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Law No. 24 Of 23 February 2006 On The Ratification Of Instruments Adopted By The Universal Postal Union Congress In Bucharest On 5 October 2004

Original Language Title:  LEGE nr. 24 din 23 februarie 2006 privind ratificarea actelor adoptate de Congresul Uniunii Poştale Universale la Bucureşti la 5 octombrie 2004

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LEGE no. 24 24 of 23 February 2006 on the ratification of the acts adopted by the Congress of the Universal Postal Union in Bucharest on 5 October 2004
ISSUER PARLIAMENT
Published in OFFICIAL MONITOR no. 277 277 of 28 March 2006



The Romanian Parliament adopts this law + Article 1 The seventh Additional Protocol to the Constitution of the Universal Postal Union, adopted by the Congress of the Universal Postal Union in Bucharest on October 5, 2004, set out in Annex no. 1. + Article 2 The Universal Postal Convention and its final protocol, adopted by the Congress of the Universal Postal Union in Bucharest on October 5, 2004, set out in Annex no. 2. + Article 3 The Internal Rules of Congress, adopted by the Congress of the Universal Postal Union in Bucharest on October 5, 2004, set out in Annex no. 3. + Article 4 The General Regulation of the Universal Postal Union is ratified, adopted by the Congress of the Universal Postal Union in Bucharest on October 5, 2004, set out in Annex no. 4. + Article 5 The Agreement on payment services of the post, adopted by the Congress of the Universal Postal Union in Bucharest on October 5, 2004, as set out in Annex no. 5. + Article 6 The following documents will be adopted by order of the Minister of Communications and Information Technology: -The letter post regulation and its final protocol; -The rules on postal parcels and its final protocol; -The post payment service regulation. + Article 7 Annexes no. 1-5 are an integral part of this law. This law was adopted by the Romanian Parliament, in compliance with the provisions of art. 75 75 and art. 76 76 para. (2) of the Romanian Constitution, republished. CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES PRESIDENT ADRIAN NASTASE p. SENATE PRESIDENT, DORU IOAN TARACILA Bucharest, February 23, 2006. No. 24. NOTE: The bold characters in the text mark the changes decided at the Congress in Bucharest compared to the text submitted to him for approval during the Congress Doc. 30 attachment 1 and Congress Doc. 30 attachment 1, correction 1 + Annex 1 SEVENTH ADDITIONAL PROTOCOL to the Constitution of the Universal Postal Union *) ______ Note * *) Translation. Plenipotentiaries of the governments of the member states of the Universal Postal Union, gathered in Bucharest, based on art. 30.2 of the Constitution of the Universal Postal Union, signed in Vienna on July 1, 1964, adopted, subject to ratification, the following amendments to this Constitution. + Article I ((modified preamble) In order to develop communication between peoples through an efficient functioning of postal services and to contribute to the achievement of the noble goals of international collaboration in the economic, social and cultural field, plenipotentiaries The governments of the Member States of the Universal Postal Union have adopted, subject to ratification, the following Constitution. The Union's mission is to stimulate the sustainable development of quality, efficient and accessible universal postal services in order to facilitate communication between the inhabitants of the whole world by: -guaranteeing the free movement of postal items in the single postal territory, composed of interconnected networks; -encouraging the adoption of reasonable common rules and the use of technology; -ensuring cooperation and interaction between participants; -promoting effective technical cooperation; -meeting the evolving needs of consumers. + Article II ((Article 1 bis added) Definitions 1. For the purpose of the acts of the Universal Postal Union, the following terms are defined as follows: 1.1. postal service: all postal services whose purpose is fixed by the Union bodies. The main obligations of postal services are to fulfil certain social and economic objectives of the Member States by ensuring the collection, sorting, transmission and delivery of postal items; 1.2. Member State: a State which satisfies the conditions referred to in art. 2 of the Constitution; 1.3. single postal territory (one and the same postal territory): Obligation of the signatory parties of the UPU acts to ensure reciprocal exchange of mail mail items, including freedom of transit, and to treat postal items in transit from other states according to their own postal items, without discrimination; 1.4. freedom of transit: principle according to which an intermediate postal administration is obliged to carry postal items received in transit from another UPU postal administration, providing them with a similar treatment to that granted. internal references; 1.5. sending of the letter of letters: references defined in the Convention; 1.6. international postal service: postal operations or services covered by acts; part of these operations or services. + Article III ((Article 22 amended) Union acts 1. The Constitution is the Union's Fundamental Act. It shall contain the organic rules of the Union and shall not be subject to reserves. 2. The General Regulation contains the provisions ensuring the application of the Constitution and the functioning It is mandatory for all Member States and will not be subject to reserves. 3. The Universal Postal Convention, the Letter of Letters Regulation and the Postal Parcel Regulation contain the common rules applicable to the international postal service, as well as the provisions relating to mail mail services and Postal packages. These acts are binding on all Member States. 4 the arrangements of the Union and their implementing regulations shall govern the services, other than mail of letters and parcels, between the Member States which are party to those arrangements. They are only binding on these states. 5. Regulations containing the implementing measures necessary for the implementation of the Convention and Arrangements shall be adopted by the Postal Service Council, taking into account the decisions taken by the Congress. 6. Any final protocols annexed to the acts of the Union, referred to in paragraphs 3, 4 and 5, shall contain the reservations to these acts. + Article IV ((Article 30 amended) Amending Constitution 1. In order to be adopted, the proposals submitted to Congress and relating to this Constitution must be approved by at least two thirds of the number of Member States of the Union with the right to vote. 2. Amendments adopted by a congress shall be subject to an additional protocol and, unless the Congress decides otherwise, shall enter into force at the same time as the renewed acts on the occasion of the same congress. They shall be ratified as soon as possible by the Member States and the instruments of such ratification shall be dealt with in accordance with the procedures referred to in 26. + Article V ((Article 31 amended) Amendment of the General Regulation, Convention and Arrangements 1. The General Regulation, the Convention and the Arrangements fix the conditions to be fulfilled for the approval of their proposals. 2. The Convention and the Arrangements shall enter into force simultaneously and have the same From the day fixed by the Congress for the implementation of these acts, the corresponding acts of the previous Congress are repealed. + Article VI Accession to the Additional Protocol and to the other Union acts 1. Member States which have not signed this Protocol may accede at any time. 2. The member countries that appear as parties in the framework of the renewed acts by the Congress, but who have not signed them, are obliged to join as soon as possible. 3 3. The accession documents relating to the cases referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be addressed to the Director-General of the International Office. It shall notify the Member States ' governments. + Article VII Application and duration of the Additional Protocol to the Constitution of the Universal Postal Union This Additional Protocol will enter into force on 1 January 2006 and will remain in force for an indefinite period. Which is why the plenipotentiation of the governments of the member countries drafted this additional protocol, a protocol that will have the same force and value as if its provisions were introduced in the text of the same constitution, and signed the present Additional protocol in a single original copy to be submitted to the Director-General of the International Bureau. A copy will be released to each party by the International Office of the Universal Postal Union. Done at Bucharest on 5 October 2004. + Annex 2 UNIVERSAL POSTAL CONVENTION * *) _________ Note * *) Translation. Undersigned, plenipotentiaries of the governments of the Member States of the Union, in accordance with 22.3 of the Constitution of the Universal Postal Union, adopted in Vienna on July 10, 1964, decided, by mutual agreement and subject to art. 25.4 of the Constitution mentioned above, in this Convention, the rules applicable to the international postal service. + Part I Common rules for the international postal service CHAPTER ONE General provisions + Article 1 Definitions 1. For the purposes of the Universal Postal Convention, the following terms are defined as follows: 1.1. universal postal service: permanent provision to customers of postal services on a quality basis, at any point in the territory of a country, at affordable prices; 1.2. closed depesa: bag or assembly of bags or other containers labelled, sealed with lead or cassettes, containing postal items; 1.3. open transit: transit, through an intermediate country, of consignments whose number or weight does not justify the making of a closed care for the country of destination; 1.4. postal reference: generic term designating each of the expeditions carried out by the post (sending mail mail, postal parcel, postal order, etc.); 1.5. final duties: remuneration due to the postal administration of destination by the sending postal administration as compensation for the expenses related to the processing of the mail items received in the country of destination; 1.6. transit fees: remuneration for benefits carried out by a carrier body of the transited country (postal administration, other service or combination of the two) on territorial, maritime and/or air transit; 1.7. the territorial part of arrival: remuneration due to the postal administration of destination by the sending postal administration, as compensation for the costs of processing a postal parcel in the country of destination; 1.8. Territorial transit share: remuneration due for benefits by a carrier body in the transited country (postal administration, another service or combination of the two) on territorial, maritime and/or air transit, for the guidance of a postal parcel on its territory; 1.9. Maritime share: remuneration due for benefits carried out by a carrier body (postal administration, other service or combination of the two) participating in the shipping of a postal parcel. + Article 2 Designation of the entity or entities responsible for fulfilling the obligations resulting from the accession to the Convention 1. Member States shall notify the International Office, within 6 months after the end of the Congress, the name and address of the government body responsible for supervising the postal activity. In addition, within 6 months from the end of the Congress, the Member States will communicate to the International Office the name and address of the official operator or operators appointed to ensure the operation of postal services and to meet on its in their territories the obligations resulting from Union acts. Between two congresses, any amendment relating to government bodies and officially designated operators must be notified to the International Bureau as soon as possible. + Article 3 Universal postal service 1. In order to strengthen the concept of uniqueness of the postal territory of the Union, Member States shall ensure that all users/customers enjoy the right to a universal postal service corresponding to a quality basic postal service offering, provided on a permanent basis at any point in their territory, at affordable rates. 2. To that end, Member States shall determine, within the framework of their national postal legislation or by other common means, the size of the corresponding postal services and the quality conditions and affordable rates, while taking into account the needs of the population and their national conditions. 3. Member States shall ensure that the offer of postal services and the quality rules are complied with by the operators responsible for ensuring the universal postal service. 4. Member States shall ensure that the provision of the universal postal service is ensured in a viable manner, thereby guaranteeing its continuity. + Article 4 Freedom of transit 1. The principle of freedom of transit is stated in the first article of the Constitution. He trains the obligation, for each postal administration, to always guide, in the fastest ways and by the most secure means he uses for his own references, the closed depesses and the references of the letter mail in transit. open that are handed over to him by another postal administration. This principle also applies to misguided submissions or depesses. 2. Member States which do not participate in the exchange of letters containing perishable biological matter or radioactive material may not admit such references in open transit on their territory. The same applies to mail mail items, other than letters, postcards and cecograms. It also applies to imprimates, periodicals, magazines, small packages and M bags whose content does not meet the legal provisions governing the conditions of their publication or movement in the cross country. 3. The transit freedom of postal parcels to be guided by land and sea routes is limited within the territory of the countries participating in this service. 4. The transit freedom of the aeroplane-parcels shall be guaranteed throughout the Union. However, Member States which do not participate in the postal parcel service may not be obliged to provide, by way of surface, the aeroplane-parcels. 5. If a Member State does not comply with the provisions on freedom of transit, the other Member States shall have the right to suppress the postal service with that country. + Article 5 Membership of postal items. Retreat. Amendment or correction of the address. Redispatch. Return to sender of items not distributed 1 1. Any postal reference belongs to the sender as long as it has not been distributed to the one in law, unless the sending has been retained by application of the legislation of the country of origin or destination and, in the case of application of 15.2.1.1 or 15.3, in accordance with the transit country's legislation. 2. The forwarder of a postal item may withdraw it from the service or may modify or correct the address. The fees and other conditions are provided in the regulations. 3. Member States shall ensure that postal items are redirected, if the address of the consignee has changed, and the return to the sender of the references that have not been distributed. The fees and other conditions are provided in the regulations. + Article 6 Taxes 1. The fees relating to the various international postal services and special services are fixed by the postal administrations, in accordance with the principles stated in the Convention and in the Regulations. They must, in principle, be linked to the costs of providing these services. 2. The home administration shall fix the brake charges for the transport of mail mail items and postal parcels. The braking fees shall include the distribution of references to the recipients ' domicile, if this distribution service is organised in the country of destination for the references of which it is concerned. 3. The fees applied, including those mentioned as indicative in the acts, must be at least equal to those applied to the references in the internal regime that present the same characteristics (category, quantity, time of guidance, etc.). 4. Postal administrations shall be authorized to exceed all indicative fees that appear in the acts. 5 5. Above the minimum limit of the fees fixed in paragraph 3, the postal administrations have the possibility to grant reduced taxes, based on their domestic law, for the references in the category of letter mail and for the postal parcels deposited in their country. They have especially given the opportunity to give preferential tariffs to their customers who have an important postal traffic. 6. It is forbidden to charge from customers postal charges no matter what nature, other than those that are provided in the acts. 7. In addition to the cases provided for in the acts, each postal administration shall keep the fees it has charged. + Article 7 Exemption from postal charges 1. Principle 1.1. The cases of exemption from postal charges, as exemption from the payment of the franchisees, are expressly provided by the Convention. However, the Regulations may fix provisions providing for both the exemption from the payment of the franchisee and the exemption from the payment of transit fees, terminal charges and arrival-parts for mail and parcel mail items. postal services, related to postal services, sent by postal administrations and restricted unions. In addition, mail mail and parcel mail items shipped by the UPU International Office bound for restricted unions and postal administrations are considered as references relating to the postal service and are exempt from postal services. all postal charges. However, the home administration has the possibility to charge air surcharges for these last references. 2. Prisoners of War and Civilian Admissions 2.1. They are exempt from all postal charges, except air surcharges, letter mail items, postal parcels and postal financial services sent to prisoners of war or dispatched by them, either directly or through the mail. the offices mentioned in the Regulations of the Convention and the Agreement on Payment Services of the Post. The belligerents received and the internees in a neutral country are assimilated to the prisoners of war proper as regards the application of the preceding provisions. 2.2. Provisions set out in point 2.1 applies also to the sending of mail mail, postal parcels and postal financial services sent from other countries, addressed to the civil persons admitted by the Geneva Convention dated 12 August 1949 relating to to the protection of civil persons in time of war or dispatched by them either directly or through the offices mentioned in the Regulations of the Convention and Arrangement on the payment services of the mail. 2.3. The offices mentioned in the Regulations of the Convention and Arrangement on Post Payment Services also benefit from postal tax relief for mail mail items, postal parcels and postal financial services items in the mail. as regards the persons referred to in paragraphs 2.1 and 2.2, which they send or receive, either directly or by way of intermediaries. 2.4. Parcels are admitted with exemption from postal charges up to the weight of 5 kg. The weight limit is extended to 10 kg for references the content of which is indivisible and for those that are addressed to a camp or its trusted people to be distributed to prisoners. 2.5. In the framework of the regulation of the accounts between the postal administrations, the service parcels and parcels for prisoners of war and civil admissions do not determine the allocation of any quota-parties, except for the transport fees applicable to the plane-flights. 3. Cecograms 3.1. The cecograms are exempt from all postal charges except air surcharges. + Article 8 Postage stamps 1. The term "postage stamp" is protected by virtue of this Convention and is reserved exclusively for stamps that meet the conditions of this article and regulations. 2. The postage stamp: 2.1. is issued exclusively by a competent issuing authority, in accordance with the UPU acts; the issuance of postage stamps also includes their putting into circulation; 2.2. is an attribute of sovereignty and constitutes: 2.2.1. a proof of the payment of the franchisee corresponding to its intrinsic value, when it is affixed to a postal reference in accordance with the 2.2.2. a source of additional revenue for postal administrations, as a philatelic object; 2.3. must be put into circulation on the territory of origin of the issuing postal administration for a use for the purpose of postal or philatelic purposes. 3. As an attribute of sovereignty, the postage stamp may contain: 3.1. the name of the Member State or territory to which the issuing postal administration belongs, in Latin characters; 3.1.1. optional, the official coat of arms of the Member State to which the issuing postal administration belongs; 3.1.2. in principle, its facial value in Latin characters or in Arabic numerals; 3.1.3. optional, the word "Posta" in Latin characters or others. 4. Stems of state, official control signs and emblems of intergovernmental organizations that appear on postage stamps are protected under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Intellectual Property. 5. The subjects and reasons of postage stamps shall: 5.1. to be in conformity and in the spirit of the preamble of the UPU Constitution and the decisions taken by the Union bodies; 5.2. be closely related to the cultural identity of the country of the issuing postal administration or to contribute to the promotion of culture or to the maintenance of peace; 5.3. to have, in case of commemoration of foreign personalities or events in the country or on the territory of the issuing postal administration, a direct connection with that country or territory; 5.4. be free of political or offensive character for a personality or a country; 5.5. have a major significance for the country to which the issuing postal administration belongs or for the latter. 6. As the subject of intellectual property right the postage stamp may contain: 6.1. indication of the right of the issuing postal administration to use the respective property rights, for example: 6.1.1. copyright, by applying the copyright logo, [logo], indication of the copyright owner and mention of the issuing year; 6.1.2. the trademark registered in the territory of the Member State to which the issuing postal administration belongs, by applying the trademark registration logo [mark] by the name of the trade mark; 6.2. artist's name; 6.3. the printer's name. 7. The marks of the postal franchisee, the fingerprints of the braking machines and the fingerprints of the printing presses or other printing or stamp procedures in accordance with the UPU acts can only be used with the authorization of the postal administration. + Article 9 Postal Security 1. Member States shall adopt and implement an action strategy in the field of security at all levels of postal exploitation in order to preserve and increase public confidence in postal services and in the interests of all involved agents. Such a strategy will have to involve the exchange of information on maintaining the safety and security of transport and transit between Member States. + Article 10 Environment Member States must adopt and implement a dynamic environmental strategy at all levels of postal exploitation and promote awareness of environmental issues in postal services. + Article 11 Offences 1. Postal references 1.1. Member States shall undertake to take all necessary measures to prevent acts below and to prosecute and punish their authors: 1.1.1. introduction in postal items of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances or explosive materials, flammable or other dangerous substances, expressly authorized by the Convention; 1.1.2. insertion in the postal items of paedophile or pornographic objects representing children. 2 2. Franching in general and the ways of braking in particular 2.1. Member States shall undertake to take all necessary measures to prevent, repress and punish the offences relating to the braking modes provided for in this Convention: 2.1.1. postage stamps, in circulation or withdrawn from circulation; 2.1.2. the brake marks; 2.1.3. fingerprints of brake machines or printing presses; 2.1.4. International-response couplers. 2.2. For the purposes of this Convention, by offence relating to the means of braking is understood one of the acts below, committed with the intention of obtaining an illegal gain for the author of the act or for a third person. Must be punished: 2.2.1. falsification, imitation or counterfeiting of the means of braking or any other unlawful act or constituting a crime related to their unauthorised manufacture; 2.2.2. the use, circulation, marketing, distribution, dissemination, transport, presentation or display, including for advertising purposes, of falsified, imitated or counterfeit means of braking; 2.2.3. the use or putting into circulation for postal purposes of means of braking already used; 2.2.4. attempts aimed at committing one of the offences presented above. 3. Reciprocity 3.1. With regard to sanctions, no distinction shall be made between the acts referred to in paragraph 2, whether national or foreign means of braking; this provision may not be subject to any conditions of reciprocity. legal or conventional. + Part II Rules applicable to mail mail and postal parcels + Chapter I Service offer + Article 12 Basic services 1. Member States shall ensure the admission, processing, transport and distribution of mail items. 2. The letters of the letter of letters shall include: 2.1. Priority and non-priority references, up to 2 kg; 2.2. letters, postcards, printed and small packages, up to 2 kg; 2.3. cecograms, up to 7 kg; 2.4. special bags containing newspapers, periodicals, books and similar printed documents, on the address of the same recipient and the same destination, referred to as "bags M", up to 30 kg. 3. The letters of the letter mail are classified according to the speed of their processing or according to their content, according to the letter of the letter post. 4. Limits of weight superior to those indicated in paragraph 2 shall apply to certain categories of letters of letter mail, under the conditions specified by the Letter of Letters Regulation. 