In view of the presence of customs at all borders and the general nature of its intervention, the other controls are, to the extent possible, organised in a harmonised manner with customs controls.

2. In accordance with this principle, it is possible, where appropriate, to carry out all or part of these checks elsewhere than at the border, provided that the procedures used help facilitate the international movement of goods.

Customs will be kept exactly informed of the legal or regulatory requirements which may lead to the intervention of non-customs controls.

2. Where other controls are deemed necessary, customs will ensure that the services concerned are notified and will cooperate with them.

1. Where several checks are to be carried out in one place, the competent services shall take all necessary steps to carry out such checks if possible at least once with the minimum time limit. They will endeavour to coordinate their documentation and information requirements.

In particular, the competent services shall take all necessary steps to ensure that the necessary staff and facilities are available at the place where the checks are carried out.

The customs may, by express delegation of the competent services, carry out for their account all or part of the checks carried out by these services. In this case, these services will ensure that customs are provided with the necessary means.

For all aspects covered by this Convention, the control and customs authorities shall exchange all relevant information as soon as possible in order to ensure the effectiveness of the controls.

2. On the basis of the results of the checks carried out, the competent service will decide the fate which it intends to reserve for the goods, and it will so inform if necessary the services responsible for the other controls. On the basis of that decision, the customs duty will be assigned to the goods.

The medical-health inspection shall be carried out, irrespective of where it is carried out, in accordance with the principles laid down in this Convention and in particular its Annex 1.

Each Contracting Party shall ensure that information on the following points can be readily obtained by any interested person:

-

Goods subject to a medical-health inspection,

-

The premises where the goods in issue may be presented to the inspection,

-

The legal and regulatory requirements for medical inspection and their general application procedures.

1. The control services will ensure that the necessary facilities are available at the border points open to the medical-health inspection.

2. The medical-health inspection may also be carried out at points within the country if it is shown, by reason of the justifications produced and the transport techniques employed, that the goods cannot alter or give Contamination during transport.

3. Within the framework of the conventions in force, the Contracting Parties shall endeavour to reduce as far as possible the physical controls of perishable goods en route.

4. Where the goods are to be stored pending the results of the medical-health inspection, the competent control services of the Contracting Parties shall take the necessary steps to ensure that this deposit is carried out under conditions Allowing the preservation of the goods and with the minimum of customs formalities.

Within the framework of the conventions in force, the Contracting Parties will waive as much as possible the medico-sanitary inspection of the goods in transit provided that there is no risk of contamination.

1. Medical and health inspection services will cooperate with counterparts in other Contracting Parties in order to expedite the passage of perishable goods subject to medical and health inspection, in particular through exchange Useful information.

2. When a shipment of perishable goods is intercepted during the medical-health inspection, the responsible service will endeavour to inform the counterpart service of the country of export within the shortest possible time, indicating the reasons for the shipment. The interception and action taken with respect to the goods.

The veterinary inspection shall be carried out, irrespective of where it is carried out, in accordance with the principles laid down in this Convention and in particular its Annex 1.

The veterinary inspection defined in para. (d) Article 1 of this Convention shall also extend to the inspection of the means and conditions of carriage of animals and animal products. It may also include inspections of various quality, standards and regulations, such as those for the conservation of endangered species which, for reasons of efficiency, are often associated with Veterinary inspection.

Each Contracting Party shall ensure that information on the following points can be readily obtained by any interested person:

-

Goods subject to a veterinary inspection,

-

The premises where the goods may be presented for inspection,

-

Diseases for which reporting is mandatory;

-

The legal and regulatory requirements for veterinary inspection and their general application procedures.

The Contracting Parties shall endeavour to:

-

Establish, as necessary and where possible, appropriate facilities for veterinary inspection, corresponding to the requirements of the traffic,

-

Facilitate the movement of goods, in particular by coordinating the working hours of the veterinary services and customs services, and the acceptance of the execution of formalities outside normal working hours, when the arrival of the Goods was previously announced.

2. The inspection of animal products may also be carried out at points within the country in so far as, because of the justifications produced and the means of transport used, the products cannot alter or give rise to Contamination during transport.

3. Within the framework of the conventions in force, the Contracting Parties shall endeavour to reduce as far as possible the physical controls of perishable goods en route.

4. Where the goods are to be stored pending the results of the veterinary inspection, the competent control services of the Contracting Parties will take the necessary steps to ensure that this deposit is carried out with the minimum of formalities Customs, under conditions permitting the safety of quarantine and the conservation of the goods.

Within the framework of the conventions in force, the Contracting Parties will waive as much as possible the veterinary inspection of the animal products in transit provided that there is no risk of contamination.

1. Veterinary inspection services will cooperate with counterparts in other Contracting Parties in order to speed up the movement of goods subject to veterinary inspection, in particular through the exchange of useful information.

2. When a shipment of perishable goods or live animals is intercepted during the veterinary inspection, the responsible service shall endeavour to inform the counterpart service of the country of export within the shortest possible time, indicating The reasons for the interception and the measures taken with regard to the goods.

Phytosanitary inspection shall be carried out, irrespective of where it is carried out, in accordance with the principles laid down in this Convention and in particular its Annex 1.

Art. 2 Definitions

Phytosanitary inspection as defined in para. (e) Article 1 of this Convention shall also extend to the inspection of the means and conditions of transport of plants and plant products. It may also include the measure for the conservation of endangered plant species.

