1761Main UN Road Transport Agreements

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Main United Nations Road Transport Agreements


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2 Main UN Road Transport Agreements

Main United Nations Road Transport Agreements and Conventionsadministered by the UNECE Inland Transport Committee

The Accession to and Implementation of these AgreementsIs of Vital Importance for EuroMed Countries

Road Transport and Road Traffic Safety

Facilitating Cross-border Transport

Transport of Dangerous Goods and Perishable Foodstuffs

Vehicle Regulations

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CONTENTS

This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union within the framework of the EuroMed Road,Rail and Urban Transport Project. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of SAFEGE, in Consortium withSYSTRA, the National Technical University of Athens, Dar Al Omran, IDOM, FIT Consulting, Land Transport Regulatory Commis-sion and LEEGO, and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.


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Out of the 58 United Nations transportagreements and conventions admin-istered by the Inland Transport Com-mittee of the United Nations Econom-ic Commission for Europe (UNECE),13 are of particular relevance to roadtransport. They address road transportand road traffic safety (4), border cross-ing facilitation (4), transport of danger-ous goods and perishable foodstuffs

(2), and vehicle regulations (3).

UN road transport agreements are un-der-explored in the EuroMed region.Having so far failed to accede to them,most EuroMed countries cannot reaptheir proven benefits. Many EuroMedcountries lack the capacity to preparefor accession, and to fully implementinternational agreements.

Addressing the vital need for EuroMedpartner countries to comply with UNlegislation, the European Union set upthe EuroMed RRU Transport Project.

UNECE and the International RoadTransport Union (IRU) have joined tostrongly advocate the UN agreementsin the EuroMed region.

MAIN UNITED NATIONS ROAD TRANSPORTAGREEMENTS AND CONVENTIONSADMINISTERED BY THE UNECE INLAND

TRANSPORT COMMITTEE

THE ACCESSION TO AND IMPLEMENTATION OFTHESE AGREEMENTS IS OF VITALIMPORTANCE FOR EUROMED COUNTRIES

3EUROMED Transport Project

These agreements:

Set the basic regulatory framework and international standardsfacilitating cross-border road transport;

Serve as models for national regulations;

Reflect 60 years of experience of international collaboration in facilitating international transport

The EuroMed RRU TransportProject has issued a concertedaction plan for all EuroMedcountries, providing:

Technical assistance and

training through dedicated

seminars;

Awareness raising through

national and regional Eu-

roMed workshops;

Study tours on good prac-

tices involving experts from

all EuroMed countries;

Ad hoc advisory missions to

EuroMed partner countries.

Palais des Nations, Geneva:

UNECE


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4 Main UN Road Transport Agreements4

The Convention on Road Traffic,

of 1968, aims at facilitating interna-tional road traffic and increasing roadsafety through the adoption of uniformroad traffic rules. The Convention setsup commonly agreed rules on all fac-tors influencing international road traf-fic and its safety, including the driverand the vehicle. Contracting Partiesmust comply and ensure compliancewith these rules. The Convention es-tablishes - without affecting the right

of a Contracting Party to make the ad-

mission of vehicles in its territory sub-ject to an applicable national law - thatContracting Parties are bound to admitto their territories in international trafficmotor vehicles and drivers that fulfil theconditions laid down in the Conventionand to recognize vehicle registrationcertificates issued by other Contract-ing Parties. In addition, the Conven-tion details the basic conditions for theadmission of vehicles and drivers in

international traffic. The Convention is

crucial for facilitating international roadtraffic, international transport and tradeas well as tourism. Contracting Partieson 31 March 2013: 72 States, of which 3EuroMed (Israel, Morocco and Tunisia).