5. Member States shall also ensure the admission, processing, transport and distribution of postal parcels up to 20 kg, either in accordance with the provisions of the Convention or, in the case of parcels which they ship, and after a bilateral agreement, using any other means advantageous for their client. 6. The upper weight limit of 20 kg applies to certain categories of postal parcels, under the conditions specified by the Postal parcels Regulation. 7. Any state whose postal administrations do not provide the parcel transport service has the freedom to execute the clauses of the Convention using transport undertakings. At the same time it can limit this service to the parcels that come or that are intended for the localities served by these enterprises. 8. By way of derogation from the provisions referred to in paragraph 5, the countries which, before 1 January 2001, were not part of the Agreement on postal parcels shall not be obliged to provide the postal parcel service. + Article 13 Additional services 1. Member States shall ensure the following mandatory additional services: 1.1. recommendation service for the aeroplane-trims and the priority references it sends to the letter post; 1.2. recommendation service for the references of the post of nonpriority and surface letters to destinations for which no priority service or courier-avion; 1.3. recommendation service for all mail mail items arriving. 2. Provide a recommendation service for the nonpriority and surface references of the letter mail to destinations for which a priority service or courier par plane is insured is optional. 3. Member States may provide the following optional additional services in relations between those administrations which have agreed to provide these services: 3.1. the service of references with declared value for the sending of mail and parcels; 3.2. the service of sending with guaranteed surrender for the mail items; 3.3. the service of sending with payment upon receipt for the items of mail and parcels; 3.4. express reference service for mail and parcel mail items; 3.5. the teaching service to the recipient for the references of the post of recommended letters, with guaranteed or declared value teaching; 3.6. service of duty-free references and rights for mail and parcel mail items; 3.7. Fragile parcel service and bulky parcels; 3.8. the service in the "submission" lot for the consignments grouped from a single consignor, intended for the foreigner. 4. The following three additional services also have mandatory and optional aspects: 4.1. commercial correspondence service-international response (C.C.R.I.), which is, in particular, optional; but all administrations are obliged to provide the return service for CCRI references; 4.2. the international response-response service; these coupons may be exchanged in any Member State, but their sale shall be optional; 4.3. acknowledgement of receipt for the references of the post of letters recommended or with attested delivery, for parcels and items of declared value; all postal administrations accept the acknowledgments of receipt for the sending submissions; however, the provision of a receipt confirmation service for departing submissions is optional. 5. These services and corresponding fees are described in the regulations. 6. If the service elements indicated below are subject to special taxes in the internal regime, the postal administrations shall be authorized to charge the same fees for international references, under the conditions described in the regulations: 6.1. distribution of small packages weighing over 500 g; 6.2. submission of mail mail items after the last hour limit; 6.3. submission of references outside the normal opening hours of the counters; 6.4. collection at the sender's 6.5. withdrawal of a letter of mail outside the normal opening hours of the counters; 6.6. post arrears; 6.7. the storage of mail mail items weighing more than 500 g and postal parcels; 6.8. delivery of parcels in response to the notice of arrival; 6.9. insurance against the risks of force majeure. + Article 14 Electronic courier, EMS, integrated logistics and new services 1. Postal administrations may agree with each other to participate in the following services, which are described in the regulations: 1.1. electronic courier, which is a service involving the electronic transmission of messages; 1.2. EMS, which is an express postal service for documents and goods and which constitutes, as far as possible, the fastest of postal services by physical means; postal administrations have the possibility to provide this service on the basis of the multilateral EMS Standard Agreement or on the basis of 1.3. the integrated logistics service, which fully meets the needs of the customers in terms of logistics and includes the steps that precede and follow the physical transmission of goods and documents; 1.4. electronic mail mark, which evidently attest to the reality of an electronic fact, in a given form, at a time, and to which one or more parts took part. 2. Postal administrations may, in agreement, create a new service, which is not expressly provided for in Union acts. The fees relating to the new service shall be determined by each administration concerned, taking into account the operating costs of the service. + Article 15 Unadmitted references. Prohibitions 1. General provisions 1.1. References that do not meet the conditions required by the Convention and Regulations shall not be permitted. Also, references sent for a fraudulent act or with the intention of not fully paying the amounts due are not admitted. 1.2. Exceptions to the prohibitions announced by this Article are provided for in the Regulations. 1.3. All postal administrations have the possibility to extend the prohibitions set out in this Article, which can be applied immediately after their inclusion in the collection of appropriate acts. 2. Prohibition targeting all categories of references 2.1. The introduction of the objects mentioned below is prohibited in all categories of references: 2.1.1. narcotic drugs and substances; 2.1.2. obscene or immoral objects; 2.1.3. objects whose import or circulation is prohibited in the country of destination; 2.1.4. objects which, by their nature or packaging, may present danger to agents or the general public, may stain or damage the other references, postal equipment or goods belonging to third parties; 2.1.5. the documents of current and personal correspondence exchanged between persons, other than the sender and the consignee or persons living with them. 3. Explosive, flammable or radioactive materials and other hazardous substances 3.1. The introduction of explosive, flammable or radioactive materials and other hazardous substances, as well as radioactive material, is prohibited in all categories of references. 3.2. Exceptionally, the following substances and materials are admitted: 3.2.1. the radioactive materials dispatched in the mail items and postal parcels referred to in art. 16.1 16.1; 3.2.2. biological substances consigned in the references of the letter of letters referred to in art. 16.2. 4. Live animals 4.1. The introduction of live animals is prohibited in all categories of references. 4.2. Exceptionally, the animals below shall be admitted in the mail items, other than references with a declared value: 4.2.1. bees, leeches and silkworms; 4.2.2. harmful insect parasites and destroyers, intended for the control of these insects and the exchange between officially recognized institutions; 4.2.3. flies from the Drosophilidae family used for biomedical research and exchanged between officially recognized institutions. 4.3. Exceptionally, the following animals will be admitted into parcels: 4.3.1. live animals whose mail transport is authorised by the postal regulations of the interested countries. 5. Introduction of correspondence in parcels: 5.1. The introduction of the objects mentioned below is prohibited in the postal packages: 5.1.1. the documents of current and personal correspondence; 5.1.2. correspondence of any nature exchanged between persons other than the sender and the consignee or persons living with them. 6. Coins, bank checks and other valuables 6.1. It is forbidden to introduce coins, bank cheques, banknotes or bearer values, travel cheques, platinum, gold or silver, processed or not, precious stones, jewelry and other precious objects; 6.1.1. in the sending of letters of letters without declared value; 6.1.1.1. However, if the domestic law of the country of origin and destination permits, these objects may be consigned in an enclosed envelope as recommended references; 6.1.2. in parcels without declared value, unless the domestic legislation of the countries of origin and destination permits; 6.1.3. in parcels without declared value exchanged between two countries which admit the declaration of value; 6.1.3.1. in addition, each administration has the right to prohibit the introduction of gold bars in parcels with or without declared value, originating from or having as their destination the territory or being transmitted in transit through its territory; it may limit the actual value of these references. 7. Impressed and cecograms 7.1. Imprimates and cecograms: 7.1.1. may not bear any annotation nor contain any element of correspondence; 7.1.2. may not contain any postage stamp, no braking formula, obliterate or not, no paper representing a value, except where the sending includes a postcard, an envelope or a pre-franchised band for its return and which it is the address of the sender or his agent in the country of submission or destination of the original sending is printed. 8. Processing of inadvertently admitted references 8.1. The processing of inadvertently admitted references is provided for in However, references containing the objects referred to in paragraphs 2.1.1, 2.1.2 and 3.1 shall in no case be guided to the destination, nor distributed to the recipients, nor returned to their origin. If the objects referred to in paragraphs 2.1.1 and 3.1 are discovered between the consignments in transit, the latter shall be processed in accordance with the national legislation of the country of transit. + Article 16 Radioactive materials and biological materials admitted 1. Radioactive materials are admitted in the mail letter submissions and postal parcels within the relations between the postal administrations that have declared themselves agreed to the admission of these references either in their mutual relations or in a the following conditions: 1.1. the radioactive materials are conditioned and packaged in accordance with the respective provisions of the regulations; 1.2. when dispatched in the mail mail items, they shall be subject to the tariff of priority references or to the letter and recommendation tariff; 1.3. the radioactive materials contained in the letter mail or postal parcels shall be guided by the fastest route, normally by air, subject to the payment of the corresponding air surcharges; 1.4.1. radioactive materials may only be submitted by duly authorised consignors. 2. Biological materials shall be admitted to the letter of mail under the following conditions: 2.1. Perishable biological materials, infectious substances and solid carbonic gas (dry snow), when used to freeze infectious substances, can only be sent by courier within the exchanges between qualified, officially recognised laboratories. These dangerous goods can be accepted by courier in order to send them airplane hair, provided that the national legislation, the technical instructions in force of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the IATA regulations on to dangerous goods to allow this; 2.2. Perishable biological materials and infectious substances conditioned and packaged according to the respective provisions of the Regulation are subject to the tariff of priority references or letter and recommendation tariff. It is allowed to submit to the postal treatment of these references, with the payment of a surcharge; 2.3. the admission of perishable biological materials and infectious substances shall be limited to the Member States whose postal administrations have agreed to accept these references either in their mutual relations or in a single sense; 2.4. these substances or materials are sent on the fastest route, normally by air, subject to the payment of the corresponding air surcharges and benefiting from priority to distribution. + Article 17 Complaints 1. Each postal administration is required to accept complaints relating to a referral filed in its service or within another postal administration, provided that these complaints are presented within a period of 6 months beginning. with day two from the date of submission of the sending. The 6-month period concerns relations between claimants and postal administrations and does not include the transmission of complaints between postal administrations. 1.1. However, the acceptance of complaints regarding the non-receipt of a post of simple letter mail is not compulsory. Thus, postal administrations that accept complaints regarding the non-receipt of a letter of simple letter mail have the right to limit their inquiries in the framework of research on the rebuttal service. 2. Complaints are admitted under the conditions provided by the regulations. 3. The complaint's processing is free of charge. However, the additional costs incurred by an application for transmission through the EMS service are, in principle, the responsibility of the applicant. + Article 18 Customs control. Customs duties and other rights 1. The postal administration of the country of origin and that of the country of destination are authorized to submit the references of customs control, according to the legislation of these countries. 2 2. Submissions subject to customs control may be subject, by way of post, to a customs presentation fee whose indicative value is fixed by regulations. This fee shall be charged only with the title of presentation to customs and customs clearance of references which have been subject to customs duties or to any other right of the same nature. 3. Postal administrations that have obtained authorization to carry out customs clearance on behalf of their customers are authorized to charge from them a fee based on the actual costs of the operation. 4. Postal administrations shall be authorized to charge from consignors or recipients of references, as the case may be, customs duties and any other possible rights. + Article 19 Exchange of care closed with military units 1. The closed letters of the letter post may be exchanged through the territorial, maritime or air services of other countries: 1.1. between the post offices of one of the Member States and the commanders of the military units provided to the United Nations; 1.2. between the commanders of these military units; 1.3. between the post offices of one of the Member States and the commanders of the naval, air or land divisions, warships or military aircraft of the same country, stationed abroad; 1.4. between the commanders of naval, air or land divisions, warships or military aircraft of the same country. 2 2. The references of the post of letters contained in the deputes referred to in paragraph 1 must be exclusively on or from the members of the military units or of the major states and the ships of ships or aircraft of destination or consignors of the depeses. The tariffs and the conditions of dispatch to which they are subject are determined, according to their own regulation, by the postal administration of the country that provided the military unit or to which the ships or planes belong. 3. Except for a special arrangement, the postal administration of the country that provided the military unit or to which the warships belong or the military aircraft is indebted, to the administrations involved, for the transit fees of depeses, terminal charges and air transport charges. + Article 20 Quality of service rules and objectives 1. Administrations must fix and publish their rules and objectives in the field of distribution of mail mail and arriving parcels. 2. These rules and objectives, increased with the time normally required for customs clearance, must not be less favourable than those applied to comparable references in their domestic service. 3. The home administrations must also fix and publish the rules in full for the priority references and the letters of the letter mail, as well as for the parcels and the economic/surface parcels. 4. Postal administrations shall assess the application of the quality of service rules + Chapter 2 Responsibility + Article 21 Responsibility of postal administrations. Compensation 1. Generalities 1.1. Outside the cases provided for in art. 22, postal administrations are responsible for: 1.1.1. loss, spoliation or damage to the recommended references, simple parcels and items of declared value; 1.1.2. loss of references with attested teaching; 1.1.3. the return of a parcel whose reason for non-distribution has not been specified; 1.2. postal administrations shall not assume responsibility if it concerns references other than those referred to in paragraphs 1.1.1 and 1.1.2; 1.3. in all cases not provided for by this Convention, postal administrations shall not assume responsibility. 1.4. Where the loss or total damage of a recommended reference, a simple parcel or a reference with declared value resulting from a case of force majeure which does not permit compensation, the consignor shall be entitled to the refund of the charges paid, except for the insurance fee. 1.5. The compensation amounts to be paid may not be higher than the amounts referred to in the Letter of Letters Regulation and the Postal parcels Regulation. 1.6. In the event of responsibility, indirect losses or unrealised benefits shall not be taken into account in the amount of compensation to be paid. 1.7. All provisions related to the responsibility of postal administrations are strict, binding and complete. Postal administrations under no circumstances assume responsibility-even in the event of a serious mistake (of serious error)-outside the limits set out in the Convention and Regulations. 2. Recommended Submissions 2.1. In case of loss, total spoliation or total damage of a recommended reference, the sender shall be entitled to a compensation established by the Letter of Letters Regulation. If the consignor advertises an amount less than that fixed by the Letter of Letters, the administrations have the possibility to pay this smaller amount and to be reimbursed on this basis by the other administrations involved. 2.2. In the case of partial spoliation or partial damage of a recommended reference, the consignor shall be entitled to compensation which corresponds, in principle, to the actual value of the spoliation or damage. 3. References with attested teaching 3.1. In case of loss, total spoliation or total damage of a reference with attested handover, the sender is entitled only to the refund of the fees paid. 4. Simple packages 4.1. In case of loss, total spoliation or total damage of a simple parcel, the sender is entitled to a compensation fixed by the Postal parcels Regulation. If the sender advertises a lower amount to that fixed in the Postal parcels Regulation, the postal administrations have the possibility to pay this smaller amount and to be reimbursed on this basis by the other administrations possibly involved. 4.2. In the case of partial spoliation or partial damage of a simple parcel, the sender shall be entitled to a compensation which corresponds, in principle, to the actual value of the spoliation or damage. 4.3. Postal administrations may agree to apply in their mutual relations the value per parcel fixed by the Postal Package Regulation, without taking into account the weight of the parcel. 5. References with declared value 5.1. In the event of a loss, total spoliation or total damage of a reference with a declared value, the consignor shall be entitled to an indemnity corresponding, in principle, to the amount in DST, of the declared value. 5.2. In the case of partial spoliation or partial damage of a reference with declared value, the consignor shall be entitled to a compensation corresponding, in principle, to the actual value of the spoliation or damage. It may, however, in no case exceed the amount in DST of the declared value. 6. In the cases covered by paragraphs 4 and 5, the compensation shall be calculated according to the current price, converted into DST, of objects or goods of the same nature, at the time and in the place where the sending was accepted for transport. In the absence of the current price, the compensation is calculated according to the normal value of the items or goods assessed on the same basis. 7. When a compensation is due for the loss, total spoliation or total damage of a recommended reference, a simple parcel or a reference with declared value, the sender or, as the case may be, the recipient is entitled, in addition, to refund of taxes and duties, with the exception of the recommendation or insurance fee. The same shall be done for the recommended references, simple parcels or references with declared value refused by the recipients due to the bad condition, if this fact is attributable to the postal service and employs its responsibility. 8. By way of derogation from the provisions laid down in paragraphs 2, 4 and 5, the addressee shall be entitled to compensation after having received a registered reference, a simple parcel or a reference with declared value, spoliated or damaged. 9. The postal office of origin shall have the possibility to pay to the consignors in his country the compensation provided by his domestic legislation for the recommended references and parcels without declared value, provided that they are not inferior to those which are fixed in paragraphs 2.1 and 4.1. The same provisions shall apply to the postal administration of destination where the compensation is paid to the addressee. The amounts fixed in paragraphs 2.1 and 4.1, however, remain applicable: 9.1. in case of appeal against the responsible administration; 9.2. if the consignor waives his rights in favour of the consignee or 10. No reservation regarding the payment of compensation to postal administrations, except for a bilateral agreement, may not be applicable to this article. + Article 22 Cases of non-employment of the liability of postal administrations 1. Postal administrations shall cease to be responsible for the recommended references, references with attested teaching, parcels and references with declared value to which they made the delivery under the conditions laid down by their regulation for references of the same nature. The responsibility is nevertheless maintained: 1.1. when a spoliation or damage is found either before delivery or during delivery of the sending; 1.2. where, if the internal regulations permit it, the consignee, possibly the consignor, if it is the case of a return to origin, shall make reservations when taking a spoliated or damaged reference; 1.3. when, if the internal regulations allow it, the recommended sending has been distributed in a mailbox and when the recipient advertises that it has not received it; 1.4. when the consignee or, in case of return to origin, the sender of a parcel or a reference with declared value, despite the surrender made in a regulatory manner, declares without delay to the administration which has delivered him the reference that he has found a damage; he must provide proof that the spoliation or damage did not occur after the delivery of the sending; the period without delay is interpreted according to the national legislation. 2. Postal administrations are not responsible: 2.1. in case of force majeure, subject to art. 13.6.9 13.6.9; 2.2. when the evidence of their responsibility is not administered otherwise, they may not realize the references, as a result of the destruction of service documents as a result of a case of force majeure; 2.3. when the damage was caused by mistake or negligence of the sender or comes from the nature of the content; 2.4. when it comes to references that fall under the prohibitions provided for in art. 15 15; 2.5. in case of detention, by virtue of the legislation of the country of destination, according to the notification of the 2.6. when it comes to references with declared value which are the subject of a fraudulent declaration declaring superior values in relation to the actual value of the content; 2.7. when the consignor has not filed a complaint within 6 months from the second day after the submission of the sending; 2.8. when it comes to parcels of prisoners of war and civilian internees; 2.9. when it is suspected that the sender acted with fraudulent intentions in order to receive a compensation. 3. Postal administrations shall not assume any liability with regard to customs declarations, no matter in what form they may be made, and of decisions taken by customs services on the occasion of the verification of references subject to customs control. + Article 23 Responsibility of 1. The expeditor of a reference is responsible for the bodily harm borne by the postal agents and for all damages caused to the other postal items, as well as to the postal equipment as a result of the dispatch of objects not admitted within the framework transport or non-compliance with admission conditions. 2. In case of damage caused to other postal items, the sender is responsible within the same limits as the postal administrations for each damaged reference. 3. The Expeditor shall remain responsible even if the filing office has accepted such a reference. 4. Instead, when the conditions of acceptance have been respected by the sender, it is not responsible to the extent that there has been a mistake or negligence of postal administrations or carriers in the processing of references after they have Accepted. + Article 24 Payment of compensation 1. Subject to the right of appeal against the responsible administration, the obligation to pay the compensation and to pay back taxes and rights returns, as the case may be, to the administration of origin or to the administration of destination. 