are subject to prior authorisation, along with
the necessary conditions, or to general regulations;

5. to initiate the necessary actions in their territory to imple-
ment decisions taken by the Commission in accordance
with Article 11;

6.

in the event of incidents or accidents that might threaten
the quality of the water of the Rhine or in the event of
imminent flooding, immediately to inform the Commission
and the Contracting Parties liable to be affected, in accord-
ance with the warning and alert plans coordinated by the
Commission.

Article 6

Commission

(g) principle of sustainable development;

(h) application and development of the state of the art and best

environmental practice;

(i) principle of not transferring environmental pollution from

one environment to another.

To implement this Convention, the Contracting Parties

1.
shall pursue their cooperation within the Commission.

2.
The Commission shall have legal personality. In the terri-
tory of the Contracting Parties it shall, in particular, enjoy the
legal capacity conferred on legal persons by domestic law. It
shall be represented by its Chairman.

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Questions of labour legislation and social matters shall be
3.
governed by the law of the country in which the Commission
has its seat.

Article 9

Plenary sessions of the Commission

Article 7

Organisation of the Commission

The Commission shall consist of the delegations of the
1.
Contracting Parties. Each Contracting Party shall appoint its
delegates, one of whom shall be head of delegation.

2.

The delegations may enlist the services of experts.

3.
The Commission shall be chaired for three years by each
delegation in turn in the order of Contracting Parties listed in
the preamble. The delegation chairing the Commission shall
the Chairman. The Chairman shall not act as
appoint
spokesman for his delegation.

Should a Contracting Party waive its right
the
Commission, the next Contracting Party shall take the Chair.

to chair

The Commission shall draft its rules of procedure and

4.
financial regulations.

The Commission shall decide on matters of international
5.
organisation, the working structure it deems necessary and the
annual operating budget.

Article 8

Tasks of the Commission

To achieve the aims set out in Article 3 the Commission

1.
shall accomplish the following tasks:

(a) prepare international measuring programmes and studies of
the Rhine ecosystem and make use of their results,
in
cooperation with scientific institutions if necessary;

(b) make proposals for individual measures and programmes
of measures, where appropriate including economic instru-
ments and taking into account the expected costs;

(c) coordinate the Contracting States' warning and alert plans

for the Rhine;

(d) evaluate the effectiveness of

the actions decided upon,
notably on the basis of the reports of the Contracting
Parties and the results of the measuring programmes and
studies of the Rhine ecosystem;

(e) carry out any other tasks entrusted to it by the Contracting

Parties.

To this end,

2.
accordance with Articles 10 and 11.

the Commission shall

take decisions in

The Commission shall submit an annual activity report to

3.
the Contracting Parties.

4.
The Commission shall inform the public as to the state of
the Rhine and the results of its work. It may draft and publish
reports.

At the invitation of the Chairman, the Commission shall

1.
meet for one plenary session per year.

2.
Extraordinary plenary sessions may be called by the
Chairman, upon his initiative or at the request of at least two
delegations.

3.
The Chairman shall propose the agenda. Each delegation
shall have the right to have items included on the agenda that
it wishes to have discussed.

Article 10

Decision-making in the Commission

1.

2.

Decisions of the Commission shall be taken unanimously.

Each delegation shall have one vote.

3.
If measures to be carried out by the Contracting Parties in
accordance with Article 8(1)(b) fall within the competence of
the European Community,
the latter shall vote with the
number of votes corresponding to the number of its Member
States which are Contracting Parties
to this Convention,
notwithstanding paragraph 2 above. The European Community
shall not vote in cases where its Member States vote and vice
versa.

4.
Abstention of only one delegation shall not constitute an
impediment to unanimity. This shall not apply to the delega-
tion of the European Community. Absence of a delegation shall
be considered as abstention.

The rules of procedure may provide for a written pro-

5.
cedure.

Article 11

Implementation of Commission decisions

1.
The Commission shall communicate to the Contracting
Parties, in the form of recommendations, its decisions on the
measures referred to in Article 8(1)(b), which shall be imple-
mented in accordance with the national law of the Contracting
Parties.

2.

The Commission may stipulate that these decisions:

(a) shall be applied by the Contracting Parties on the basis of a

timetable;

(b) shall be implemented in a coordinated manner.

The Contracting Parties shall report regularly to the

3.
Commission on:

(a) the legislative, regulatory and other measures they have
taken with a view to implementing the provisions of this
Convention and on the basis of the Commission's deci-
sions;

(b) the results of the measures implemented in accordance

with subparagraph (a);

(c) problems arising in the implementation of the measures

referred to in subparagraph (a).