The Convention on Road Signs

and Signals, of 1968, establishesa set of commonly agreed road signsand signals. It classifies road signs inthree categories: danger warning, reg-ulatory and informative, and providesfor each of them definitions and phys-ical appearance, including dimensions,shapes and colours, graphic symbolsand norms for ensuring their visibilityand legibility. The Convention also pre-

scribes common norms for traffic light

signals and signals for pedestrians.Moreover, the Convention prescribesuniform conditions for road markings,signs for road works and signals andgates for level crossings. ContractingParties on 31 March 2013: 62 States, ofwhich 2 EuroMed (Morocco and Tunisia).

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Road Safety Campaign

UNECE

ROAD TRANSPORT AND ROADTRAFFIC SAFETY


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The European Agreement con-

cerning the Work of Crews of

Vehicles engaged in Interna-

tional Road Transport (AETR), of

1970,aims at preventing drivers andcrews of commercial vehicles of morethan 3.5 tonnes, or transporting more

than 9 people, engaged in internation-al road transport, from driving exces-sive hours. Driver fatigue is known toincrease the risk of serious road acci-dents. Non-standardized working hoursmay create disparities in the workingconditions of professional drivers andmay impact competition betweencompanies. To this end, the AETR regu-lates the driving times and rest periodsof professional drivers. The Agreementalso defines the control devices thatare used to control those periods, and

sets up technical requirements for theconstruction, testing, installation andinspection of these devices. Additional-ly, the AETR also sets up requirementsfor the checking of driving hours bycompetent authorities. By regulatingthe driving times and rest periods ofdrivers of commercial vehicles engagedin international transport, the AETRcreates a level playing field in the roadhaulage industry and helps preventroad accidents. Contracting Parties on31 March 2013: 51 States.

At EU level, the same subject matter isgoverned by respective Council Regu-lations. The mandatory use of the digitaltachograph was introduced in the EU in2006. The AETR Agreement is not openfor accession by non-UNECE memberStates. Contracting Parties to AETR willbe discussing the possibility of amend-ing the agreement to allow accessionby all UN member States. The imple-mentation of the digital tachograph is a

considerable political challenge requir-ing advanced technical expertise, strictrules and well-functioning systems atnational and international levels. TheJoint Research Centre (JRC) safeguardsthe technical interoperability of thedigital tachographs and functions asthe European root certification author-ity for AETR countries. A number of Eu-roMed partner countries are considering

the introduction of digital tachographsin their home markets. EuroMed part-ner countries look to benefit from thewidely harmonized AETR framework;however, their challenge will be toharmonize national systems with in-ternational regulations when applyingfor accession.

The Convention on the Contract

for the International Carriage of

Goods by Road (CMR), of 1956,

facilitates international road transportby providing common conditions ap-plicable to the international road trans-port contract, including a commonconsignment note and harmonizedliability limits. The CMR fixes the con-

ditions governing the contract for theinternational carriage of goods by roadbetween the carrier and the shipperand sets the conditions of liability ofthe carrier in case of total or partial lossof goods or delays. The CMR has no di-rect implications for governments asit regulates through private law. How-ever, in order for transport operatorsto take advantage of the Convention,

it must be included in national legislation. An additional Protocol to the CMRhas entered into force to facilitate theuse of an electronic consignment note(eCMR), with, at present, 7 ContractingParties. The CMR Convention helpsto maintain fair competition betweencarriers and limits the costs of international road transport, including insurance costs. Contracting Parties on 31March 2013: 55 States, of which 5 areEuroMed (Jordan, Lebanon, MoroccoSyria and Tunisia).