2. The Expeditor has the possibility to waive his compensation rights in favor of the recipient. Conversely, the recipient has the opportunity to waive his rights in favor of the sender The consignor or the consignee may authorise a third person to receive compensation if the domestic law allows it. + Article 25 Possible recovery of the compensation from the sender or the recipient 1. If, after payment of the compensation, a registered reference, a parcel or a reference with declared value or a part of the content previously considered as lost was found, the sender or, as the case may be, the recipient is advised that the sending is kept at his disposal for a period of 3 months, against reimbursement of the amount of compensation paid. At the same time it is asked who should be handed the sending. In the event of refusal or in the absence of a reply within the prescribed period, the same shall be carried out in addition to the consignee or the sender, as the case may be, 2. If the sender and the consignee give up the sending or are not liable within the time limits fixed in paragraph 1, it shall become the property of the administration or, if any, the administrations that have incurred the damage. 3. In the event of subsequent discovery of a declared value, the content of which is recognized as of lower value in relation to the amount of compensation paid, the sender or the recipient, as the case may be, must reimburse the sum of this compensation for taking over the reference, without prejudice to the consequences arising from the fraudulent declaration of value. + Article 26 Reciprocity applicable to liability reserves 1. By derogation from the provisions of art. 22-25, any Member State which reserves the right not to pay compensation as a liability does not have the right to compensation of that nature from another Member State which accepts to take responsibility under the provisions of the Articles of S-mentioned. + Chapter 3 Particular provisions relating to the mail of letters + Article 27 Submission of postal mail items abroad 1 1. No Member State shall be obliged to direct either to distribute to the addressees the postal mail items that the consignors resident on their territory submit or make to be deposited in a foreign country, in order to benefit from the conditions More favorable pricing that are applicable there. 2. The provisions referred to in paragraph 1 shall apply without distinction either to the sending of letters of letters prepared in the country of residence of the sender and then transported along the border, or to the sending of mail of letters made in a foreign country. 3. The destination administration has the right to request the sender and, in its absence, to the filing administration, to pay its domestic tariffs. If neither the sender nor the filing administration accepts to pay these tariffs within a deadline fixed by the destination administration, it may either return the submissions of the filing administration, having the right to be reimbursed. with return expenses, or to treat them according to their own legislation. 4 4. No Member State shall be obliged either to direct or to distribute to the recipients the references of the post of letters which the consignors have submitted or made to be deposited in large quantity in a country other than that in which they are resident, if the amount of terminal charges receivable shall be less than that which should have been collected if the references had been deposited in the country of residence of the consignor. Destination administrations have the right to ask the administration to submit a remuneration in relation to the costs incurred, which will not be able to be higher than the highest of the following two formulas: either 80% of the applicable domestic tariff equivalent references, or 0,14 DST per reference plus 1 DST per kilogram. If the filing administration does not accept to pay the claimed amount, within a deadline fixed by the destination administration, it may either return the submissions of the filing administration, having the right to be reimbursed for the expenses of return, or treat them according to their own legislation. + Part III Remuneration + Chapter I Provisions specific to the letter of letters + Article 28 Terminal expenses. General provisions 1. Subject to the exceptions provided in the regulations, each administration receiving from another administration references in the letter mail category shall have the right to charge from the sender administration a remuneration for the expenses. occasioned by the international courier received. 2. For the application of the provisions relating to the payment of terminal charges, postal administrations are classified as countries and territories of the targeted system or countries and territories entitled to be part of the transitional system, according to the established list for this purpose of Congress by its Resolution C 12/2004. In the provisions relating to terminal expenses, countries and territories are referred to as 1 countries. " 3. The provisions of this Convention, relating to the payment of terminal expenses, constitute transitional measures leading to the adoption of a payment system that takes into account the own elements of each country. 4. Access to the internal regime 4.1. Each administration shall make available to the other administrations the set of tariffs, terms and conditions it offers in its domestic regime, under identical conditions, to its national customers. 4.2. An expeditious administration may, under comparable conditions, require the administration of destination of the system concerned to benefit from the same conditions as it has provided for its national customers for equivalent references. 4.3. The administrations of the transitional system shall indicate whether they authorise access under the conditions referred to in paragraph 4.1. 4.3.1. Where the administration of a transient country declares that it authorises access to the conditions offered under its internal arrangements, this authorisation shall apply to the whole of the Union administrations in a non-discriminatory manner. 4.4. It is for the administration of destination to decide whether the conditions for access to its internal regime are met by the home administration. 5. The charges of terminal expenses corresponding to the courier in number must not be superior to the most advantageous fees applied by the destination administration by virtue of bilateral or multilateral agreements relating to the expenses terminal. It is for the administration of destination to decide whether or not the home administration has met the conditions of access. 6. The remuneration for terminal expenses will be based on the quality performance of the service in the country of destination. Therefore, the Postal Service Council will be authorized to pay premiums on the remuneration indicated in art. 29 29 and 30, with the aim of encouraging participation in the control system and to reward administrations that achieve their goal of quality. The Postal Exploitation Board may also fix penalties in the event of insufficient quality, but the remuneration may not be below the minimum remuneration indicated in art. 29 29 and 30. 7. Any administration may waive all or part of the remuneration referred to in paragraph 1. 8. Interested administrations may, through bilateral or multilateral agreements, apply other remuneration systems for the adjustment of accounts for terminal expenditure. + Article 29 Terminal expenses. Provisions applicable to exchanges between countries in the system 1. The remuneration for the mail items, including the courier in number, with the exception of the M bags, is determined according to the application of the charges per reference and per kilogram, which reflect the processing costs in the country of destination; these costs must be in relation to domestic charges. The calculation of the fees is carried out according to the conditions specified in the Letter of Letters 2 2. The charges per reference and per kilogram shall be calculated from a percentage of the duty of a priority letter of 20 g of the internal regime, as follows: 2.1. for 2006: 62% 2.2. for 2007: 64% 2.3. for 2008: 66% 2.4. for 2009: 68% 3. Fees will not be able to exceed: 3.1. for 2006: 0,226 DST per reference and 1,768 DST per kilogram; 3.2. for 2007: 0,231 DST per reference and 1,812 DST per kilogram; 3.3. for 2008: 0,237 DST per reference and 1,858 DST per kilogram; 3.4. for 2009: 0,243 DST per reference and 1,904 DST per kilogram. 4. For the period 2006-2009 the fees to be applied will not be lower than 0,147 DST per reference and 1,491 DST per kilogram. Provided that the tax increase does not exceed 100% of the fee of a priority letter of 20 g in the domestic regime of that country, the minimum fees will reach the following values: 4.1. for 2006: 0,151 DST per reference and 1,536 DST per kilogram; 4.2. for 2007: 0,154 DST per reference and 1,566 DST per kilogram; 4.3. for 2008: 0,158 DST per reference and 1,598 DST per kilogram; 4.4. for 2009: 0,161 DST per reference and 1,630 DST per kilogram. 5. For the M bags, the application fee is 0.793 DST per kilogram. 5.1. M bags weighing less than 5 kg shall be considered to be 5 kg for the remuneration of the final expenditure. 6. An additional remuneration of 0,5 DST per reference shall be provided for the recommended references and an additional remuneration of 1 DST per reference shall be provided for the items of declared value. 7. The provisions laid down between the countries of the concerned system shall apply to any country in the transitional system declaring that it wishes to join the system concerned. The Postal Exploitation Board may fix the transitional measures under the Letter of Letters Regulation. 8. No reservation, except in the case of a bilateral agreement, is applicable to this article. + Article 30 Terminal expenses. Provisions applicable to the flow of courier to, from and between countries in the transit system 1. Remuneration 1.1. The remuneration for letter mail items, except for the M bags, is 0,147 DST per reference and 1,491 DST per kilogram. 1.1.1. For the lower flows of 100 tonnes per year, the two components are converted into a total charge of 3,727 DST per kilogram, based on a world average number of 15,21 items per kilogram. 1.1.2. For the upper flows of 100 tonnes per year, the total fee of 3,727 DST per kilogram is applied if neither the destination administration nor the home administration requires a tax revision based on the actual number of items per kilogram for that flow. In addition, this fee applies when the actual number of items per kilogram is located between 13 and 17. 1.1.3. When one of the administrations requests the application of the actual number of references per kilogram, the calculation of the remuneration of the flow in question is carried out in accordance with the review mechanism provided for in the letter 1.1.4. The review of the reduction of the total duty referred to in paragraph 1.1.2 cannot be invoked by a country in the system concerned against a country in the transitional system, provided that the latter does not seek a reverse revision. 1.2. For the M bags, the application fee is 0.793 DST per kilogram. 1.2.1. M bags weighing less than 5 kg shall be regarded as having a weight of 5 kg for the remuneration of terminal expenses. 1.3. An additional remuneration of 0,5 DST per reference shall be provided for the recommended references and an additional remuneration of 1 DST per reference shall be provided for the items of declared value. 2. Systems harmonization mechanism 2.1. Where an administration in the intended recipient system of a courier flow of more than 50 tonnes per year finds that the annual weight of this flow exceeds the threshold calculated in accordance with the conditions laid down in the Letter of Letters Regulation, it may apply to the courier who exceeds this threshold the remuneration system provided for in art. 29, provided that the review mechanism has not been applied. 2.2. When an administration in the transitional system, which receives in one year a courier flow of more than 50 tonnes from another country in the transitional system, determines that the annual weight of this flow exceeds the threshold calculated according to the conditions specified in the Letter of Letters Regulation, may apply to the courier who exceeds this threshold the remuneration supplement provided for in art. 31, provided that it has not applied the review mechanism. 3. The courier in number 3.1. The remuneration for the courier in number in the countries of the system concerned shall be determined as a result of the application of the duties per reference and per kilogram provided in 29. 3.2. The transitional system administrations may request for the courier in number received a remuneration of 0,147 DST per reference and 1,491 DST per kilogram. 4. No reservation, except in the case of a bilateral agreement, is not applicable to this article. + Article 31 Fund for quality improvement of service 1 1. With the exception of the M bags and the references in number, the terminal expenses payable by all countries and territories of the countries ranked by the Economic and Social Council in the category of the least developed countries are the subject of a corresponds to 16,5% of the fee of 3,727 DST per kilogram indicated in art. 30, to supply the Fund for improving the quality of service in the least developed countries. No payment of this nature takes place between the least developed countries. 2 2. The UPU Member States and the territories of the Union shall have the possibility to submit to the Management Board a justified request for their countries and territories to be deemed to need additional resources. The countries ranked MCARB 1 (formerly developing countries) have the opportunity to submit an application to the Management Board to benefit from the Fund for the Improvement of Quality of Service under the same conditions as the least Developed. In addition, countries ranked by the United Nations Development Programme as being in the category of net contributing countries have the opportunity to submit a request to the Board of Directors to benefit from the Quality Improvement Fund the service under the same conditions as eligible countries in MCARB 1. Applications accepted as favourable by virtue of this Article shall take effect on the first day of the following civil year after the decision of the Management Board. The Management Board shall assess the application and decide, on the basis of severe assessment criteria, whether or not a country may be considered as a less developed or eligible country under the MCARB 1, depending on the case, as regards the Fund for improving service quality. The Management Board shall review and update each year the list of the UPU Member States and the territories of the Union. 3 3. Except for the M bags and the references in number, the terminal expenses payable by the countries and territories classified by Congress in the category of industrialized countries for the purpose of remuneration of terminal expenses to countries and territories classified by the United Nations Development Programme in the category of countries other than the least developed countries eligible for MCARB 1 resources shall be subject to an increase corresponding to 8% of the rate of 3,727 DST per kilogram indicated in art. 30 30, by way of feeding the respective fund for improving the quality of service in the countries of this latter category. 4 4. Except for the M bags and the references in number, the terminal expenses payable by the countries and territories classified by Congress in the category of industrialized countries for the purpose of remuneration of terminal expenses to countries and territories classified by the same congress in the category of developing countries other than those referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be the subject of an increase corresponding to 1% of the fee of 3,727 DST per kilogram indicated in art. 30 30, by way of feeding the respective fund for improving the quality of the service. 5. Countries and territories empowered to benefit from MCARB 1 resources may seek to improve the quality of their service through regional or multinational projects in favour of least developed countries and low-income countries. These projects will be profitable directly to all parties contributing to their financing through the Fund to improve the quality of the service. 6. Regional projects should in particular foster the concretisation of the UPU programmes to improve the quality of service and the implementation of analytical accounting systems in developing countries. The Postal Exploitation Council will adopt in 2006, at the latest, procedures adapted to finance these projects. + Article 32 Transit expenditure 1. Closed cases and open transit references, exchanged between two administrations or between two offices of the same country through the services of one or more administrations (third party services), shall be subject to payment of expenditure of transit. They constitute remuneration for the benefits of territorial transit, maritime transit and air transit. + Chapter 2 Other provisions + Article 33 Basic duties and provisions on air transport costs 1. The basic fee to be applied in the regulation of the accounts between the air transport administrations is approved by the Postal Service Council. It is calculated by the International Office according to a formula specified in the Letter of Letters Regulation. 2. Calculation of the air transport expenses of closed depes, priority references, plane and parcel hair items in open transit, as well as the related settlement methods are described in the Postal Regulation. letters and in the Postal parcels Regulation. 3. The transport costs for all air travel are: 3.1. in the case of closed deps, for the purposes of the administration of the country of origin, including where such care transitions one or more intermediate postal administrations; 3.2. in the case of priority references and references appear aeroplane in open transit, including those that are misguided, in charge of the administration that teaches the references of another administration. 4. The same rules are applicable to references exempt from territorial and maritime transit expenses, if they are guided par plane. 5. Each destination administration which ensures the air transport of the international courier within its country is entitled to reimbursement of additional costs occasioned by this transport, provided that the weighted average distance of The parks performed to exceed 300 km. The Postal Exploitation Board may replace the weighted average distance by another pertinent criterion. Apart from a prior agreement on gratuity, the expenses must be uniform for all priority depesses and the depesses appear to be the plane coming from abroad, whether this courier is being re-released or not by air. 6. However, when the compensation of terminal charges levied by the destination administration is based in particular on costs or domestic charges, no additional reimbursement shall be made for domestic air transport costs. 7. The destination administration excludes, in order to calculate the weighted average distance, the weight of all the deposits for which the calculation of the terminal expenses compensation is based in particular on the internal costs or charges of the administration of destination. + Article 34 Quotas-territorial and maritime parts of postal parcels 1. The parcels exchanged between two postal administrations are subject to territorial parts of arrival, calculated by combining the basic duty per parcel and the basic duty per kilogram, established by Regulation. 1.1. Taking into account the above basic fees, postal administrations may, in addition, be allowed to benefit from additional duties per parcel and per kilogram, as provided for in the Regulation. 1.2. The parties concerned in paragraphs 1 and 1.1 shall only be charged with the administration of the country of origin if the Postal parcels Regulation does not provide for derogations from that principle. 1.3. Territorial-parts of arrival shall be uniform for the whole of the territory of each country. 2 2. The packages exchanged between two administrations or between two offices of the same country through the terrestrial services of one or more administrations shall be subject, in the profits of the countries whose services participate in the territorial transport, at the territorial-parts of transit fixed by the Regulation, according to the distance step. 2.1. For parcels in open transit, intermediate administrations shall be authorised to advertise the flat rate per reference fixed by the Regulation. 2.2. Territorial transit parties shall only be charged with the administration of the country of origin if the Postal parcels Regulation does not provide for derogations from that principle. 3. Each country whose services participate in the shipping of parcels shall be authorized to apply for sea-parts. These quotas-parts are only for the administration of the country of origin if the Postal parcels Regulation does not provide for derogations from this principle. 3.1. For each maritime service used, the maritime share is established by the Postal Parcel Regulation according to the distance step. 3.2. Postal administrations shall be entitled to increase by a maximum of 50% the sea share calculated in accordance with paragraph 3.1. On the contrary, I can reduce it. + Article 35 Competence of the Postal Service Council to fix taxes and quotas-parts 1. The Postal Service Board has the authority to fix the following taxes and quotas-parties, which must be paid by the postal administrations according to the conditions stated in the regulations: 1.1. transit expenses for the processing and transport of mail mail items by at least one third country; 1.2. the basic fee and the air transport costs applicable to the courier-avion; 1.3. Territorial-parts of arrival for the processing of incoming parcels; 1.4. Territorial-parts of transit for the processing and transport of parcels by the third country; 1.5. Maritime-parts for maritime transport of parcels. 2. The revision, which can be made thanks to a methodology that ensures a fair remuneration to the administrations that carry out the services, will have to be based on reliable and representative economic and financial data. The possible amendment that could be decided will enter into force on a date set by the Postal Exploitation Board. + Part IV Final provisions + Article 36 Conditions for approval of the proposals for the Convention and Regulations 1. In order to become enforceable, the proposals submitted to Congress and relating to this Convention must be approved by the majority of the present and voting Member States entitled to vote. At least half of the Member States represented in the Congress entitled to vote must be present at the time of the vote. 2. In order to become enforceable, the proposals relating to the Letter of Letters Regulation and to the Postal Parcel Regulation must be approved by the majority of the Members of the Postal Exploitation Council who have the right to vote. 3. In order to become enforceable, the proposals introduced between two congresses and relating to the present Convention and its final protocol must bring together: 3.1. two thirds of the votes, at least half of the Member States of the Union who have the right to vote and have participated in the voting, if it is about the changes; 3.2. most votes, if it is the interpretation of the provisions. 4 4. Contrary to the provisions referred to in paragraph 3.1., any Member State whose national legislation is still incompatible with the proposed amendment shall have the possibility to make a written declaration to the Director-General of the International Bureau, in which he indicate that it is not possible to accept this change, within 90 days from the day of its notification. + Article 37 Reservations presented during the Congress 1. Any reserve incompatible with the object and purpose of the Union shall not be authorised. 2. As a general rule, member countries which cannot share their point of view of the other Member States must make efforts, as far as possible, to join the opinion of the majority. The reserve must be made in case of absolute necessity and be duly motivated. 3. The reserve on the articles of this Convention must be submitted to Congress in the form of a written proposal, in one of the working languages of the International Bureau, as provided for in this Regulation. Congressional intern. 4. To become effective, the reserve subject to Congress must be approved by the majority required in this case to amend the article to which the reserve refers. 5. In principle, the reserve shall be applicable on a reciprocal basis between the Member State which issued it and the other Member States. 6. The reserve at this Convention will be entered into the final protocol, based on the proposal approved by the Congress. + Article 38 Implementation and duration of the Convention 1. This Convention shall be implemented on 1 January 2006 and shall remain in force until the acts of the following congress are implemented. As a result, the plenipotentiation of the governments of the Member States signed this Convention in a copy, which is submitted to the Director-General of the A copy will be handed over to each party by the International Office of the Universal Postal Union. Done at Bucharest on 5 October 2004. FINAL PROTOCOL OF THE UNIVERSAL POSTAL CONVENTION * *) _______ Note * *) Translation. At the time of signing the Universal Postal Convention concluded today, the undersigned plenipotentiaries agreed the following: + Article I Membership of postal items. Retreat. Amendment or correction of the address 1. Provisions art. 5.1 and 2 shall not apply to Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain (Kingdom), Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Hong Kong, China, Dominica, Egypt, Fidji, Gambia, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, dependent on Great Britain, Grenada, Guiana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lesoto, Malaiezia, Malawi, Mauritius, Nauru, Nigeria, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint-Cristophe-et-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Islands Solomon, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Swaziland, Tanzania (Rep. United), Trinidad-Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu and Zambia. 2. Provisions art. 5.1 and 2 also do not apply to Austria, Denmark and Iran (Rep. Islamic), whose legislation does not allow the withdrawal or amendment of the address of the letter of mail to the sender's request, starting from the moment the recipient was informed of the arrival of a reference to his address. 