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If a Contracting Party cannot implement the Commis-
4.
sion's decisions, in full or in part, it shall report this within a
specific time limit set by the Commission on a case-by-case
basis and shall give its reasons. Each delegation may submit a
request for consultation, to which a response must be given
within two months.

may be invited to participate in Commission meetings without
having the right to vote.

5.
The Commission may decide to consult specialists repre-
senting the recognised non-governmental organisations or
other experts and invite them to its meetings.

On the basis of the reports from the Contracting Parties or of
consultations, the Commission may decide that measures will
be taken to assist the implementation of the decisions.

6.
The conditions for cooperation and those for eligibility
and participation shall be laid down in the rules of procedure
and financial regulations.

The Commission shall keep a list of

5.
its decisions
addressed to the Contracting Parties. The Contracting Parties
shall add to the list annually with updates on the progress
made in implementing the Commission's decisions, at the latest
two months before the plenary session of the Commission.

Article 12

Secretariat of the Commission

1.
The Commission shall have a permanent secretariat,
which shall carry out the tasks entrusted to it by the Commis-
sion and be headed by an executive secretary.

The Contracting Parties shall decide on the headquarters

2.
of the secretariat.

3.

The Commission shall appoint the executive secretary.

Article 13

Distribution of costs

Each Contracting Party shall bear the costs of its repre-
1.
sentation in the Commission and its working structure, and
each Contracting State shall bear the costs of the studies and
actions it carries out within its territory.

The distribution of costs relating to the annual operating
2.
budget between the Contracting Parties shall be laid down in
the Commission's rules of procedure and financial regulations.

Article 14

Cooperation with the other States, other organisations
and external experts

1.
The Commission shall cooperate with other intergovern-
mental organisations and may address recommendations to
them.

2.

The Commission may recognise as observers:

(a) States that have an interest in the work of the Commission;

(b) intergovernmental organisations whose work is related to

the Convention;

(c) non-governmental organisations,
interest or activities are relevant.

insofar as their field of

3.
The Commission shall exchange information with non-
governmental organisations insofar as their fields of interest or
activities are relevant. The Commission shall
in particular
consult such organisations before discussing decisions liable to
have an important impact on them and shall inform them as
soon as such decisions have been taken.

4.
Observers may submit to the Commission any informa-
tion or reports relevant to the aims of the Convention. They

Article 15

Working languages

The working languages of the Commission shall be German,
French and Dutch. Detailed arrangements shall be laid down in
the rules of procedure and financial regulations.

Article 16

Settlement of disputes

1.
If a dispute arises between Contracting Parties regarding
the interpretation or application of this Convention, the Parties
concerned shall seek a solution through negotiation or any
form of dispute settlement acceptable to them.

2.
If the dispute cannot be settled in this manner, it shall,
unless the Parties to the dispute decide otherwise, be submitted,
at the request of one of them, to arbitration in accordance with
the provisions of the Annex to this Convention, which shall
form an integral part thereof.

Article 17

Entry into force

Each Contracting Party will notify the Government of the Swiss
Confederation once it has completed the procedures necessary
to bring this Convention into force. The Government of the
Swiss Confederation will confirm the receipt of notifications
and also inform the other Contracting Parties. The Convention
will enter into force on the first day of the second month
following receipt of the last notification.

Article 18

Withdrawal

Three years after

1.
the
Contracting Parties may at any time withdraw from this
Convention by means of a written declaration to the Govern-
ment of the Swiss Confederation.

its entry into force, any of

2. Withdrawal from the Convention shall take effect only at
the end of the following year.

Article 19

Repeal and continued application of current law

1. With the entry into force of
notwithstanding paragraphs 2 and 3 of
following shall be repealed:

this Convention and
the
this Article,

(a) Agreement of 29 April 1963 concerning the International
Commission for the Protection of the Rhine against Pollu-
tion,

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(b) Additional Agreement of 3 December 1976 to the Agree-
ment of 29 April 1963 concerning the International
Commission for the Protection of the Rhine against Pollu-
tion,

(c) Convention of 3 December 1976 for the protection of the

Rhine against chemical pollution.

2.
Decisions, recommendations, limit values and any other
arrangements adopted on the basis of the Agreement of 29
April 1963 concerning the International Commission for the
Protection of the Rhine against Pollution, the Addition Agree-
ment of 3 December 1976 and the Convention of 3 December
1976 for the protection of the Rhine against chemical pollu-
tion shall remain applicable without any change to their legal
nature, provided the Commission does not explicitly repeal
them.

3.
The distribution of costs relating to the annual operating
budget defined in Article 12 of the Agreement of 29 April
1963 concerning the International Commission for the Protec-
tion of the Rhine against Pollution as amended by the Addi-
tional Agreement of 3 December 1976 shall remain in force
until the Commission has established a distribution in its rules
of procedure and financial regulations.