The Protocol to the Convention

on the Contract for the Inter-

national Carriage of Goods by

Road, of 1978,modifies Article 23 o

the CMR Convention to introduce Special Drawing Rights (SDR) as the currency reference for the calculation ocompensation due in case of damageto the goods. Contracting Parties on 31March 2013: 41 States, of which 3 areEuroMed (Jordan, Lebanon and Tunisia)

EUROMED Transport Project 5

Tachograph by Continental and Chip cards by Chronoservices


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The Customs Convention on the

International Transport of Goodsunder Cover of TIR Carnets (TIR

Convention), of 1975, sets up theinternational Customs Transit proce-dure that permits the seamless inter-national transport of goods by roadthrough as many signing countries asnecessary without undergoing the usu-al customs procedures or the need tomake a financial deposit at each bor-der. The procedure includes the useof secure vehicles or containers thathave to be pre-approved by national

authorities according to TIR standards.The agreement furthermore provides across-border guarantee system to cov-er duties and taxes for each transportoperation. The IRU is mandated to or-ganize the international TIR guaranteesystem and to distribute TIR Carnetsthroughout the entire TIR guaranteechain. Each vehicle must carry the TIRCarnet, which certifies the validity of thecargo through the customs office of de-parture. It serves as the official guaran-

tee document. The Customs authorities

at intermediate borders acknowledgethe validity of the TIR Carnet and wouldgenerally not undertake any additionalcheck unless deemed necessary.

Access to the TIR system is rigorous-ly controlled, and misuse is punishedinstantly. TIR operations are highly ef-ficient thanks to computerization. TheUNECE TIR secretariat maintains theInternational TIR Data Bank (ITDB), aninternational repository of all author-ized users of the TIR system. It allows

all Contracting Parties to access thedatabase to check contact informationand status of TIR transporters. The IRUhas established an international con-trol system (SafeTIR) to monitor the is-suance and termination of TIR Carnetsat the customs office of destination.In addition the TIR Electronic Pre-Dec-laration (TIR-EPD) allows TIR users tosubmit electronically to Customs theirTIR data in advance of their transport a service the IRU has implemented

in partnership with national customs

authorities. A project to fully digitalizeoperations - the eTIR Project waslaunched in 2003 to fully secure elec-tronic data exchange among cus-toms administrations, and to managecross-border guarantees.

The Administrative Committee of theTIR Convention is open to all membersof the United Nations. It has been setup to facilitate efficient border crossingoperations by reducing border delaysand administrative effort by introduc-

ing an international guarantee systemin place of a multitude of national guar-antees. The result is a considerable re-duction of international transport costsand a lower administrative burden forimport-export businesses. ContractingParties on 31 March 2013: 68 Parties,including the European Union and 7 Eu-roMed (Algeria, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon,Morocco, Syria and Tunisia).

FACILITATING CROSS-BORDERTRANSPORT

UNECE - IRU IRU


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The International Convention

on the Harmonization of Fron-

tier Controls of Goods, of 1982,

is a framework Convention that facili-tates international border crossing fortransported goods through harmoni-zation and reduction of administrative

formalities, and through reducing thenumber and duration of border con-trols. The Convention establishes therecommended procedures for carryingout efficiently all types of controls thatmay be necessary at borders, includ-ing Customs controls, medico-sanitaryinspections, veterinary inspections,phytosanitary inspections, controls ofcompliance with technical standardsand quality controls. Cross-border pro-cedures call for concerted nationalcooperation among the various ser-

vices, and with the border services ofadjacent countries. The Conventionforesees measures that include jointcontrols of goods and documentsthrough the provision of shared facil-ities, same opening hours and same

types of services at shared borders.These procedures apply to all goodsbeing imported, exported or in transitand to all modes of transport. An Ad-ministrative Committee manages theConvention, which is foreseen for glob-al application. It establishes, through its

Annex 8 dedicated to road transport,the International Vehicle Weight Cer-tificate (IVWC) and the InternationalTechnical Inspection Certificate (ITIC)which contribute to facilitating borderprocedures by relying on mutual rec-ognition of certificates to avoid repet-itive border controls. The Conventionprovides for a reduction in the numberand duration of all types of controlsand best practices for efficient controlsof goods at border crossings. Thanks tothis one-stop-shop principle for border

controls, international freight operatorswill save time and money. ContractingParties on 31 March 2013: 57 Parties,including the European Union and 3 Eu-roMed (Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia).

The Customs Convention on the

Temporary Importation of Pri-

vate Road Vehicles, of 1954,andThe Customs Convention on the

Temporary Importation of Com-

mercial Road Vehicles, of 1956,facilitate the temporary admissionof vehicles from one signatory coun-try into another without payment ofimport duties and taxes. ContractingParties may prescribe that temporarilyimported private or commercial roadvehicles are covered by the Carnetde passage en douane (CPD). TheseCarnets guarantee payment of importduties and taxes of the vehicles tonational competent authorities if the

vehicle that has been temporarily ad-mitted is not re-exported. The Carnetsde passage en douane are issued byauthorized organizations or associa-tions, which guarantee the payment.

The Conventions describe in detail thefunctioning of the temporary importa-tion procedures and the documents tobe used as well as claims procedures

to be applied when the exportationof vehicles has not been carried ouwithin the time limits prescribed. TheConventions are open to all United Nations members. They introduce uniformprocedures and provide for an internationally recognized document, whichreplaces national procedures anddocuments, often different from onecountry to another. The procedure alsoavoids the operation of national guarantee systems, as all taxes and dutiesare covered. In addition, it ensures accurate filling-in by competent authorities and associations or private vehicledrivers. As a result, the Conventionshelp minimize procedures and delays

at border crossings. Contracting Parties to the Convention on Private RoadVehicles on 31 March 2013: 80 Statesincluding the European Union and 7EuroMed (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Syria and Tunisia). Contracting Parties to the Convention onCommercial Road Vehicles at 31 March2013: 41 Parties, including the European Union and 1 EuroMed (Algeria)

UNECE

UNECE


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TRANSPORT OF DANGEROUS GOODSAND PERISHABLE FOODSTUFFS

The European Agreement con-

cerning the International Car-riage of Dangerous Goods by

Road (ADR), of 1957, aims at en-suring the highest possible level ofsafety for dangerous goods transportat an acceptable cost. It defines whichdangerous substances are eligible forinternational transport and which arenot. For the former, the ADR establish-es the conditions under which they canbe carried.

Specific types of danger are defined

(explosives, flammable liquids, flamma-ble gases, corrosive substances, etc.)as well as packing conditions, labelling,marking, placarding, documentationand special requirements for tanks. TheADR provides requirements for trans-port operations, driver training as wellas vehicle construction and approv-al. Security provisions have recentlybeen included. The Annexes to the ADRare usually amended every two years.

While obliging Contracting Parties to

accept vehicles coming from otherParties if they comply with the ADR,the Agreement preserves the right ofContracting Parties to prohibit, for rea-sons other than safety during carriage,the entry of dangerous goods into theirterritory. Contracting Parties also re-tain the right to arrange less stringentconditions of international transport ontheir territories through special bilater-al or multilateral agreements.

The ADR is open for accession to all

United Nations Member States. Acces-sion has no financial implications forcountries. However, for exporting coun-tries, it imposes administrative struc-tures for testing and approval of pack-agings, tanks and vehicles, for driversand dangerous goods safety advisertraining and for issuing the correspond-ing certificates. Being harmonized withthe United Nations Model Regulationsthat serve as a basis for all modes of

transport and most national regula-

tions at worldwide level, the ADR alsofacilitates compliance, enforcementand control. Annexes A and B are alsoused for regulating domestic traffic inEU countries. Contracting Parties on31 March 2013: 48 States, of which 2EuroMed (Morocco and Tunisia).


UNECE


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The Protocol amending arti-

cle 1(a), article 14 (1) and ar-

ticle 14(3)(b) of ADR, of 1993,simplifies the procedures for amend-ing the annexes to the ADR and har-monizes the definition of the termvehicle with the definition used invarious EC directives. ContractingParties on 31 March 2013: 33 States.

The Agreement on the Interna-

tional Carriage of Perishable

Foodstuffs and on the SpecialEquipment to be Used for such

Carriage (ATP), of 1970,establish-es uniform prescriptions for the pres-ervation of the quality of perishablefoodstuffs for international transport. Itdefines uniform norms and standardsfor the special transport equipmentrequired, and sets up uniform distin-guishing marks to be affixed to the spe-

cially equipped vehicles. Among others,it specifies temperature conditions forfrozen and chilled foodstuffs. The con-formity of the equipment is displayedthrough an international certificate andan ATP plate affixed to the vehicle facil-itating easy identification of ATP trans-port and mutual recognition and avoid-ing repetitive controls. ContractingParties on 31 March 2013: 48 States, ofwhich 2 EuroMed (Morocco and Tunisia).



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The Agreement concerning the

Adoption of Uniform Technical

Prescriptions for Wheeled Vehi-

cles, Equipment and Parts whichcan be fitted and/or be used on

Wheeled Vehicles and the Con-

ditions for Reciprocal Recogni-

tion of Approvals granted on the

basis of these Prescriptions, of

1958, provides the legal frameworkfor the development of the safety andemission regulations for all types of

motor vehicles manufactured in Eu-rope and in many other parts of theworld. The legal document comprises

131 United Nations Regulations andhas contributed considerably to techni-cal progress, increased vehicle safety,and drastically reduced vehicle emis-sions. Contracting Parties on 31 March2013: 48 States, including the EuropeanUnion and 2 EuroMed (Egypt and Tunisia).


Establishing of Global Technical

Regulations for Wheeled Vehi-

cles, Equipment and Parts whichcan be fitted and/or be used on

Wheeled Vehicles, of 1998, pro-vides the framework for the develop-ment of global technical regulationsfor vehicles. 12 UN Global TechnicalRegulations have already been adopt-ed. Contracting Parties on 31 March2013: 33 Parties, including the Euro-pean Union and 1 EuroMed (Tunisia).


Adoption of Uniform Conditions

for Periodical Technical Inspec-

tions of Wheeled Vehicles andthe Reciprocal Recognition of

such Inspections, of 1997providesthe legal framework for the technical in-spections of vehicles. It has annexed toit 2 UN Rules, which are aimed at main-taining safety all through a vehicles life-cycle. The agreement has proved to beespecially useful in countries that so farhave not managed to set up a national

periodical technical inspection systemfor registered vehicles. ContractingParties on 31 March 2013: 12 States

and 17 signatories pending ratification.

VEHICLE REGULATIONS

Main UN Road Transport Agreements10


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20

30

0

50

60

70

80

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1970 197 1977 1978 1981 1989 1992 1996 2000 2005 2011

Evolu&on of Emission Limits pf Passenger Cars

Accession to and implementa-

tion of UN vehicle regulations is

of equal importance to car and

non-car producing countries

as through them they ensure vehiclesafety, environmental protection andenergy efficiency. The Agreements onthe construction of vehicles (1958 and1998 Agreements) in particular providebusiness opportunities for vehicle andvehicle part manufacturers due to themutual recognition principle of thetype-approvals granted in the frame-work of the 1958 Agreement.


EmmissionsLevel(%)

EmmissionsLevel

(%)

UNECE Regulations

Most United Nations Conventions and Agreements are open to all

United Nations Member States. Thus, unless specified otherwise, anyUnited Nations Member State may deposit with the Secretary-Gen-eral an instrument of accession, acceptance or approval to become

a Contracting Party to any of these Conventions or Agreements, in-dicating its intention to implement the provisions of the Convention

or Agreement. Becoming a Contracting Party does not involve anyfinancial obligation or fee.

15.00 15.01 15.02 15.03 15.04

CO HC NOx Parculates

83.00 83.01 83.03 83.05 83.05 83.06

Evoluon of Emission Limits of Passenger Car

Evoluon of Emission Limits of Trucks

UNECE Regulations


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