3. Art. 5.1 does not apply to Australia, Ghana and Zimbabwe. 4. Art. 5.2 shall not apply to the Bahamas, Iraq, Myanmar and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, whose laws do not permit the withdrawal or amendment of the address of the letter of mail to the sender's request. 5. Art. 5.2 does not apply in America (United States). 6. Article 5.2 shall apply to Australia in so far as it is compatible with the domestic law of that country. 7. By way of derogation from art. 5.2, El Salvador, Panama (Rep.), Philippines, Rep. Dem. Congo and Venezuela are authorized not to return the postal parcels after the recipient asked for their customs clearance, given that their customs legislation opposes this. + Article II Taxes 1. By way of derogation from art. 6, postal administrations in Australia, Canada and New Zealand are authorized to charge postal charges, other than those provided for in the regulations, when those fees are admissible under their country's law. + Article III Exception to the postal tax exemption in favour of the cecograms 1. By way of derogation from art. 7, the postal administrations of Indonesia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Turkey, which do not grant in their domestic service the postal brake exemption of the cecograms, have the possibility to charge the braking fees and fees for special services, which cannot, however, be superior to those of their internal service. 2. By way of derogation from art. 7, postal administrations in Germany, America (United States), Australia, Austria, Canada, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Japan and Switzerland have the possibility to charge the special services fees that are applied cecograms in their internal service. + Article IV Basic services 1. Contrary to art. 12, Australia does not approve the expansion of basic services to postal parcels. 2. Provisions art. 12.2.4 does not apply to Britain, whose national legislation imposes a lower weight limit. Health and safety legislation limits the weight of courier bags to 20 kg. + Article V Small packages 1. By way of derogation from art. 12 12 of the Convention, the postal administration of Afghanistan is authorized to limit to 1 kg the maximum weight for small packages arriving and departing. + Article VI Confirmation of receipt 1. The Postal Administration of Canada is authorized not to apply art. 13.1.1 as far as parcels are concerned, given that it does not provide the receiving confirmation service for parcels in its domestic regime. + Article VII Commercial correspondence service-international response (CCRI) 1. By way of derogation from art. 13.4.1, the Bulgarian postal administration (Rep.) provides the CCRI service after a negotiation with the interested postal administration. + Article VIII Prohibitions (mail of letters) 1. Exceptionally, postal administrations in Lebanon and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea do not accept recommended references containing coins or banknotes or any value to bearer or traveller's cheques or platinum, gold or silver, processed or not, precious stones, jewelry and other precious objects. They are not bound by the provisions of the letter post regulation, in a rigorous manner, with regard to their responsibility in case of spoliation or damage of the recommended references, as well as for references containing objects from the glass or fragile. 2. By way of exception, the postal administrations of Saudi Arabia, Bolivia, China (Rep. Pop.), except for the special administrative region of Hong Kong, Iraq, Nepal, Pakistan, Sudan and Vietnam do not accept recommended references containing coins, bank tickets, banknotes or bearer values, traveller's cheques, platinum, gold, silver, Processed or not, precious stones, jewelry and other precious objects. 3. The postal administration of Myanmar reserves the right not to accept items of declared value containing the precious objects referred to in art. 15.5, because its domestic law opposes the admission of this kind of references. 4. The postal administration of Nepal shall not accept recommended or declared value items containing coins or banknotes, without a special agreement concluded in this case. 5. The postal administration of Uzbekistan does not accept recommended or declared value items containing coins, banknotes, cheques, postage stamps or foreign currencies and disclaims any responsibility in case of loss or damage of this kind. of references. 5. The Postal Administration of Iran (Islamic Republic) does not accept references containing objects contrary to the Islamic religion. 7. The Postal Administration of the Philippines reserves the right not to accept mail mail items (simple, recommended or with declared value) containing coins, banknotes or any bearer value, traveller's cheques, platinum, gold or silver, processed or not, precious stones or other precious objects. 8. The postal administration in Australia does not accept any postal items containing bullion or bank tickets. In addition, it does not accept the recommended references having as its destination Australia, nor open transit references containing valuables, such as jewellery, precious metals, precious or semi-precious stones, securities, coins or other effects. negotiable. It disclaims any responsibility in respect of the submissions filed and which violates the present reserve. 9. Postal Administration of China (Rep. Pop.), except the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, does not accept declared value references containing coins, banknotes, bank tickets, bearer values or traveller's cheques, in accordance with its internal regulations. 10. Postal administrations in Latvia and Mongolia reserve the right not to accept simple, recommended or declared value references, containing coins, banknotes, bearer values and traveller's cheques, given that their national law oppose this. 11. The postal administration in Brazil reserves the right not to accept the simple courier, recommended or with declared value, containing coins, banknotes in circulation and any bearer values. 12. The Vietnam Postal Administration reserves the right not to accept letters containing objects and goods. + Article IX Prohibitions (postal parcels) 1. Postal administrations in Myanmar and Zambia are authorized not to accept parcels of declared value, containing the precious objects referred to in art. 15.6.1.3.1, given that their internal regulations oppose this. 2. Exceptionally, postal administrations in Lebanon and Sudan do not accept parcels containing coins, banknotes and any type of bearer values, travel cheques, platinum, gold or silver, processed or not, precious stones and other objects. precious, or containing liquids and slightly liquefiable elements or glass or similar or fragile glass objects. They are not obliged to comply with the respective provisions of the Postal parcels Regulation. 3. The postal administration in Brazil is authorized not to accept declared value parcels, which contain coins and banknotes in circulation, as well as any value to the bearer, given that its internal regulations oppose this. 4. The postal administration in Ghana is authorized not to accept declared value parcels, which contain coins or banknotes in circulation, given that its internal regulations oppose this. 5. In addition to the objects mentioned in art. 15, the postal administration in Saudi Arabia does not accept parcels containing coins, banknotes or bearer values, travel cheques, platinum, gold or silver, processed or not, stones and other precious objects. It does not accept any parcels containing medicines of any kind, unless accompanied by a medical prescription issued by a competent official authority; it does not accept any products intended for fire-extinguishing, chemical liquids or objects that run counter to the principles of Islamic 6. Apart from the objects quoted in art. 15, the postal administration in Oman does not accept parcels containing: 6.1. medicines of any type, unless they are accompanied by a medical prescription issued by a competent medical authority; 6.2. products intended for fire-extinguishing and chemical liquids; 6.3. objects contrary to the principles of Islamic religion. 7. Apart from the objects quoted in art. 15, the postal administration of Iran (Islamic Republic) is authorized not to accept parcels containing objects that contravene the principles of Islamic religion. 8. The Postal Administration of the Philippines is authorized not to accept parcels containing coins, banknotes or any bearer value, traveller's cheques, platinum, gold or silver, processed or not, precious stones or other precious objects or which contain liquids and slightly liquereliable elements or glass or assimilable or fragile objects. 9. The postal administration in Australia does not accept any postal items containing bullion or bank tickets. 10. Postal Administration of China (Rep. Pop.) does not accept simple parcels containing coins, banknotes or bearer values, traveller's cheques, platinum, gold or silver, processed or not, precious stones or other precious objects. In addition, less with regard to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, parcels of declared value containing coins, banknotes, bearer values or traveller's cheques are also not accepted. 11. The postal administration in Mongolia reserves the right not to accept, according to its national legislation, parcels containing coins, banknotes, titles in sight and traveller's cheques. 12. The postal administration of Latvia accepts neither simple parcels nor parcels of declared value, containing coins, banknotes, bearer values (cheques) or foreign currency, and disclaims any responsibility in the event of loss or damage of These references. + Article X Objects liable to customs duties 1. With reference to art. 15, postal administrations in the following countries do not accept items of declared value, containing liable objects of customs duties: Bangladesh and Salvador. 2. With reference to art. 15, postal administrations in the following countries do not accept simple and recommended letters containing liable objects of customs duties: Afghanistan, Albania, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Peru, Rep. Pop. Dem. Coreana, San Marino, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Venezuela. 3. With reference to art. 15, postal administrations in the following countries do not accept simple letters containing liable objects of customs duties: Benin, Burkina Fasso, Ivory Coast (Rep.), Djibouti, Mali and Mauritania. 4. Contrary to the provisions laid down in paragraphs 1-3, the sending of serums, vaccines, as well as emergency necessity drugs that are difficult to procure are admitted in all cases. + Article XI Complaints 1. By way of derogation from art. 17.3, the postal administrations of Saudi Arabia, Bulgaria (Rep.), Cape Verde, Egypt, Gabon, Territories beyond the sea dependent on the United Kingdom, Greece, Iran (Rep. Islamic), Kirghizistan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Uzbekistan, Philippines, Rep. Pop. Dem. Korean, Sudan, Syria (Rep. Arabic), Chad, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Zambia reserve the right to charge a complaint fee from their customers for mail mail items. 2. By way of derogation from art. 17.3, the postal administrations of Argentina, Austria, Azerbaijan, Slovakia and the Czech Republic (Rep.) reserve the right to charge a special fee when, on the occasion of steps taken as a result of a complaint, it turns out that this was unfounded. 3. Postal administrations in Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Bulgaria (Rep.), Cap Verde, Congo (Rep.), Egypt, Gabon, Iran (Rep. Islamic), Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Uzbekistan, Sudan, Suriname, Syria (Rep. Arabic), Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Zambia reserve the right to charge a complaint fee from their customers for parcels. 4. By way of derogation from art. 17.3, the postal administrations of America (United States), Brazil and Panama reserve the right to charge from their customers a complaint fee for mail mail items and postal parcels filed in the countries applying this kind of tax. in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs 1 to 3 of this Article. + Article XII Presentation fees to customs 1. The postal administration in Gabon reserves the right to charge a customs presentation fee from its customers. 2. Postal administrations in Congo (Rep.) and Zambia reserve the right to charge a presentation fee in customs from their customers, for parcels. + Article XIII Submission of postal mail items abroad 1. Postal administrations in America (United States), Australia, Austria, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Greece and New Zealand reserve the right to charge a fee, in relation to the costs of work occasioned, from all postal administrations which, by virtue of art. 27.4, return them objects that, at origin, were not shipped as postal items by their services. 2. By way of derogation from art. 27.4 27.4, the postal administration in Canada reserves the right to charge from the home administration a remuneration that allows it to recover at least the costs that have been occasioned by the processing of such references. 3. Article 27.4 authorizes the postal administration of destination to advertise to the administration of filing an appropriate remuneration for the distribution of mail items submitted abroad in large quantity. Australia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland reserve the right to limit this payment to the amount corresponding to the country's domestic tariff of destination, applicable to equivalent references. 4. Article 27.4 authorizes the postal administration of destination to advertise to the administration of filing an appropriate remuneration for the distribution of the mail items submitted abroad in large quantity. The following countries reserve the right to limit this payment to the limits authorized in the Regulation for the courier in number: America (United States), Bahamas, Barbados, Brunei Darussalam, China (Rep. Pop.), United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Overseas territories dependent on the United Kingdom, Grenada, Guiana, India, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, St. Lucia, Saint-Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Suriname and Thailand. 5. Contrary to the reserves of paragraph 4, the following countries reserve the right to apply the provisions of art. 27 of the Convention of the Courier received from the member countries of the Union: Germany, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Austria, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Fasso, Cameroon, Cyprus, Ivory Coast (Rep.), Denmark, Egypt, France, Greece, Guinea, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Monaco, Norway, Portugal, Senegal, Syria (Rep. Araba) and Togo. 6. For the purposes of the application 27.4, Germany's postal administration reserves the right to request the postal administration in the country to submit a remuneration of an amount equivalent to that which it would receive from the postal administration of the country in which it is resident sender. 7. Despite the reservations made in art. XIII, China (Rep. Pop.) reserves the right to limit any payment for the distribution of mail items submitted abroad in large quantity, to the limits authorized by the UPU Convention and the Letter of Letters Regulation for the courier in number. + Article XIV Quotas-exceptional territorial parts of arrival 1. By way of derogation from art. 34, the postal administration in Afghanistan reserves the right to charge 7,50 DST as an exceptional territorial quota of arrival, additional per parcel. + Article XV Special rates 1. Postal administrations in America (United States), Belgium and Norway have the possibility to charge for parcels seem plane odds-territorial parts higher than for surface parcels. 2. The postal administration in Lebanon is authorized to charge for parcels up to 1 kg the fee applicable to parcels weighing over 1 to 3 kg. 3. The Panama Postal Administration (Rep.) is authorized to charge 0.20 DST per kilogram for surface parcels transported by air (S.A.L.) in transit. Right which plenipotentiaries below have drafted this Protocol, which will have the same force and value as if its provisions were included within the text of the Convention, and have signed it in an exemplary, which is filed under Director General of the International Bureau A copy will be handed over to each party by the International Office of the Universal Postal Union. Done at Bucharest on 5 October 2004. + Annex 3 INTERIOR REGULATION OF CONGRESS*) ________ Note * *) Translation. + Article 1 General provisions This internal regulation, hereinafter referred to as 'the Regulation', is established by the application of Union acts and is subordinated to them. In the event of divergence between one of its provisions and a provision of the acts, the latter shall have authority. + Article 2 Delegations 1. The term "delegation" means the person or assembly of persons designated by a Member State to participate in the Congress. The delegation shall be composed of a Head of Delegation and, where appropriate, a Deputy Head of Delegation, one or more delegates and possibly one or more officials attached (including experts, secretaries, etc.). 2. Heads of delegation, their deputies, as well as delegations shall be representatives of the Member States according to art. 14.2 of the Constitution, if they have powers to respond to the conditions fixed within art. 3 of this Regulation. 3. Attached officials are admitted to meetings and have the right to participate in deliberations, but do not, in principle, have the right to vote. However, they may be authorized by their head of delegation to vote on behalf of their country in committee meetings. Such authorisations shall be submitted in writing to the President of the Commission concerned before the hearing begins. + Article 3 Powers of delegations 1. The powers of the delegates must be signed by the head of state, the head of government or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the interested country. They must be redacted in the correct form. The powers of the delegations empowered to sign the acts (plenipotentiaries) must indicate the power of this signature (signature subject to ratification or approval, signature "ad referendum", final signature). In the absence of such clarification, the signature shall be deemed to be subject to ratification or approval. The powers authorizing the signing of acts by default must include the right to decide and the right to vote. The delegates to whom the competent authorities have entrusted them with full powers without specifying the level of these powers shall be authorized to deliberate, vote and sign acts only if the words by which the powers are granted do not result in the opposite. 2. Empowers must be filed as early as the opening of Congress in addition to the authority designated for this purpose. 3. Delegates who do not have Impowers or who have submitted their Impowers may, if their government has announced the government of the host country, take part in the deliberations and vote the moment they begin to participate in the work of Congress. The same will be the case for those whose Empowerments present irregularities. These delegates will no longer be authorized to vote starting from the moment Congress approved the latest powers verification committee report, which finds that their Impowers are wrong or present irregularities, as long as the situation does not. is regularized (the last report must be approved by the Congress before the election, other than that of the President of Congress, and before the approval of the drafts on the acts). 4. The powers of a Member State which is represented at the Congress by the delegation of another Member State (proxy) shall present the same form as those referred to in paragraph 1. 5. Empowers and percentages addressed by telegram shall not be admitted. Instead, telegrams responding to a request for information on an issue of powers will be accepted. 6. The delegation which, having submitted its powers, is prevented from witnessing one or more meetings shall have the right to be represented by the delegation of another country, provided that it informs the President of the meeting in writing. However, a delegation can only represent one country other than its own. 7. Delegations of Member States which are not party to the Agreement may take part, without the right to vote, to the deliberations of the Congress relating to that agreement. + Article 4 Order of arrangement 1. At the meetings of the Congress and committees, the delegations are arranged in the French alphabetical order of the represented member states. 2. The President of the Board of Directors draws, at the appropriate time, the name of the state that will take first place in front of the presidential tribune on the occasion of the meetings of Congress and committees + Article 5 Law Observers 1. Representatives of the United Nations are admitted as an observer to the work of the Congress. 2. The restricted unions are admitted as an observer to the meetings of Congress and within its committees. 3. The League of Arab States and the African Union (AU) are admitted as observers to Congress meetings and within its committees. 4. The members of the Advisory Committee will be admitted as observers to the meetings of Congress and within its committees. 5. Observers referred to in paragraphs 1 to 4 will not be able to vote, but may speak with the permission of the President of the Meeting. 6. In exceptional circumstances, the right of the observers referred to in paragraph 4 to participate in certain meetings or parts of the meetings may be limited if it is necessary to maintain confidentiality on the subject of the meeting. They will be informed of this in the shortest possible time. This restriction may be decided on a case-by-case basis by any interested body or its chairman. These decisions will be examined by the Office of Congress, which is empowered to confirm or refute these decisions by a simple majority vote. + Article 6 Guests 1. Representatives of United Nations specialized agencies and intergovernmental organizations will be designated by the Board of Directors to take part in certain meetings of Congress and its committees when discussed points of interest to them. 2. Representatives of any international body, of any association or establishment or any qualified person, appointed by the Board of Directors, shall be admitted to certain meetings of Congress or its commissions. 3. The invitations to which paragraphs 1 and 2 refer will not be able to vote, but will be able to speak with the permission of the meeting president. + Article 7 Dean of Congress 1. The postal administration of the host country of Congress will suggest nominating the Dean of Congress in agreement with the International Bureau The Board of Directors will approve this appointment in the required time. 2. At the opening of the first plenary session of each Congress, the dean will chair the Congress until he chooses his president. It shall exercise the functions assigned to it by this Regulation. + Article 8 Presidents and Vice-Presidents of Congress and Committees 1. In its first plenary assembly, Congress will elect, at the dean's proposal, the Congress president, then approve, on the proposal of the Board of Directors, the designation of the member states that will assume the vice-presidency of Congress as well as presidency and vice presidency of committees. These functions shall be attributed to taking into account, as far as possible, the equitable geographical distribution of the Member States. 2. Presidents open and close the meetings they preside, lead the discussions, give the word to the orators, put the proposals to the vote and announce what majority is necessary for their adoption, proclaim the decisions and, subject to the approval of Congress, possibly give an interpretation to these decisions. 3. The Presidents shall ensure that this Regulation is complied with and that order is maintained during the meetings. 4. Any delegation may appeal, before the Congress or the Commission, against a decision taken by their chairman, on the basis of a provision of the Regulation or an interpretation thereof; the decision of the President shall remain, however, valid only if it is not cancelled by the majority of the members present voting. 5. If a Member State in charge of the Presidency is no longer able to assume that function, one of the Vice-Presidents shall be appointed by the Congress or the Commission to replace it. + Article 9 Congress office 1. The office is the central body charged with conducting the work of He is composed of the Congress president and vice presidents, as well as the committee chairs. He meets periodically to examine the conduct of the work of Congress and its committees and to formulate recommendations to favour this deployment. He helps the president draw up the agenda of each plenary session and coordinate the work of the committees. He makes recommendations regarding the closure of Congress. 2. Secretary-General of Congress and Deputy Secretary-General referred to in art. 12.1 attend Bureau meetings. + Article 10 Committee members 1. The Member States represented in the Congress shall be the members of the committees responsible for examining the proposals on the Constitution, the General Regulation and the Convention. 2. Member States represented in the Congress forming part of one or more optional agreements shall be governed by the Commission and/or the Commission responsible for the revision of such agreements. The voting rights of the members of that committee shall be limited to the agreement or agreements to which they are a party. 3. Delegations that are not members of the committees dealing with the agreements have the possibility to attend the meetings of these committees and take part in deliberations without the right to vote. + Article 11 Working groups The Congress and each committee may constitute working groups for the study of special issues. + Article 12 Secretariat of Congress and Committees 1. The Director-General and Deputy Director-General of the International Office shall perform the duties of Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General in the 2. The Secretary-General and the Deputy Secretary-General attend Congressional and Congressional Bureau meetings, taking part in non-voting deliberations. They may also, under the same conditions, attend committee meetings or be represented within them by a (official) senior official of the International Bureau. 3. The work of the Congress secretariat, the Bureau of Congress and committees is provided by the staff of the International Bureau, in collaboration with the postal administration of the 4. Senior officials of the International Office perform the functions of Secretary of Congress, the Bureau of Congress and committees. They assist the president during the meetings and are responsible for drafting the reports. 5. Congressional secretaries and commissions are assisted by deputy secretaries. + Article 13 Languages of deliberation 1. Subject to the provisions referred to in paragraph 2, the French, English, Spanish and Russian languages shall be admitted for deliberations, by means of a simultaneous or consecutive interpretation system. 2. The Deliberations of the Drafting Commission are held in French. 3. The other languages for the deliberations indicated in paragraph 1 shall be authorized. The language of the host country has a priority in this regard. Delegations using other languages shall ensure simultaneous interpretation in one of the languages referred to in paragraph 1, either through the simultaneous interpretation system, when technical amendments may be made, or by private interpreters. 4 4. The installation and maintenance costs of the technical equipment shall be the responsibility of the Union. 5 the expenditure of the interpretation services shall be distributed among the Member States using the same language in proportion to their contribution to Union expenditure. + Article 14 Languages for the drafting of the Congress documents 1. Documents drawn up during Congress, including draft rulings subject to congressional approval, are published in French by the secretariat of Congress. 2. To this end, the documents coming from the delegations of the Member States must be presented in French, either directly or through translation services attached to the secretariat of the Congress. 3. These services, organized at their expense by the language groups constituted according to the corresponding provisions of the General Regulation, may also translate documents of the Congress into their respective languages. + Article 15 Proposals 1. All the problems brought before Congress are the subject of proposals. 2. All proposals published by the International Office before the opening of Congress are considered as subject to Congress. 3. Two months before the opening of Congress, no proposal will be taken into consideration, other than those who are subject to amendments to previous proposals. 4. Any amendment proposal shall be deemed to be amendment which, without amending the substance of the proposal, shall conduct a suppression, add it to a part of the original proposal or revise part of that proposal. No amendment proposal will be considered as an amendment if it is incompatible with the meaning or intent of the original proposal. In doubtful cases, the issue of the matter rests with the Congress or 5. Amendments presented in Congress, relating to proposals already made, must be submitted in writing, in French, to the secretariat, before 12.00 of the previous day in relation to the day chosen for their deliberation, to be distributed on the same day to delegates. This period does not apply to the amendments resulting directly from the discussions within the Congress or the Commission. In the latter case, if requested, the author of the amendment must submit the text in writing in French or, in case of difficulty, in any language chosen for the debates. The interested president will read or present for reading the text. 6. The procedure referred to in paragraph 5 shall also apply in the submission of proposals not intended to amend the text of the acts (draft resolutions, recommendations, covenants, etc.). 7. Any proposal or amendment must be given the final form of the text which will be entered into the Union acts, subject to review by the Drafting Committee. + Article 16 Examination of proposals in Congress and in committees 1. Redactional order proposals (the number of which is followed by the letter R) are assigned to the drafting commission either directly, if from the International Office there is no doubt about their nature (a list of them is set by the Bureau International to the attention of the drafting committee), or if, according to the opinion of the International Bureau, there are doubts about their nature, after the other commissions have confirmed their purely editorial nature (a list of them is drawn up in the attention of the commissions interested). However, if such proposals are related to other substantive proposals to be evaluated by Congress or other committees, the drafting committee does not study them until after Congress or the other committees have spoken out against the substantive proposals. proper. The proposals whose number is not followed by the letter R but which, according to the opinion of the International Bureau, are editorial proposals are distributed directly to the committees dealing with the corresponding substantive proposals. These committees decide from the start of the work which of these proposals will be directly assigned to the drafting committee. A list of these proposals is drawn up by the International Bureau to the attention of the committees concerned. 2. If the same problem is the subject of several proposals, the President decides their order to be discussed, starting, in principle, with the proposal that deviates most from the basic text and which carries the deepest change from the of status quo. 3. If a proposal may be subdivided into several parts, each of them may, with the consent of the author of the proposal or assembly, be examined and subject separately to the vote. 4. Any proposal withdrawn from the Congress or the Commission by its author may be resumed by the delegation of another Member State. Also, if an amendment to a proposal is accepted by its author, another delegation may resume the original unamended proposal. 5. Any amendment to a proposal, accepted by the delegation presenting this proposal, shall be immediately incorporated into the text of the proposal. If the author of the original proposal does not accept an amendment, the president decides whether to vote first on the amendment or on the proposal, starting from the drafting that deviates the most from the meaning or intention of the text of the basis and which produces the most profound change from the status quo. 6. The procedure described in paragraph 5 shall also apply where several amendments are submitted for the same proposal. 7. The President of the Congress and the chairmen of the committees shall send to the Commission, after each meeting, the written text of the proposals, amendments or decisions adopted. + Article 17 Deliberations 1. Delegates may not speak until after they have been authorized by the President of the Meeting. He recommends them to speak slowly and distinctly. The president must give the delegations the opportunity to express freely and in full their opinion on the subject in question, as long as the expression is compatible with the normal conduct of the deliberations. 2. Apart from a contrary decision taken by most of the present members and voters, the speeches cannot exceed 5 minutes. The President shall be authorized to interrupt any person who takes the floor and who exceeds the time given to take the word. He may also invite the delegate not to depart from the subject. 3. In the course of a debate, the president may, with the consent of the majority of present members and voters, declare the list of orators closed after reading him. When the list is finished, he declares the debates closed, subject to granting the author of the proposal in question, even after the closing of the list, the right to respond to any speech. 4. Also, the President may, with the agreement of the majority of the members present and the voters, limit the number of interventions of one of the same delegation on a proposal or a set of proposals determined, however, the author of the proposal to present it and to intervene subsequently, if he so requests, to bring new elements in response to the interventions of other delegations, in such a way that he can have the final say if he so requests. 5. With the consent of the majority of members present and voters, the President may limit the number of interventions on a proposal or a set of proposals determined; this limitation may not be less than 5 for and against the proposal in question. + Article 18 Motions of orders and motions of procedure 1. During the discussion of any issue and even, if applicable, after the end of the vote, a delegation may submit a motion of order to ask: -clarification on the conduct of debates; -compliance with the Internal Regulation -amending the order suggested by the president to discuss the proposals. The motion of order shall take precedence over all matters, including the procedural motions referred to in paragraph 3. 2. The President immediately makes the desired clarifications or makes the decision he considers necessary regarding the order motion. In case of objections, the decision of the President shall be immediately put 3. In addition, in the course of discussion of a problem, a delegation may introduce a motion of procedure having as its object the proposal for: a) suspension of the meeting b) closing the meeting; c) postponing the debate on the issue; d) closing debates on the issue in question. The procedural motions shall take precedence, in the order set out above, on all other proposals, outside the order motions referred to in paragraph 1. 4. The motions relating to the suspension or erection of the meeting are not discussed, being immediately put to the 5. When a delegation proposes to postpone or close debates on a problem in question, the word is granted only for two people who oppose the postponement or closing of the debate, after which the motion is put to the vote. 6. The delegation presenting a motion of order or procedure may not, in its intervention, treat the substance of the matter in question. The author of a motion of procedure may withdraw it before it is put to the vote and any similar motion, amended or not, which is withdrawn may be resumed by another delegation. + Article 19 Quorum 1. Subject to paragraphs 2 and 3, the quorum required for the opening of meetings and for voting shall be made up of half of the number of Member States represented in the Congress and entitled to vote. 2. At the time of voting on the amendment of the Constitution and the General Regulation, the necessary quorum shall be made up of two thirds of the number of the Member States of the Union 3. As regards the agreements, the quorum required for the opening of meetings and for voting shall be made up of half of the number of Member States represented in the Congress, which are party to the agreement and which have the right to vote. 4. The present delegations, who do not participate in a determined vote or who declare that they do not want to participate in it, are not considered as absent in order to determine the quorum requested under paragraphs 1, 2 and 3. + Article 20 Principle and voting procedure 1. Problems that cannot be regulated by mutual agreement are settled by vote. 2. The vote takes place through the traditional system or through the electronic voting device. In principle, the vote takes place via the electronic device, when it is available to the assembly. However, for the secret ballot, recourse to the traditional system may take place if the request made in this regard by a delegation is supported by the majority of the delegations present and entitled to vote. 3. For the traditional system, the voting procedure is as follows: a) by raising the hand: if the result of such a vote produces doubts, the President may, if he wishes or at the request of a delegation, proceed immediately to vote by roll call on the same issue; b) by roll call: at the request of a delegation or the wish of the President The appeal is made in the French alphabetical order of the represented member states, starting with the state whose name was drawn by the president. The result of the vote, with the list of states according to the nature of the vote, is recorded in the c) by secret ballot, using the ballot, at the request of two delegations; in this case, the president of the meeting designates 3 persons to count the votes and takes the necessary measures to ensure the secret of the vote. 4. Through the electronic device, the voting procedure is as follows: a) unregistered vote: replaces a vote by raising the hand; b) registered vote: replaces a vote by roll call; however, the roll call of countries shall not be called unless a delegation so requests and if the proposal is supported by a majority of the delegations present and voting; c) secret ballot: replaces a secret ballot by ballot. 5. Whatever the system used, voting by secret ballot takes precedence over any other voting procedure. 6. When voting begins, no delegation may interrupt it, unless it is a motion of order regarding the manner in which the voting is carried out. 7. After voting, the President may authorise delegations to explain their vote. + Article 21 Conditions for approval of proposals 1. In order to be adopted, the proposals for amending the acts must be approved: a) for the Constitution: by at least two thirds of the number of Member States of the Union with the right to vote; b) for the General Regulation: by the majority of the Member States represented in the Congress entitled to vote; c) for the Convention: by the majority of the Member States present and with the right to vote; d) for agreements: by the majority of the Member States present and with the right to vote, which are parties to the agreements. 2 2. The procedural problems which cannot be resolved by mutual agreement shall be determined by the majority of the Member States present which have the right to vote. The same applies to decisions that do not concern the amendment of acts, provided that in Congress most of the Member States present and with the right to vote do not decide otherwise. 3 3. Subject to the provisions laid down in paragraph 5, "Member States present and with the right to vote" must be understood as voting Member States voting "for" or "against", abstention not being taken into account in the calculation votes necessary for the constitution of the majority, as well as white or null ballots in case of vote by secret ballot. 4. In the event of equality of suffrage, the proposal is considered rejected. 5. When the number of abstentions and white or null bulletins exceeds half of the number of votes cast (for, against, abstentions), the examination of the matter shall be postponed to a subsequent meeting during which the abstention, as well as the bulletins white or null will no longer be considered. + Article 22 Election of members of the Board of Directors and of the Postal Service Council For the remoteness of the countries that obtained the same number of votes in the election of the members of the Board of Directors and of the Postal Service Council, the President shall proceed by drawing lots. + Article 23 Election of the Director General and Deputy Director General of the International Bureau 1. The election of the Director-General and the Deputy Director-General of the International Office shall take place by secret, successively, in one or more meetings held on the same day. The candidate who gets the majority of the votes cast by the Member States present and with the right to vote is elected. So many elections are organized that are necessary for a candidate to obtain this majority. 2. They are considered "present and voting member states" those who vote for one of the candidates regularly announced, with abstention and blank ballots or null being taken into account in the calculation of the votes required for constitution of majority 3. If the number of abstentions and non-filled bulletins or null and void bulletins exceeds half of the number of votes cast as provided for in paragraph 2, the choice shall be postponed to a subsequent meeting, during which the abstention and Blank or void bulletins and those cancelled shall no longer be taken into account. 4. The candidate who on a ballot has obtained the fewest votes is eliminated. 5. In case of equality of votes, an additional election or an additional second election is carried out, in order to spread the candidates, voting only for these candidates. If the result is not conclusive, it is decided by lot, by the president. + Article 24 Reports 1. The reports of plenary sessions of the Congress reproduce the approach of the meetings, briefly present the interventions, mention the proposals and the outcome of the deliberations. 2. Deliberations of committee meetings are the subject of reports to Congress. As a general rule, working groups draft a report to the attention of the organs that created them. 3. However, each delegate has the right to request the analytical introduction or in extenso on the reports of any statement made by him, provided he submits the text in French or English, to the secretariat, no later than two hours after end of session 4. From the moment the draft reports were distributed, the delegates shall have a period of 24 hours to submit their comments to the secretariat which, possibly, is an intermediary between the person concerned and the sitting president That. 5. In general and subject to the provisions of paragraph 4, at the beginning of each session of the Congress, the President shall submit to the approval the report The same applies to committee reports. The reports of the latest meetings which could not be approved at the Congress or in committee shall be approved by the respective presidents of those meetings. The International Office shall also take into account any comments which Member States ' delegations shall communicate within forty days of the submission of those reports. 6. The International Office shall be authorized to rectify in the reports of the meetings of the Congress and commissions the material errors which could not be highlighted on the occasion of their approval according to the provisions of paragraph 5. + Article 25 Appeal against decisions taken by committees and Congress 1. Any delegation may appeal against the decision relating to proposals (acts, resolutions, etc.) which have been approved or rejected in the Commission. The notice of the appeal will be handed in writing to the President of Congress, within 48 hours of the conclusion of the committee meeting in which the proposal was approved or rejected. The call will be discussed at the next plenary session. 2. When a proposal has been adopted or rejected by Congress, it may be re-examined by the same congress only if the appeal is supported by at least 10 delegations. This appeal must be accepted by a two-thirds majority of the number of members present and voting voting. This possibility will be limited to those proposals put forward directly in plenary meetings, and it is understood that a single question cannot lead to more than one call. + Article 26 Approval by Congress of draft decisions (acts, resolutions, etc.) 1. In general, each draft of the acts submitted by the drafting committee shall be examined article by article. The president may, with the consent of the majority, use a faster procedure, for example chapter by chapter. Each act can be considered as adopted only after a favourable overall vote. Article 21.1 is applicable to this vote. 2. The International Office is authorized to rectify in final acts the material errors that could not be highlighted during the examination of the draft acts, the numbering of the articles and the paragraphs, as well as the references. 3. The draft decisions, other than those amending the acts, submitted by the drafting committee, are generally examined in a global manner. The provisions of paragraph 2 are also applicable to the projects of those decisions + Article 27 Assignment of studies to the Board of Directors and the Postal Service Council At the recommendation of his office, the Congress assigns studies to the Board of Directors and the Postal Service Council, according to the respective composition and competences of these two organs, as described in art. 102 102 and 104 of the General Rules. + Article 28 The reserves 1. The reservations must be presented to the secretariat in the form of a proposal written in one of the working languages of the International Bureau (proposals on the final protocol), as soon as possible after the adoption of the proposal on the article to which the reservation relates. 2. In order for the reserves proposals to be distributed to all member states before the final protocol is adopted by the Congress, the Congress Secretariat will set a deadline for submitting the reserves and bring it to The Member States 3. The reservations to the acts of the Union, presented after this deadline fixed by the secretariat, shall not be taken into account either by the secretariat or by the Congress. + Article 29 Signing papers Acts approved definitively by the Congress are subject to the signing of plenipotentiaries. + Article 30 Amending Regulation 1. Each congress may amend the Rules of Procedure. In order to be subject to deliberations, proposals for amendments to this Regulation, provided that they are not submitted by an institution of the UPU empowered to introduce proposals, must be supported in the Congress by at least 10 delegations. 2. In order to be adopted, the proposals for amending this Regulation shall be approved by at least two thirds of the number of Member States represented in the Congress and entitled to vote. + Annex 4 GENERAL RULES OF THE UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION * *) ________ Note * *) Translation. Undersigned, plenipotentiaries of the governments of the Member States of the Union, by virtue of Article 22.2 of the Constitution of the Universal Postal Union, adopted in Vienna on July 10, 1964, decided jointly and subject to art. 25.4 of the above-named Constitution, in this General Regulation, the following provisions ensuring the application of the Constitution and the functioning of the + Chapter I Functioning of Union + Article 101 Organizing and convening extraordinary congresses and congresses (Const. 14 14 and 15) 1. Representatives of the Member States shall meet in the Congress no later than 4 years after the end of the year during which the previous congress took place. 2. Each Member State shall be represented at the Congress by one or more plenipotentiaries assigned by their government with the necessary powers. He may, if necessary, be represented by the delegation of another Member State. However, it is understood that a delegation can only represent one Member State other than its own. 3. In the deliberations each Member State shall have a vote, subject to the sanctions provided for in art. 129. 4. In principle, each congress designates the country in which the next congress will take place. If this designation is unenforceable, the Board of Directors is authorized to designate the country in which Congress will take place, after consultation with the latter. 5. After consultation with the International Office, the government that invites fixes the final date and the exact place of Congress. In principle, one year ahead of this date, the inviting government sends an invitation to the government of each Member State of the Union This invitation can be addressed either directly or through another government or through the Director-General of the International Office. 6. When a congress must be convened without there being a host government, the International Office, with the consent of the Board of Directors and after consultation with the Government of the Swiss Confederation, will take the necessary steps to convene and organize Congress in the country where the Union is based. In this case, the International Office exercises the functions of the host 7. The place of the meeting of an extraordinary congress is fixed, after a consultation with the International Office, by the Member States that initiated this congress. 8. The provisions set out in paragraphs 2 to 6 are applicable by analogy to extraordinary congresses. + Article 102 Composition, operation and meetings of the Management Board (Const. 17 17) 1. The Board of Directors shall consist of 41 members exercising their functions during the period between two successive congresses. 2. The Presidency is granted by law to the host country of Congress If the country does not accept it, it shall become a member of the law and, because of that, the geographical group to which it belongs has an additional place for which the restrictions in paragraph 3 are not applicable. In this case, the Board of Directors shall elect one of the members of the geographical group to which the host country belongs. 3. The other 40 members of the Board of Directors are elected by Congress based on a fair geographical distribution. At least half of the members shall be renewed at each congress; no Member State shall be elected successively by 3 congresses. 4. Each member of the Management Board shall designate his representative, who shall be competent in the postal field. 5. The membership of the Board of Directors shall not be paid. The operating costs of this Board are the responsibility of the Union. 