Article 20

Original and deposit

This Convention, drafted in the Dutch, French and German
languages, each of the three texts being equally authentic, is
deposited with the Government of the Swiss Confederation,
which will transmit a certified copy to each of the Contracting
Parties.

Done at Berne, 12 April 1999.

For the Governments of

the Federal Republic of Germany:

the Kingdom of the Netherlands:

the French Republic:

the Swiss Confederation:

the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg:

For the European Community:

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ANNEX

ARBITRATION

1. Unless the parties to the dispute decide otherwise, the arbitration procedure shall be conducted in accordance with the

provisions of this Annex.

2. The arbitral tribunal shall consist of three members. The claimant and the defendant shall appoint one arbitrator each;
the two arbitrators so appointed shall by common consent designate a third who shall chair the tribunal.

If the chair of the arbitral tribunal has not been appointed within two months of the appointment of the second
arbitrator, the President of the International Court of Justice shall appoint an arbitrator within two further months at
the request of the first party to act.

3. If one of the parties to the dispute has not appointed a member of the tribunal within two months of receipt of the
request provided for in Article 16 of the Convention, the other party may submit the matter to the President of the
International Court of Justice who shall appoint the chair of the arbitral tribunal within a further two months. Once
appointed, the chair shall request the party which has not yet appointed an arbitrator to do so within two months.
Upon expiry of this time limit he or she shall submit the matter to the President of the International Court of Justice
who shall make this appointment within a further two months.

4. If, in one of the cases referred to above, the President of the International Court of Justice is prevented from acting or
is a national of one of the parties to the dispute, the Vice-President of the Court or the most senior member of the
Court who is not prevented from acting and is not a national of one of the parties to the dispute shall appoint the
chair of the arbitral tribunal or an arbitrator.

5. These provisions shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the filling of posts which have become vacant.

6. The arbitral tribunal shall decide on the basis of the rules of international law and in particular on the basis of the

provisions of this Convention.

7. As regards both procedural and substantive matters, the arbitral tribunal shall decide by a majority of its members'
votes; the absence or abstention of one of the members of the tribunal appointed by the parties shall not prevent the
tribunal from reaching a decision. In the event of parity of votes, the chairman shall have the casting vote. The
decisions of the Tribunal shall be binding on the parties. Each party shall bear the costs of the arbitrator appointed by
it and shall share the other costs equally. For other matters, the arbitral tribunal shall establish its own rules of
procedure.

8. In the case of a dispute between two Contracting Parties, only one of which is a Member State of the European
Community, which is itself a Contracting Party, the other Party shall simultaneously transmit its request to that
Member State and to the Community, which shall jointly notify the party within two months following receipt of the
request whether the Member State, the Community or the Member State and the Community together are parties to
the dispute. If such notification is not given within the appointed time, both the Member State and the Community
shall be regarded as constituting one and the same party to the dispute for the purposes of applying this Annex. The
same shall obtain when the Member State and the Community are jointly a party to the dispute.

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PROTOCOL OF SIGNATURE

In signing the Convention for the Protection of the Rhine, the heads of delegation in the ICPR agree upon
the following points.

1. The following shall remain unaffected by the Convention:

(a) the Convention of 3 December 1976 for the protection of the Rhine against Pollution by Chlorides;

(b) the Exchange of letters of 29 April/13 May 1983 on the abovementioned Convention, which

exchange entered into force on 5 July 1985;

(c) the Declaration of 11 December 1986 of the heads of delegation of the Governments Party to the
Agreement of 29 April 1963 concerning the International Commission for the Protection of the
Rhine against Pollution;

(d) the Additional Protocol of 25 September 1991 on the Convention of 3 December 1976 for the

protection of the Rhine against Pollution by Chlorides;

(e) the Declaration of 25 September 1991 of the heads of delegation of the Governments Party to the
Agreement of 29 April 1963 concerning the International Commission for the Protection of the
Rhine against Pollution.

2.

‘State of the art’ and ‘best available techniques’ are synonymous expressions and, like the expression ‘best
environmental practice’, must be understood as defined in the Convention of 17 March 1992 on the
protection and use of transboundary watercourses and international lakes (Annexes I and II) and the
Convention of 22 September 1992 for the protection of the marine environment of the north-east
Atlantic (Appendix I).

3. The Commission shall continue to have its seat in Koblenz.

4. In cases of settlements of disputes between Member States of the European Community which do not
concern any other State, Article 219 of the Treaty establishing the European Community shall apply.

Done at Berne, 12 April 1999.

For the Governments of:

the Federal Republic of Germany:

the Kingdom of the Netherlands:

the French Republic:

the Swiss Confederation:

the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg:

For the European Community: