PURPOSE: to authorise Austria, Belgium and Poland to ratify or to accede to, the Budapest Convention on the Contract for the Carriage of Goods by Inland Waterways (CMNI).
NON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Decision (EU) 2015/1878 authorising the Kingdom of Belgium and the Republic of Poland, respectively, to ratify, and the Republic of Austria to accede to the Budapest Convention on the Contract for the Carriage of Goods by Inland Waterways (CMNI).
CONTENT: by this Decision, the Council hereby authorises Belgium and Poland, respectively, to ratify, and Austria to accede to the Budapest Convention on the Contract for the Carriage of Goods by Inland Waterways (CMNI).
The Budapest Convention on the Contract for the Carriage of Goods by Inland Waterways (CMNI) is a valuable instrument to promote inland navigation across Europe. It contributes to the internal market in the field of transport. It aims to harmonise contractual and inland navigational standards among European countries.
The Union is not in a position to become a Contracting Party to the Budapest Convention. The Member States which have navigable inland waterways falling within the scope of the Budapest Convention should therefore be authorised to ratify or accede to the Convention.
Eleven Member States: Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Croatia, Luxembourg, Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania and the Slovak Republic are Contracting Parties to the Budapest Convention.
Austria and Poland, which have navigable inland waterways falling within the scope of the Budapest Convention, have expressed their interest in becoming Contracting Parties to the Convention. Belgium ratified the Budapest Convention after the adoption of Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 by which the Union acquired exclusive external competence. The Council should therefore ex post authorise Belgium to ratify the Convention.
Austria and Poland have expressed their interest in becoming Contracting Parties to the Convention.
The Budapest Convention allows Contracting States to make declarations with regard to the scope of application of the Convention. Austria and Poland should make the declarations allowed under its provisions which they deem appropriate and necessary.
Denmark is not taking part in the adoption of this Decision and is not bound by it or subject to its application.
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 21.10.2015.