6. The Management Board shall have the following tasks: 6.1. to supervise all Union activities in the range of congresses, taking into account the decisions of the Congress, studying the problems relating to government policies in the postal matters and taking into account the evolution of international regulations, such as those relating to the marketing of services and competition; 6.2. to examine and approve, within the framework of its powers, any action considered necessary to save and strengthen the quality of the international postal service and to modernize it; 6.3. to promote, coordinate and supervise all forms of postal technical assistance in the framework of technical, international cooperation; 6.4. to examine and approve the Union budget and biannual accounts; 6.5. to authorize, if the circumstances require it, to exceed the expenditure ceiling according to art. 128 paragraphs 3, 4 and 5; 6.6. establish the Union Financial Regulation; 6.7. establish the rules governing the Reserve Fund; 6.8. establish the rules governing the Special Fund; 6.9. establish the rules governing the Fund for Special Activities; 6.10. establish the rules governing the Voluntary Fund; 6.11. ensure control of the activity of the International Office 6.12. to authorize, if requested, the choice of a lower contribution class, according to the conditions provided in art. 130.6 130.6; 6.13. to authorise the change of the geographical group, if a country so requests, taking into account the opinion expressed by the Member States of the geographical groups concerned; 6.14. to develop the staff status and the conditions of service of elected officials; 6.15. to create or suppress jobs in the International Office, taking into account the restrictions related to the ceiling fixed by expenditure; 6.16. establish the Social Fund Regulation; 6.17. approve the biennial reports submitted by the International Office on the activities of the Union and financial management and submit, where appropriate, comments on these subjects; 6.18. to decide the contacts to be established with the postal administrations for the performance of its functions; 6.19. after consulting the Postal Service Council, decide on the contacts that will be made with the bodies that are not legal observers, examine and approve the reports of the International Office on the UPU relations with the others international bodies, take the decisions it considers necessary to manage these relations and the actions to be taken in relation to them; to designate, in due time, after consulting the Postal Service Council and the secretary-general, international organisations, associations, businesses and qualified persons who will be invited to be represented in certain works of Congress and its committees, when it is in the interest of the Union or the works of Congress, as well as to commission the Director General of the The Bureau should send the necessary invitations 6.20. to decide, if it considers useful, the principles of which the Postal Service Council must take into account when it will study the problems that have important financial repercussions (taxes, terminal expenses, transit expenses, the basis for the courier's air transport and the submission of correspondence abroad), to closely follow the study of these problems, to examine and approve, in order to ensure their compliance with the above-mentioned principles, the proposals of the Postal Exploitation Council on these subjects; 6.21. to study, at the request of the Congress, the Postal Service Council or the postal administrations, the administrative, legislative and legal issues that interest the Union or the international postal service; The administration shall, in the above-mentioned areas, decide whether or not it is appropriate to undertake the studies required by the postal administrations in the time between the congresses; 6.22. to formulate proposals to be submitted to the approval of either Congress or postal administrations, according to art. 124 124; 6.23. to approve, within the framework of its powers, the recommendations of the Postal Exploitation Council on the adoption, if necessary, of new regulations or a new procedure until the Congress makes a decision on this matter; 6.24. to examine the annual report prepared by the Postal Service Council and the proposals submitted by it; 6.25. submit to the examination of the Postal Exploitation Council subjects of study, according to art. 104 104 paragraph 9.16; 6.26. to designate the host country of the future congress, in the case provided by art. 101 101 paragraph 4; 6.27. to determine, in a timely manner and after consulting the Postal Service Council, the number of commissions necessary for the proper management of the works of the Congress and to fix their duties; 6.28. to designate, after consulting the Postal Service Council and subject to the approval of the Congress, the Member States likely to: -assume the vice-presidency of the Congress, as well as the presidencies and vice-presidencies of the committees, taking into account as far as possible the equitable geographical distribution of the Member States; -to be part of the restricted committees of Congress; 6.29. to examine and approve the draft Strategic Plan to be presented in Congress and drafted by the Postal Service Council with the help of the International Bureau; to examine and to approve the annual reviews of the Plan approved by the Congress based on the recommendations of the Postal Exploitation Council and work together with the Postal Exploitation Board on the annual development and updating of the Plan; 6.30. to establish the general framework for the organization of the Advisory Committee and to approve the organization of the Advisory Committee in accordance with 106 106; 6.31. establish the accession criteria to be a member of the Advisory Committee and approve or reject, as the case may be, applications for membership as a member in accordance with these criteria, ensuring that these decisions will be made according to a rapid procedures, between meetings of the Management Board; 6.32. designate those members who will be members of the Advisory Committee; 6.33. receive and discuss the reports and recommendations of the Advisory Committee and consider its recommendations to the Congress. 7. At its first meeting, which will be convened by the President of the Congress, the Board of Directors shall elect among its members 4 Vice-Presidents and shall decide the Rules of Procedure. 8. When convened by its chairman, the Management Board shall, in principle, meet once a year at the premises of the Union. 9. The President, the Vice-Presidents, the Chairpersons of the Board of Directors and the President of the Strategic Planning Group shall form the Management Committee. This committee prepares and conducts the work of each session of the Board. The Management Committee shall, on behalf of the Management Board, approve the biannual report drawn up by the International Bureau on the activities of the Union and assume any other task that the Management Board decides to entrust to it or whose Necessity arises during strategic planning. 10. The representative of each of the members of the Board of Directors participating in the sessions of this organ, with the exception of meetings taking place during the Congress, shall be entitled to the reimbursement of either the price of a class round-trip ticket economic or of a class 1 railway ticket, either at the cost of the journey by any other means, provided that this value does not exceed the price of the economic class return plane. The same right is given to the representative of each member of his committees, his working groups or other organs of his own when they come together outside the Congress and Council sessions. 11. The President of the Postal Exploitation Council represents this board at the meetings of the Board of Directors on whose agenda the issues related to the organ he leads appear. 12. The Chair of the Advisory Committee will represent this committee at the meetings of the Board, when on the agenda are points of interest to the Advisory Committee. 13. In order to ensure an effective link between the works of the two organs, the Postal Service Council may designate representatives to attend the meetings of the Management Board as an observer. 14. The postal administration of the country in which the Board of Directors meets is invited to attend meetings as an observer, if this country is not a member of the Board of Directors. 15. The Board of Directors may invite to its meetings, without the right to vote, any international body, any representative of an association or enterprise or any qualified person wishing to associate its works. It may also invite, under the same conditions, one or more postal administrations of the countries concerned to the problems set out in its agenda. 16. On request, during plenary sessions and works in committees of the Board of Directors, may participate as observers indicated below, without the right to vote: 16.1. members of the Postal Service Council; 16.2. Advisory Committee members; 16.3. Intergovernmental organizations interested in the works of the Management Board; 16.4. other Member States of the Union. 17. For logistical reasons, the Board of Directors may limit the number of participants as observers. It can also limit their right to speak during the debates. 18. Members of the Management Board shall participate effectively in its activities. Observers may, at their request, be authorized to collaborate in the studies undertaken, respecting the conditions that the Council may lay down to ensure the yield and effectiveness of its work. They can also be requested to preside over project teams and working groups, when their knowledge or experience justifies this. The participation of the observers will be without additional expenditure for the Union. 19. In exceptional circumstances, observers may be excluded from the whole or only from a part of the meeting or may be restricted the right to receive documents, if it is necessary to ensure the confidentiality of the subject of the meeting or Document. This restriction may be decided on a case-by-case basis by any body or its chairman. The different cases will be reported to the Board and the Postal Exploitation Board when it comes to issues with a particular interest to the Postal Service Board. If deemed necessary, the Board of Directors may review the restrictions by consulting with the Postal Service Board where appropriate. + Article 103 Information on the activities of the Management Board 1. After each session the Management Board shall inform the Member States of the Union, the restricted unions and members of the Advisory Committee on its activities, sending them an analytical analysis as well as its resolutions and decisions. 2. The Board of Directors shall make a report to the Congress on all its work and shall forward it to the Member States of the Union and to the members of the Advisory Council at least two months before the Congress + Article 104 Composition, operation and meetings of the Postal Service Council (Const. 18 18) 1. The Postal Service Board shall consist of 40 members exercising their functions during the period separating two successive congresses. 2. Members of the Postal Exploitation Council shall be elected by the Congress, depending on the specific geographical distribution. 24 seats are reserved for developing countries and 16 developed countries. At least one third of the members shall be renewed at each congress. 3. Each Member of the Postal Service Council shall designate its representative, who shall have the responsibility to provide the services provided for in the Union acts. 4 4. The operating expenses of the Postal Service Council shall be the responsibility of the Union. Its members do not receive any remuneration. The travel and travel expenses of the representatives of the postal administrations participating in the Postal Service Council are charged to them. However, the representative of each of the countries considered as disadvantaged according to the lists established by the United Nations has the right, outside the meetings that take place during the Congress, to refund either the price of a plane ticket round-trip economic class or a class 1 railway ticket, either at the cost of the trip by any other means, provided that this value does not exceed the price of an economic class return plane ticket. 5. In its first meeting, which is convened and opened by the President of Congress, the Postal Exploitation Board chooses among its members a president, a vice president, committee chairs and the president of the Strategic Planning Group. 6. The Postal Service Board will establish its internal regulation. 7. In principle, the Postal Service Board shall meet each year at the premises of the Union. The date and place of the meeting shall be fixed by the Chair or on the basis of an agreement with the Chairman of the Management Board and the Director General 8. The President, Vice President and Presidents of the Postal Exploitation Council committees and the Chairman of the Strategic Planning Group shall form the Management Committee. This committee prepares and conducts the work of each session of the Postal Service Council and assumes all the tasks that the latter decides to entrust and whose necessity arises during the planning process. strategic. 9. The tasks of the Postal Service Council are as follows: 9.1. lead the study of the most important operating, commercial, technical, economic and technical cooperation problems, which are of interest to the postal administrations of all the Member States of the Union, in particular the problems that have important financial repercussions (taxes, terminal expenses, transit expenses, basic fee for air transport of the courier, quotas-parts of postal parcels and submission abroad of mail mail items), to elaborate information and opinions on them and to recommend measures to be taken in respect of them; 9.2. to proceed with the revision of the Union regulations in the next 6 months after the closure of the Congress, if it does not decide otherwise. In case of urgent necessity, the Postal Service Board may modify those regulations in other sessions; in both cases the Postal Service Board remains subordinate to the Board's directives regarding the matter. fundamental policies and principles; 9.3. coordinate practical measures for the development and improvement of international postal services; 9.4. to undertake, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors within the latter's powers, any action considered necessary to save and strengthen the quality of the international postal service and to modernize it; 9.5. to formulate proposals that will be submitted for approval to either Congress or postal administrations, according to art. 125 125; the approval of the Management Board shall be requested where the proposals relate to matters falling within the competence of the latter; 9.6. to examine at the request of the postal administration of a Member State any proposal that this postal administration sends to the International Office according to art. 124, prepare the related comments and instruct the International Bureau to attach them to that proposal before it is subject to the approval of the Member States ' postal administrations; 9.7. to recommend, if necessary, and possibly after approval by the Board of Directors and the consultation of postal administrations, the adoption of regulations or a new practice, waiting for Congress to decide in this matter; 9.8. to develop and submit, in the form of recommendations, to the postal administrations rules in technical matters, exploitation and other areas related to its competence, where uniform practice is indispensable. The same procedure, in case of need, and for the norms it has already established; 9.9. to examine through consultation with the Management Board and its approval the draft Union Strategic Plan, prepared by the International Bureau and subject to Congress; every year to review the plan approved by the Congress, with the aid of the Strategic Planning Group and the International Bureau, as well as the approval of the Management Board; 9.10. approve those parts of the annual report on the activities of the Union, established by the International Office, which are interested in the responsibilities and functions of the Postal Service Council; 9.11. to decide on the contacts that will be established with the postal administrations in order to fulfill its functions; 9.12. to study the problems of education and training that interest the new and developing countries; 9.13. take the necessary measures to study and disseminate the experiences and progress made by certain countries in the field of technology, exploitation, economy and vocational training that interest postal services; 9.14. study the current situation and the needs of postal services in new and developing countries and develop the convenient recommendations on the ways and means of improving postal services in these countries; 9.15. to take, after the agreement with the Management Board, the appropriate measures in the field of technical cooperation with all the Member States of the Union, in particular with the new and developing countries; 9.16. to examine any problems subject to it by a member of the Postal Service Council, by the Management Board or any postal administration of a Member State; 9.17. to receive and discuss the reports, as well as the recommendations of the Advisory Board and, in a situation where the interests of the Postal Exploitation Council require it, to examine and comment on the recommendations of the Advisory Committee for submission to the Congress; 9.18. designate the members who will be part of the Advisory Committee. 10 10. On the basis of the Strategic Plan of the Union adopted by the Congress and, in particular, of the part related to the strategies of the permanent organs of the Union, the Postal Exploitation Council shall establish, in the first session after the Congress, a programme basis, which will contain a certain number of tactics aimed at achieving the strategy. This basic program, which will contain a limited number of studies on topical topics and common interest, will be reviewed every year according to realities and priorities, as well as changes to the Strategic Plan. 11. In order to ensure an effective link between the works of the two organs, the Management Board may designate representatives to assist as observers in the meetings of the Postal Service Council. 12. On request, the following categories of observers may participate in plenary sessions and those of the commissions of the Postal Service Council, without the right to vote: 12.1. members of the Management Board; 12.2. Advisory Committee members; 12.3. Intergovernmental organizations interested in the works of the Postal Service Council; 12.4. other Member States of the Union. 13. For logistical reasons, the Postal Service Council may limit the number of participants as observers. It can also limit the right to speak during the debates. 14. Members of the Postal Service Council shall participate effectively in its activities. Observers may, at their request, be allowed to collaborate in the studies undertaken, in compliance with the conditions that the Council may lay down to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of its work. They can be requested to preside over project teams and working groups when their knowledge or experience warrants this. The participation of the observers will take place without any additional costs from the Union. 15. In exceptional circumstances, observers may be excluded from the whole or only from a part of the meeting or may be restricted the right to receive documents if necessary to ensure the confidentiality of the subject of the meeting or the document, as appropriate. This restriction may be decided, on a case-by-case basis, by any body or its chairman. These situations will be reported to the Board and the Postal Service Board. If deemed necessary, the Board of Directors may review the restrictions, consulting with the Postal Service Board, where appropriate. 16. The Chairman of the Advisory Committee will represent this organization at the meetings of the Postal Exploitation Council when on the agenda there are points of interest for the Advisory Committee. 17. The Postal Service Board may invite to its meetings without voting rights: 17.1. any international body or any qualified person whom it wishes to associate with its works; 17.2. the postal administrations of the Member States which do not belong to the Postal Service Council; 17.3. any association or enterprise that it wishes to consult on the issues regarding its activities. + Article 105 Information on the activities of the Postal Service Council 1. After each session, the Postal Service Board shall inform the postal administrations of the Member States of the Union, the restricted unions and members of the Advisory Committee on its activities, addressing them an analytical report as well as resolutions and its decisions. 2. The Postal Service Board shall draw up, for the Management Board, an annual report on its activities. 3. The Postal Service Council shall establish a report on the assembly of its activity to the Congress and shall transmit it to the postal administrations of the Member States of the Union and to the members of the Advisory Committee, by at least two months before the opening of Congress. + Article 106 Composition, operation and meetings of the Advisory Committee 1. The purpose of the Advisory Committee will be to represent the interests of the international postal sector in the broad sense of the word and to ensure a general framework for effective dialogue among stakeholders. It is made up of nongovernmental organizations representing consumer interests, distribution service providers, workers ' organizations, goods and services providers to the postal sector as well as organizations. similar and of companies interested in international postal services. If these organisations are registered, they must be registered in a Member State of the Union. The Board of Directors and the Postal Service Board will designate their respective members on the Advisory Committee. In addition to the members appointed by the Board of Directors and the Postal Exploitation Board, adherence to the Advisory Committee is determined by a process of submitting the application and accepting it, established by the Board of Directors, which will take place in accordance with art. 102.6.31. 2. Each member of the Advisory Committee shall designate his representative. 3. The operating costs of the Advisory Committee shall be distributed between the Union and the members of the Committee as determined by the Management Board. 4. The members of the Advisory Committee shall not receive remuneration or any other form of compensation. 5. The Advisory Committee will reorganize after each Congress, following the general framework established by the Board of Directors. The Chair of the Management Board will chair the organising meetings of the Advisory Committee, which will elect its chairman from the Committee. 6. The Advisory Committee will establish its internal organisation and draw up the internal regulation, taking into account the general principles of the Union and the agreement of the Management Board, after consulting the Postal Service Council. 7. The advisory board will meet twice a year. In principle, the meetings will be held at the Union headquarters at the same time as those of the Management Board and the Postal Service Council, respectively. The date and place of each meeting will be determined by the Chair of the Advisory Committee, in agreement with the Chairman of the Board, respectively of the Postal Service Board, as well as with the Director-General of the Bureau International. 8. The Advisory Committee shall establish its own programme within the limits of the general framework with the following functions: 8.1. to examine documents and reports of the Board of Directors and the Postal Service Board. In exceptional circumstances, the right to receive certain texts and documents may be restricted, if this is necessary for the preservation of confidentiality on the subject of the meeting or the document. This restriction may be decided, on a case-by-case basis, by any interested body or its chairman. The different cases will be reported to the Board and the Postal Service Board, if there are issues concerning the Postal Service Board. If deemed necessary, the Board of Directors will then be able to amend these restrictions, also consulting the Postal Service Board, if applicable; 8.2. develop studies and debate important issues for members of the Advisory Committee; 8.3. to debate issues affecting the postal services sector and to issue reports on these issues; 8.4. to collaborate on the works of the Board of Directors and the Postal Service Council, including by submitting reports and recommendations, points of view, at the request of the two councils; 8.5. to make recommendations to Congress, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors, and, when it concerns matters of interest to the Postal Exploitation Board, subject to the examination and comments of the Postal Service Board. 9. The Chairman of the Board of Directors and the President of the Postal Exploitation Council shall represent these bodies at the meetings of the Advisory Committee when points of interest for these organs are on the agenda. 10. In order to ensure an effective link with Union bodies, the Advisory Committee may designate representatives to attend the meetings of the Congress, the Management Board and the Postal Service Council, as well as those of the of their committees, as observers without the right to vote. 11. The members of the Advisory Committee, on request, may participate in plenary meetings and meetings of the committees of the Board of Directors and of the Postal Service Council, in accordance with the provisions of art. 102.16 102.16 and 104.12. They may also participate in the works of the project teams and working groups under the conditions provided in art. 102.18 102.18 and 104.14. Members of the Advisory Committee may participate in Congress as observers without the right to vote. 12. On request, may participate in the sessions of the Advisory Committee, without voting rights, the following: 12.1. Members of the Postal and Administrative Council; 12.2. Intergovernmental organizations interested in the work of the Advisory Committee 12.3. restricted unions; 12.4. other Member States of the Union. 13. For logistical reasons, the Advisory Committee may limit the number of participants as observers; may also limit their right to speak during the debates. 14. In exceptional circumstances, observers may be excluded from the whole or part of a meeting or may restrict their access to documents, if it is necessary to ensure the confidentiality of the subject of the meeting or document. This restriction may be decided, on a case-by-case basis, by either body concerned or its chairman. The different cases will be reported to the Board and the Postal Exploitation Board when it comes to issues of interest to the Postal Exploitation Board. If deemed necessary, the Board of Directors will be able to modify these restrictions, consulting the Postal Service Board where appropriate. 15. The International Office, under the coordination of the Director-General, shall provide the Secretariat to + Article 107 Information on Advisory Committee activities 1. After each session, the Advisory Committee will inform the Board of Directors and the Postal Exploitation Board about its activities, by submitting to the presidents of these organs, inter alia, a report on the meetings, Council recommendations and opinions. 2. The Advisory Committee will submit an annual activity report and a copy to the Postal Service Board to the Board of Directors. This report will be included in the documentation of the Management Board to the Member States of the Union and of the restricted unions, in accordance with art. 103. 3. The Advisory Committee shall prepare for the Congress a general report on its work and shall transmit it to the postal administrations of the Member States of the Union at least two months before the opening of the Congress. + Article 108 The Congress Interior Regulation (Const. 14 14) 1. For the organization of his works and the leadership of his deliberations, Congress applies the Internal Rules of Congresses. 2. Each congress may amend this Regulation under the conditions laid down in its internal regulation. + Article 109 Working languages of the International Bureau The working languages of the International Office are French and English. + Article 110 Languages used for official documentation, deliberations and correspondence 1. The French, English, Arabic and Spanish languages are used for the Union's documentation. German, Chinese, Portuguese and Russian languages are also used, provided that the documents in these last languages are limited to the most important basic documentation. Other languages are also used, provided that the Member States which require it to bear all the related costs. 2. The Member State or Member States applying for a language other than the official language shall constitute a language group. 3. The documentation is published by the International Office in the official language and languages of the language groups constituted, either directly or through the regional offices of these groups, according to the modalities agreed with the Bureau International. Publication in different languages is performed according to the same model. 4. The documentation published directly by the International Office is, as far as possible, distributed simultaneously in the various languages requested. 5. The correspondence between the postal administrations and the International Office and between the latter and third parties may be changed in any language for which the International Office has a translation service. 6. The translation costs in a language, regardless of which it may be, including those resulting from the application of the provisions of paragraph 5, shall be borne by the linguistic group which requested this language. Member States using the official language shall, by way of translation of non-official documents, make a flat-rate contribution whose value per unit is equal to that borne by the Member States which have recourse to another working language. International Bureau. All other expenditure related to the provision of documents shall be borne by The ceiling of expenditure to be incurred by the Union for the production of documents in German, Chinese, Portuguese and Russian is fixed by a resolution of the Congress. 7. The expenditure to be incurred by a language group shall be allocated among the members of that group in proportion to their contribution to the Union's expenditure. These expenses can be distributed among members of the language group according to a distribution tool, provided that those interested in understanding on this subject and notifying their determination to the International Office through a spokesman for the group. 8. The International Office shall give effect to any change in the choice of the language required by a Member State, after a period not exceeding 2 years. 9. For the deliberations of the meetings of the Union bodies, the French, English, Spanish and Russian languages are admitted, by means of an interpretation system-with or without electronic equipment-the choice of which is left to the appreciation of the organizers meeting, after consulting the Director-General of the International Bureau and the Member States concerned. 10. The other languages shall be generally authorised for the deliberations and meetings referred to in paragraph 9. 11 11. Delegations using other languages shall ensure simultaneous interpretation in one of the languages referred to in paragraph 9, either by the system indicated in the same paragraph, where necessary technical amendments may be made, or by interpreters. Private. 12 expenditure on interpretation services shall be distributed among the Member States using the same language in proportion to their contribution to Union expenditure. However, the costs of installation and maintenance of technical equipment shall be borne by the Union. 13. Postal administrations can understand the language that will be used in service correspondence in mutual relations. In the absence of such understanding, the language used will be French. + Chapter II International Bureau + Article 111 Election of the Director General and Deputy Director General of the International Bureau 1. The Director-General and Deputy Director-General of the International Office shall be elected by the Congress for the period separating two successive congresses, the minimum duration of their term of office being 4 years. Their mandate may be renewed once. With the exception of a decision to the contrary of Congress, the date of their entry into office is fixed for January 1 of the year after Congress. 2. At least 7 months before the opening of Congress, the Director-General of the International Office addresses a note to the governments of the Member States, inviting them to submit any applications for the posts of general manager and general manager Deputy and indicate at the same time whether the Director-General or Deputy Director-General in office is interested in a possible renewal of the original mandate. Applications accompanied by a curriculum vitae must reach the International Office at least two months before Congress opens. Candidates must belong to the Member States which present them. The International Bureau is drawing up the necessary documentation The election of the Director General and the Deputy Director General takes place with secret elections, the first choice being made for the post of Managing Director. 3. In case of release of the post of Director General, the Deputy Director General shall assume the functions of the Director General until the end of the mandate provided for it; he shall be eligible in this post and admitted ex officio as a candidate, subject that his original mandate as Deputy Director-General had not already been renewed once by the previous Congress and that he would show his interest in being considered as a candidate for the post of Director-General. 4. In case of simultaneous release of the posts of general manager and deputy director general, the Board of Directors shall choose, on the basis of the applications received, following a competition, a Deputy Director-General for the period following up to the future Congress For the submission of applications, paragraph 2 shall apply by analogy. 5. In the event of the release of the post of deputy director general, the Board of Directors shall instruct, on the proposal of the Director General, one of the D2 degree directors of the International Office to assume, until the future Congress, the functions Deputy Director General + Article 112 Functions of Director 1. The Director-General shall organize, administer and conduct the International Office, whose legal representative is He is competent to grade the posts of Grades G1 to D2 and to appoint and promote officials to these degrees. For appointments in Grades P1 to D2, he shall take into account the professional qualifications of the candidates recommended by the postal administrations of the Member States whose nationality they are or in which they pursue their professional activity, taking into account a fair geographical and geographical distribution of the language. The posts of D2 grade director must, as far as possible, be filled by candidates from different regions other than those from which the Director-General and the Deputy Director-General come, taking into account efficiency considerations. International Bureau. In the case of posts applying for special qualifications, the Director-General may address outside. It takes into account, on the occasion of the appointment of a new official, that, in principle, the persons occupying the posts of the D2, D1 and P5 grades must come from different Member States of the Union. On the occasion of the promotion of an official of the International Bureau in Grades D2, D1 and P5, it is not mandatory to apply the same principle. In addition, the requirements for a geographically and linguistically fair distribution are less important than qualifying for the recruitment process. The Director-General shall inform the Management Board once a year, in the report on the activities of the Union, of appointments and promotions in grades P4 to D2. 2. The Director General shall have the following 2.1. to ensure the depositary functions of the acts of the Union and of the intermediary in the procedure of accession and admission to the Union, as well as the exit thereof; 2.2. notify the decisions taken by the Congress to all the governments of the Member States 2.3. to notify all postal administrations the regulations decided or reviewed by the Postal Service Council; 2.4. to prepare the draft annual Union budget at the lowest possible level, compatible with the Union's needs, and to submit it to the Management Board in time; to communicate the budget to the governments of the Member States of the Union after its approval by the Management Board and to execute it; 2.5. to execute the specific activities required by the Union bodies and those assigned to it by the acts; 2.6. take initiatives aimed at achieving the objectives set by the Union bodies, within the framework of the established policy and available funds; 2.7. submit suggestions and proposals to the Board of Directors or the Postal Service Council; 2.8. after the closure of the Congress, submit proposals on amendments to the Regulation as a result of the decisions of the Congress, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure of the Postal Service Council; 2.9. to prepare, for the Postal Service Council and on the basis of the directives given by the latter, the draft Strategic Plan to be submitted to the Congress and the draft annual revision of the plan; 2.10. ensure representation of the Union; 2.11. serve as an intermediary in relations between: -UPU and restricted unions; -UPU and the United Nations; -UPU and international organisations whose activity is of interest to the Union; -UPU and international bodies, associations or undertakings which the Union bodies wish to consult or associate with their work; 2.12. assume the position of Secretary-General of the Union bodies and supervise with that title, taking into account the special provisions of this Regulation, in particular: -preparing and organising the work of Union bodies -elaboration, production and distribution of documents, reports and verbale; -the operation of the secretariat during meetings of the Union bodies; 2.13. to attend the meetings of the Union bodies and to take part in deliberations without the right to vote, with the possibility of being represented. + Article 113 Functions of Deputy Director General 1. The Deputy Director-General shall assist the Director-General and shall be responsible to him. 2. In case of absence or impediment by the Director-General, the Deputy Director-General shall exercise his powers. The same thing happens in case of release of the post of general manager provided in art. 111.3. + Article 114 Secretariat of the Union bodies (Const. 14 14, 15, 17, 18) The Secretariat of the Union bodies shall be provided by the International Office under the responsibility of He addresses all the documents published on the occasion of each session to the members of the Union body, the postal administrations of the countries which, without being members of the Union body, collaborate in the studies undertaken, the unions restricted, as well as the other postal administrations of the Member States which requested. + Article 115 Member countries list The International Office shall establish and keep up-to-date the list of the governments of the Member States of the Union, indicating in it their contribution class, their geographical group and their situation in relation to Union acts. + Article 116 ((Const. 20 20; General Regulation 124, 125, 126) Information. Opinions. Requests for interpretation and fines of acts. Inquiries. Intervention in clearance of accounts 1. The International Office is always at the disposal of the Board, the Postal Service Council and the postal administrations to provide them with all the useful information on the problems regarding the service. 2. He is charged, in particular, to bring together, coordinate, publish and distribute information of any nature, which interests the international postal service, to issue at the request of the parties concerned an opinion on contentious issues, to give Requests for interpretation and amendment of Union acts and, in general, to carry out studies and drafting or documentation which those acts assign to them or which would be in the interest of the Union. 3. He also performs the investigations that are requested by the postal administrations in order to know the opinion of the other postal administrations on a determined problem The result of an investigation is not the subject of a vote and will not be officially legal. 4. He may intervene, with the title of office of compensation, in the liquidation of the accounts of any nature relating to the postal service. + Article 117 Technical cooperation (Const. 1 1) The International Office is responsible, in the framework of international technical cooperation, to develop postal technical assistance in all its forms. + Article 118 Forms provided by the International Bureau (Const. 20 20) The International Office is charged with conceiving and making international response couplings and supplying with them, at cost price, the postal administrations that request it. + Article 119 Acts of restricted unions and special agreements (Const. 8 8) 1. Two copies of the acts of restricted unions and of the special arrangements concluded by application of art. 8 of the Constitution must be transmitted to the International Office by the offices of these unions or, in absentia, by one of the contracting parties. 2. The International Bureau takes care that the acts of restricted unions and special arrangements do not provide for less favourable conditions for the public than those that are provided for in the Union acts and inform the postal administrations about the existence the unions and the above-mentioned arrangements. It shall signal to the Board of Directors any irregularity found under this provision. + Article 120 Union Magazine The International Office drafts, with the help of documents provided to it, a magazine in German, English, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, French and Russian. + Article 121 ((Const. 20 20; General Regulation 102.6.17) Biannual report on Union activities The International Office shall draw up a biannual report on the activities of the Union which shall be communicated after its approval by the Management Board, the postal administrations, the restricted unions and the United Nations. + Chapter III Procedure for the introduction and examination of proposals + Article 122 Procedure for submitting proposals to the Congress 1. Subject to the exceptions provided for in paragraphs 2 and 5, the following procedure regulates the introduction of proposals of any nature that will be submitted to Congress by the postal administrations of the Member States: a) the proposals that appear to the International Office at least 6 months before the date fixed for the Congress are admitted; b) no draft editorial order is admitted within the period of 6 months preceding the date fixed for the Congress; c) the substantive proposals that appear to the International Office within the period between 6 and 4 months before the date fixed for the Congress are not accepted unless they are supported by at least two postal administrations; d) the substantive proposals that appear to the International Office within the period between 4 and 2 months preceding the date fixed for the Congress shall not be admitted unless they are supported by at least 8 postal administrations; subsequently are not admitted; e) statements of support must be made by the International Office at the same time as the proposals to which it relates. 2. Proposals on the Constitution or the General Rules must be made to the International Office at least 6 months before the opening of the Congress; those that subsequently appear to it, but before the opening of the Congress, shall not may be taken into consideration unless the Congress so decides by a majority of two thirds of the number of countries represented in the Congress and whether the conditions laid down in paragraph 1 are met. 3. Each proposal must, in principle, be only an objective and contain only amendments to that objective. 4. The editorial proposals are provided in the header by the postal administrations that present them, with the mention "Editorial proposal", and published by the International Office under a number followed by the letter R. this mention, but which, in the opinion of the International Bureau, are only editorial offices, are published with an appropriate mention; the International Office draws up a list of these proposals for the Congress. 5. The procedure described in paragraphs 1 and 4 shall not apply either to the proposals on the internal rules of the congresses or to the amendments to the proposals already made. + Article 123 Procedure for submitting proposals to the Postal Service Council on the preparation of the new regulations, having regard to the decisions adopted by the Congress 1. The Regulations of the Universal Postal Convention and the Arrangement on postal payment services will be drafted by the Postal Operational Council, in light of the decisions adopted by the Congress. 2. The proposals resulting from the amendments proposed to the Convention or to the Arrangement on postal payment services will be submitted to the International Office, together with the proposals to the Congress to which they refer. These proposals may be submitted by a single postal administration of one Member State without the support of other postal administrations in other states. Such proposals will be distributed to all postal administrations in the Member States no less than a month before the Congress. 3. Other proposals on regulations, proposals under study in the Postal Operational Council for the preparation of regulations in the next 6 months after the end of the Congress will be submitted to the International Office at least two months before Congress. 4. Proposals on amending regulations as a result of congressional decisions, which are drafted by member states ' postal administrations, will have to reach the International Bureau no later than two months ahead of the opening works of the postal operational council Such proposals will be distributed to all Member States no later than one month before the opening of the work of the postal operational council. + Article 124 Procedure for the submission of proposals between two congresses (Const. 29 29; General Regulation 116) 1. In order to be taken into consideration, the proposals on the Convention or the Agreements, introduced by a postal administration between two congresses, must be supported by at least two other postal administrations. These proposals therefore remain when the International Office does not, at the same time, receive the necessary statements of support. 2. These proposals are addressed to the other postal administrations through the International Office. 3. Proposals on regulations do not need support, but are not taken into consideration by the Postal Service Council unless they approve them in urgent necessity. + Article 125 Examination of proposals between two congresses (Const. 29 29; General Regulation 116, 124) 1. Any proposal relating to the Convention, agreements and their final protocols shall be subject to the following procedure: when a postal administration of a Member State has submitted a proposal to the International Office, the latter shall submit it to all the Member States ' postal administrations for analysis. A period of two months is left at the disposal of the Member States ' postal administrations for the examination of the proposal and, possibly, to submit their comments to the International Bureau. No amendments are permitted. After the expiry of this period, the International Bureau will submit all the comments received to all the postal administrations of the Member States and invite each postal administration of the Member State to vote for or against the proposal. Those postal administrations of the Member States that did not make their vote come within two months are considered to be abstaining. The above-mentioned deadlines begin to flow from the data of the International Bureau's circulars. 2. Proposals to amend the Regulations shall be dealt with by the Postal Service Board. 3. If the proposal concerns an arrangement or its final protocol, only the postal administrations of the Member States which are party to this agreement may take part in the operations described in paragraph I. + Article 126 Notification of decisions taken between two congresses 1. The amendments made to the Convention, the final arrangements and protocols to these acts are established by a notification of the Director-General of the International Office to the Governments of the Member States. 2. The amendments made by the Postal Board to the Regulations and their final protocols shall be notified to the postal administrations by the International Bureau. The same applies to the interpretations referred to in art. 36.3.2 of the Convention and the corresponding provisions of the agreements. + Article 127 The implementation of the Regulations and the other decisions adopted between the congresses 1. Regulations shall enter into force on the same date and shall have the same duration as the acts issued by the Congress. 2. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 1, decisions amending the acts of the Union which are adopted between two congresses shall not be enforceable until at least 3 months after their notification. + Chapter IV Finance + Article 128 Fixing and adjusting Union expenditure 1. Subject to paragraphs 2-6, the annual expenditure related to the activities of the Union bodies shall not exceed the following amounts for the years 2005 and the following: 37,000,000 Swiss francs for the years 2005-2008. The base limit for 2008 will also apply to the following years, if the 2008 Congress is postponed. 2. The expenses related to the meetings of the future congress (movement of the secretariat, transport expenses, expenses of technical installation of simultaneous interpretation, expenses of reproduction of documents during the Congress, etc.) should not exceed the limit of 2,900,000 Swiss francs. 3. The Management Board shall be authorized to exceed the limits set out in paragraphs 1 and 2 in order to take account of increases in processing steps, pension contributions or allowances, including post allowances, The United Nations to be applied to their staff in office in Geneva. 4. The Board of Directors is also authorized to adjust each year the amount of expenses, other than those relating to personnel, according to the Swiss Consumer Price Index. 5 5. By way of derogation from paragraph 1, the Management Board or, in the event of extreme urgency, the Director-General may authorise exceeding the limits fixed to deal with the important and unforeseen repairs of the International Office building, without the value of exceeding being able to pass 125,000 Swiss francs per year. 6. If the appropriations provided for in paragraphs 1 and 2 appear to be insufficient to ensure the proper functioning of the Union, those limits may be exceeded only with the approval of the majority of the Member States of the Union. Any consultation must conduct a full exposure of the facts justifying such an application. 7. Countries which accede to the Union or which are admitted as a member of the Union and those who leave the Union must pay their dues for the whole year during which their admission or exit must be made. 8 member States shall pay in advance their share of the contribution to the annual expenditure of the Union, on the basis of the budget established by the Management Board. These contributory parties must be paid at the latest on the first day of the financial year to which the budget is reported. Exceeded this term, the amounts due are producing interest in the Union's profit, respectively 3% per year during the first 6 months and 6% per year starting with the seventh month. 9. As long as the arrears of compulsory, off-interest contributions due to the Union by a Member State, are equal to or above the sum of the contributions of that Member State for two previous financial years, that Member State may irrevocably cede to the Union in whole or part of its claims on other Member States, in accordance with the arrangements set by the Management Board. The conditions of the claims shall be defined as a result of an agreement between the Member State, the debtor/creditors and the 10. Member States which, for legal or other reasons, are unable to carry out such an assignment, undertake to conclude a plan for the amortisation of their arrears. 11. In addition to exceptional circumstances, the recovery of arrears to compulsory contributions due to the Union cannot be extended to more than 10 years. 12. In exceptional circumstances, the Board of Directors may absolve a Member State, in total or only of a portion of the interest due, if it has fully paid the outstanding debts. 13. A Member State may also be absolved, within the framework of a plan for the amortization of its delayed accounts approved by the Board of Directors, all or part of the accrued interest or vice versa; complete and punctual execution of the payback plan within a period agreed to a maximum of 10 years. 14. In order to cover the Union's treasury failures, a reserve fund whose value is fixed by the Management Board has been set up. This fund is primarily fueled by budget surpluses. It may also serve to balance the budget or reduce the amount of Member States ' contributions. 15. With regard to the fleeting insufficiencies of the treasury, the Government of the Swiss Confederation shall make the necessary advances in short term, according to the conditions that are fixed by mutual agreement. This government oversees without remuneration the accounting of financial accounts, as well as the accounting of the International Bureau, within the limits of the conditions set by the + Article 129 Automatic penalties 1. Any Member State, finding itself in impossibility to carry out the obligation provided for in art. 128.9 and which does not accept to submit to a depreciation plan proposed by the International Office according to art. 128.10 or does not respect it, automatically loses its right to vote in Congress and meetings of the Board of Directors or the Postal Service Board and is no longer eligible on these two boards. 2 2. The automatic penalties shall be lifted ex officio and with effect as soon as the Member State concerned acquits itself in full by the arrears of compulsory contributions due to the Union, in capital and interest, or which accepts to submit to a payback plan of his arrears. + Article 130 Contribution classes (Const. 21 21; General Regulation 115, 128) 1 member States shall contribute to the coverage of Union expenditure according to the contribution class they belong to. These classes are as follows: class of 50 units class of 45 units class of 40 units class of 35 units class of 30 units class of 25 units class of 20 units class of 15 units class of 10 units class of 5 units class of 3 units class of 1 unit class of 0.5 units, reserved for less advanced countries, listed by the United Nations, and other countries designated by the Board of Directors. 2. Apart from the contribution classes listed in paragraph 1, any Member State may choose to pay more than 50 units. 3. Member States shall be entered in one of the above contribution classes, at the time of their admission or accession to the Union, in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 1. 21.4 of the Constitution. 4. Member States may subsequently change the contribution class, provided that this change is notified to the International Office at least two months before the opening of the Congress. This notification, which is brought to the attention of Congress, will take effect on the date of entry into force of the financial provisions, determined by the Congress Member States which have not made known their intention to change the contribution class during the period provided for are maintained in the contribution class to which they belonged until that time. 5. Member States may not require that they be left more than one class at the same time. 6. However, in exceptional circumstances, such as natural disasters requiring international aid programmes, the Management Board may authorise temporary declassification with a one-time contribution class between two congresses upon request. a Member State, if it proves that it can no longer maintain its contribution according to the originally chosen class. Under the same conditions, the Management Board may also authorise the temporary declassification of the Member State which does not belong to the category of less advanced countries already included in Class 1, passing it in Class 0,5 units. 7. In application of paragraph 6, the temporary declassification may be authorized by the Management Board for a maximum period of 2 years or until the future congress, if it takes place until the end of this period. At the expiry of the period fixed, the country concerned shall automatically reintegrate into its original class. 8. By way of derogation from paragraphs 4 and 5, outclassings shall not be subject to any restrictions. + Article 131 Payment of documents provided by the International Bureau (General Regulation 118) The services that the International Office offers against payment of postal administrations must be paid as soon as possible and at the latest within 6 months starting from the first day following that of transmission of the account by Office. Exceeded this period, the amounts due are producing interest on the Union interest, respectively 5% per year, starting from the day of expiry of the above-mentioned period. + Chapter V Arbitrations + Article 132 Arbitration procedure (Const. 32 32) 1. In the event of a dispute to be regulated by arbitration, each of the postal administrations concerned shall choose a postal administration of a Member State which is not directly interested in the dispute. When several postal administrations make the common cause, they are considered, for the application of these provisions, as a single postal administration. 2. If one of the postal administrations in question does not comply with an arbitration proposal within 6 months, the International Office, if the request was addressed to it, shall in turn determine the appointment of an arbitrator by the postal administration or designates itself one of its own offices. 3. The parties concerned may be understood to designate a single arbitrator who may be the International Office. 4. Referees ' decisions are taken by a majority of votes. 5. In the case of divided opinions, arbitrators choose to settle the dispute another disinterested postal administration in dispute. In the absence of a settlement on election, this postal administration is designated by the International Bureau between the non-proposed postal administrations by the arbitrators. 6. If it is a dispute concerning one of the agreements, the arbitrators may not be appointed outside the postal administrations which are party to this agreement. + Chapter VI Final provisions + Article 133 Conditions for approval of the proposals on the General In order to become effective, the proposals submitted to Congress and on this general regulation must be approved by the majority of the Member States represented at the Congress and entitled to vote. At least two thirds of the Member States of the Union with the right to vote must be present at the time of the vote. + Article 134 Proposals for agreements with the United Nations The approval conditions referred to in art. 133 133 shall also apply to proposals for amendments to agreements concluded between the Universal Postal Union and the United Nations, in so far as such agreements do not provide for the conditions for amending the provisions they contain. + Article 135 Implementation and duration of the General Regulation This general regulation will be implemented on 1 January 2006 and will remain in force for an indefinite period. As a result, the plenipotentiation of the governments of the Member States has signed this General Regulation in a copy, which is submitted to the Director-General A copy will be given to each party by the International Office. Done at Bucharest on 5 October 2004. + Annex 5 POST PAYMENT SERVICE ARRANGEMENT *) ________ Note * *) Translation. Plenipotentiary undersigned by the governments of the Member States of the Union, based on art. 23.4 of the Constitution of the Universal Postal Union, concluded in Vienna on July 10, 1964, by mutual agreement and subject to art. 26.4 of the Constitution, decided the following arrangement. + Chapter I Preliminary provisions + Article 1 Object of arrangement and products concerned 1. This arrangement regulates all postal benefits aimed at the transfer of funds. The contracting countries agree on the products of this arrangement which they are understood to introduce in their mutual relations. 2. Non-postal bodies may participate, through the postal administration, of the postal cheque service or of a body managing a network of transfer of postal funds, to the exchanges regulated by the provisions of the present Arrangement. These bodies are required to establish themselves with the postal administration in their country, in order to ensure the full execution of all arrangement clauses and, within the framework of this agreement, the exercise of rights and the fulfilment of obligations what they return to them as a postal administration, as defined under this arrangement. The postal administration serves them, is their intermediary in relations with the postal administrations of the other contracting countries and with the International Office. If a postal administration does not provide the financial services described in this arrangement or if the quality of the service does not meet the requirements of the customers, postal administrations may cooperate with non-postal bodies of that country. 3. Member States shall notify the International Office, within 6 months after the end of the Congress, the name and address of the governmental body responsible for the supervision of postal financial services and the name and address of the controller or the operators designated/formally appointed to provide the postal financial services and to fulfil the obligations resulting from the Union acts on their territory. 3.1. Member States shall notify the International Bureau, within 6 months after the end of the Congress, of the data of the persons responsible for the operation of postal financial services and the service of complaints. 3.2. Between two congresses, any change with regard to government bodies, to the operators and responsible persons who have been officially appointed must be notified to the International Office as soon as possible. 4. This arrangement regulates the following payment postage products: 4.1. the postal mandate, including the mandate of delivery; 4.2. account transfers to the account. 5. Interested postal administrations may provide other regulated benefits through bilateral or multilateral agreements. + Chapter II Postal mandate + Article 2 Product definition 1. Simple postal order 1.1. The customer who gives the order deposits the funds at the counter of a post office or orders the debit of his account and requests the payment of the full amount without any cash deduction to the beneficiary. 2. The Mandate of Aquarius 2.1. The customer who gives the order deposits the funds at the counter of a post office and requests that they be paid in full and without deductions to the beneficiary's account managed by a postal administration or in an account managed by other financial bodies. 3. The cash on delivery 3.1. The recipient of a "receipt with payment upon receipt" shall submit the funds or order the debit of his account and shall request the full payment of the amount without any restraint to the sender "sending with payment upon receipt". + Article 3 Submission of orders 1. In the absence of a special agreement, the value of the postal mandates is expressed in the currency of the country 2. The issuing postal administration fixes the exchange fee of its currency in that of the country of destination. 3. The maximum value of the postal mandates is fixed bilaterally. 4. The issuing postal administration has all the freedom to establish the documents and modalities for the submission of postal warrants. If the mandate has to be transferred by courier, only the forms provided for in the Regulation must be used. + Article 4 Taxes 1. The issuing postal administration shall freely determine the fee to be charged at the time of issue. 2. The postal warrants exchanged, by means of a country forming part of this arrangement, between a contracting country and a non-contracting country, may be subject by an intermediary administration to an additional charge, determined by it from follow up on the costs of the operations carried out, the value of which is agreed between the respective postal administrations and is deducted from the value of the postal mandate; this tax may however be levied from the sender and assigned the postal administration in the intermediate country if the postal administrations have been agreement in this regard. 3. The documents, titles and payment orders regarding the transfers of postal funds exchanged between postal administrations by postal route, under the conditions provided in art. RL 110 and 111. + Article 5 Obligations of the issuing postal administration 1. The issuing postal administration must comply with the rules on the services provided in the Regulation to provide satisfactory services to customers. + Article 6 Transmission of orders 1. Postal warrants are exchanged through electronic networks established by the International Office of the UPU or other bodies. 2. Electronic exchanges shall be operated by reference directly to the paying office or to an exchange office. The security and quality of the exchanges must be guaranteed by the technical specifications relating to the networks used or a bilateral agreement between the postal administrations. 3. Postal administrations may agree to exchange postal mandates with the paper forms provided for by the Regulation and sent as a priority. 4. Postal administrations may agree to use other means of exchange. + Article 7 Processing in the country of destination 1. Payment of postal warrants is carried out in accordance with the regulations of the destination country. 2. As a rule, the entire amount of the postal mandate must be paid to the beneficiary; the optional fees may be charged if it requests additional special services. 3. The validity of electronic postal mandates must be fixed by bilateral agreements. 4. The validity of the postal warrants issued on paper shall, as a rule, apply until the end of the first month following the date of issue. 5. After the period mentioned above, a non-paid postal order must be immediately returned to the issuing postal administration. + Article 8 Remuneration of the paying postal administration 1. For each paid postal order, the issuing administration shall grant to the paying postal administration a remuneration whose tax is fixed in the Regulation. 2. Instead of the flat fee provided for in the Regulation, postal administrations may agree different remuneration fees. 3. Transfers of funds made with tax relief shall not entitle to any remuneration. 4. When there is an agreement between the interested postal administrations, transfers of tax-free aid funds by the issuing postal administration may be exempt from remuneration. + Article 9 Obligations of the paying postal administration 1. The paying postal administration must meet the rules on services provided in the Regulation to provide satisfactory services to customers. + Chapter III Postal transfer + Article 10 Product definition 1. The holder of a postal account shall request, by debiting his account, the registration of an amount in the account of the beneficiary's credit kept by the postal administration or within another account, through the postal administration in the country of destination. + Article 11 Submission of orders 1. The amount of the transfer must be expressed in the currency of the destination country or in another currency, according to the agreement agreed between the issuing and welcoming postal administrations. 2. The issuing postal administration fixes the exchange rate of its currency in the currency in which the amount of the transfer is expressed. 3. The value of the transfers is unlimited, except for the decisions taken by the interested postal administrations. 4. The issuing postal administration has all the freedom to specify the documents and methods for issuing the transfers. + Article 12 Taxes 1. The issuing postal administration shall freely determine the fee to be charged at the time of issue. At this main fee she will possibly add the fees related to the special services offered to the 2. Viraments carried out by means of a country forming part of this arrangement, between a contracting country and a non-contracting country, may be subject by the intermediate administration to an additional charge. The amount of this tax is decided between the respective administrations and deducted from the total amount of the transfer. However, this tax can be levied from the sender and attributed to the administration of the intermediary country, if the administrations concerned have agreed to do so. 3. Documents, instruments and payment orders related to postal transfers made between postal administrations by postal route are exempt from any tax, under the conditions provided in art. RL 110 and 111. + Article 13 Obligations of the issuing postal administration 1. The issuing postal administration must meet the rules on services provided in the Regulation to provide satisfactory services to customers. + Article 14 Transmission of orders 1. Viraments must be carried out through electronic networks established by the International Office of the UPU or other bodies, according to the technical specifications adopted by the administrations concerned. 2. The security and the quality of the exchanges must be guaranteed by the technical characteristics relating to the networks used or by a bilateral agreement between the issuing and paying postal administrations. 3. Postal administrations may decide to make transfers by means of paper forms provided for by the Regulation and sent as a priority. 4. Postal administrations may agree to use other means of exchange. + Article 15 Processing in the country of destination 1. The incoming viruses must be treated according to the regulations in force of the destination country. 2. In general, the rights payable in the country of destination must be paid by the beneficiary; however, this fee may be charged from the sender and assigned to the postal administration of the destination country, according to a bilateral agreement. + Article 16 Remuneration of the paying postal administration 1. For each transfer the paying postal administration may request payment of an arrival fee. This fee may be or debited from the beneficiary's account or taken over by the issuing postal administration, by debiting his or her current postal link. 2 2. The charges made with tax relief do not give rise to any remuneration. 3. On the basis of an agreement between the postal administrations concerned, the transfers of tax-free aid funds by the issuing postal administration may be exempt from remuneration. + Article 17 Obligations of the paying postal administration 1. The paying postal administration must respond to the rules on the services provided in the Regulation to provide satisfactory services to customers. + Chapter IV Liaison accounts, monthly accounts, complaints, responsibility + Article 18 Financial relations between participating postal administrations 1. Postal administrations agree with each other on the technical means that will be used to regulate their claims. 2. Liaison accounts 2.1. In general, when postal administrations have a postal cheque institution, each of them will open on its behalf, within the corresponding administration, a liaison account, through which debts are liquidated and mutual claims resulting from exchanges made for the service of transfers and postal warrants and for all other operations that the postal administrations will agree to pay by this means. 2.2. When the postal administration of the destination country does not have a postal cheque system, the current account may be opened in another administration. 2.3. Postal administrations may agree to regulate their financial exchanges through the administrations designated by a multilateral agreement. 2.4. If a current account is discovered, the amounts due are producing interest, at the fee fixed in the Regulation. 2.5. A bond account showing a credit balance must be a producer of interest. 3. Monthly accounts 3.1. In the absence of a liaison account, each paying postal administration shall draw up for each postal administration a monthly account of the amounts paid for the postal mandates. Monthly accounts are regularly included in a general account that makes it possible to determine a balance. 3.2. Account regulation can also take place based on monthly accounts without compensation. 4. No unilateral action may be prejudiced, such as moratorium, transfer ban, etc., the provisions of this Article and those of the Regulation, arising therefrom. + Article 19 Complaints 1. Complaints shall be admitted within 6 months from the second day following the filing of a postal order or from the execution of a transfer. 2. Postal administrations have the right to charge from their customers a complaint fee for postal warrants or transfers. + Article 20 Responsibility 1. The principle and extent of responsibility 1.1. The postal administration is responsible for the amounts paid at the counter or entered in the debit of the shooter's account until the time the mandate was paid regularly or the beneficiary's account has been credited. 1.2. The postal administration is responsible for the erroneous indications it has provided and which have trained either a non-payment or errors in the execution of the transfer of funds. The responsibility lies on conversion errors and transmission errors. 1.3. The postal administration is absolved of any responsibility: 1.3.1. in the event of delay which may occur in the transmission, dispatch or payment of securities and orders; 1.3.2. when, following the destruction of service documents as a result of a case of force majeure, it cannot prove the execution of a transfer of funds, provided that the evidence of its responsibility is not administered in any other way; 1.3.3. when the sender did not make any complaint within the period provided for in art. 19 19; 1.3.4. when the time limit for the prescribing of mandates in the issuing country has expired. 1.4. In case of reimbursement, no matter what the cause, the amount reimbursed to the sender may not exceed the amount it has paid or which has been debited from its account. 1.5. Postal administrations can agree with each other to apply wider conditions of responsibility tailored to the needs of their internal services. 1.6. The conditions for the application of the principle of responsibility and, in particular, the problems of determining responsibility, the payment of the amounts due, appeals, the payment deadline and the provisions on reimbursement to the intervening administration those provided in the Regulation. + Chapter V Electronic networks + Article 21 General rules 1. For the transmission of payment orders by electronic means, postal administrations use the UPU network or any other network that allows the making of viruses reliably, quickly and safely. 2. The electronic financial services of the UPU are regulated between postal administrations, based on bilateral agreements. The general rules for the functioning of the electronic financial services of the UPU are subject to the corresponding provisions of + Chapter VI Various provisions + Article 22 Request for the opening of a postal current account abroad 1. For the opening of a postal account abroad or of another type of account or when an application is made to obtain a financial product abroad, the postal bodies of the states that are part of this arrangement decide to provide assistance in the use of the intended products. 2. The Parties may agree bilaterally on the assistance they may provide to each other in the detailed procedure to be followed and agree on the expenditure relating to the provision of such assistance. + Chapter VII Final provisions + Article 23 Final provisions 1. The Convention is applicable, as the case may be, by analogy, for all that is not expressly regulated by the present arrangement. 2. Article 4 of the Constitution is not applicable to this arrangement. 3. Conditions for the approval of proposals on this Agreement and its Regulation 3.1. In order to become enforceable, the proposals submitted to Congress, relating to this arrangement, must be approved by the majority of the present member countries and who vote having the right to vote and who are part of the arrangement At least half of these Member States represented in Congress and entitled to vote must be present at the time of the vote. 3.2. In order to become enforceable, the proposals relating to the Regulation of this arrangement must be approved by the majority of the members of the Postal Exploitation Council which are part of the arrangement and entitled to vote. 3.3. In order to become enforceable, the proposals introduced between two congresses and the present arrangement must bring together: 3.3.1. two thirds of the number of votes, at least half of the number of member countries, which are part of the arrangement and voting rights, which participated in the vote, if it is about the addition of new provisions; 3.3.2. the majority of votes, at least half of the number of member countries, which are part of the arrangement and voting rights, which participated in the vote, if it is about amendments to the provisions of this arrangement; 3.3.3. majority of votes, if it is the interpretation of the provisions of this arrangement 3.4. Without prejudice to the provisions of paragraph 3.3.1, any Member State whose national law is still incompatible with the proposed addition shall have the opportunity to make a written statement to the Director-General of the Office. International, indicating the impossibility of accepting this addition, within 90 days from the date of its notification. 4. This arrangement will be applied on January 1, 2006 and will remain in force until the acts of the future Congress are implemented. As a result, the plenipotentiaries of the governments of the contracting countries have signed this arrangement in a single copy to be submitted to the Director General of the A copy will be handed over to each party by the International Office. Done at Bucharest on 5 October 2004. ___________