Each Contracting Party shall ensure that information on the following points can be readily obtained by any interested person:

-

Goods subject to special phytosanitary conditions,

-

Places where certain plants and plant products may be inspected,

-

The list of enemies of plants and plant products for which prohibitions or restrictions are in effect,

-

The legal and regulatory requirements for plant health inspection and their general application procedures.

The Contracting Parties shall endeavour to:

-

Establish, as appropriate and where possible, appropriate facilities for plant inspection, storage, disinfestation and disinfection, corresponding to the requirements of the traffic,

-

Facilitate the movement of goods, in particular by coordinating the working hours of phytosanitary services and customs services, and the acceptance of enforcement, outside normal working hours, of formalities for the Perishable goods, when the arrival of perishable goods was previously announced.

2. Plant inspections of plants and plant products may also be carried out at points within the country, provided that, because of the justifications produced and the means of transport used, the goods do not May give rise to infestation during transport.

3. Within the framework of the conventions in force, the Contracting Parties shall endeavour to reduce as far as possible the physical controls of perishable plants and plant products along the way.

4. Where the goods are to be stored pending the results of the phytosanitary inspection, the competent control services of the Contracting Parties will take the necessary steps to ensure that this deposit is carried out with the minimum of formalities Customs, under conditions permitting the safety of quarantine and the conservation of the goods.

Within the framework of the conventions in force, Contracting Parties shall waive as much as possible the phytosanitary inspection of goods in transit, unless this measure is necessary for the protection of their own plants.

Plant health services will cooperate with counterparts in other Contracting Parties in order to speed up the movement of plants and plant products subject to plant health inspection, in particular through the exchange of useful information.

2. When a consignment of plants or plant products is intercepted during the phytosanitary inspection, the responsible service shall endeavour to inform the counterpart service of the country of export within the shortest time limits, indicating the reasons The interception and the measures taken with regard to the goods.

The control of compliance with the technical standards relating to the goods covered by this Convention shall apply, irrespective of where it is exercised, in accordance with the principles laid down in this Convention and in particular its Annex 1.

Each Contracting Party shall ensure that information on the following points can be readily obtained by any interested person:

-

The standards it applies,

-

The premises where the goods may be presented for inspection,

-

The legal and regulatory requirements for monitoring compliance with technical standards, as well as their general application procedures.

In the absence of international standards, Contracting Parties applying national standards will endeavour to harmonize them by international agreements.

The Contracting Parties shall endeavour to:

-

Establish, as necessary and where possible, compliance checkpoints with the technical standards corresponding to the traffic requirements,

-

Facilitate the movement of goods, in particular by coordinating the working hours of the service responsible for monitoring compliance with technical standards and customs services, and acceptance of execution, outside of working hours Procedures for perishable goods, when the arrival of perishable goods has been announced in advance.

2. Control of compliance with technical standards may also be carried out at points within the country, provided that, due to the justifications produced and the means of transport used, the goods and, in particular, Perishable products cannot be altered during transport.

3. Within the framework of the conventions in force, the Contracting Parties shall endeavour to reduce as far as possible the physical controls, on the road, of perishable goods subject to the control of conformity with technical standards.

4. The Contracting Parties shall organise the monitoring of compliance with the technical standards by harmonising, wherever possible, the respective procedures of the service responsible for these controls and, where appropriate, the competent services For other controls and inspections.

5. In the case of perishable goods held pending the results of the inspection of compliance with the technical standards, the competent control services of the Contracting Parties shall ensure that the storage of the goods or the Parking of transport equipment shall be carried out with the minimum of customs formalities, under conditions permitting the retention of the goods.

The control of compliance with technical standards does not normally apply to goods in direct transit.

1. The services responsible for monitoring compliance with technical standards will cooperate with counterparts in other Contracting Parties in order to expedite the passage of perishable goods subject to compliance with the standards In particular through the exchange of useful information.

2. When a shipment of perishable goods is intercepted during the inspection of compliance with technical standards, the responsible service shall endeavour to inform the counterpart service of the country of export within the shortest possible time, indicating The reasons for the interception and the measures taken with regard to the goods.

The quality control of the goods covered by this Convention shall apply, irrespective of where it is exercised, in accordance with the principles laid down in this Convention and in particular its Annex 1.

Each Contracting Party shall ensure that information on the following points can be readily obtained by any interested person:

-

The premises where the goods may be presented for inspection,

-

The legal and regulatory requirements for quality control, as well as their general application procedures.

The Contracting Parties shall endeavour to:

-

To establish, as necessary and where possible, quality control posts, corresponding to traffic requirements,

-

Facilitate the movement of goods, in particular through the coordination of the working hours of the service responsible for quality control and customs services, and the acceptance of enforcement, outside normal working hours, of formalities for Perishable goods, when the arrival of the goods was previously announced.

2. Quality control may also be carried out at points within the country provided that the procedures used help facilitate the international movement of goods.

3. Within the framework of the conventions in force, the Contracting Parties shall endeavour to reduce as far as possible the physical controls, on the road, of perishable goods subject to quality control.

4. The Contracting Parties shall organise quality control by harmonising, wherever possible, the respective procedures of the service responsible for such controls and, where appropriate, the competent services for the other controls And inspections.

Quality controls do not normally apply to goods in direct transit.

1. Quality control services will cooperate with counterparts in other Contracting Parties in order to speed up the passage of perishable goods subject to quality control, in particular through the exchange of useful information.

2. When a shipment of perishable goods is intercepted during quality control, the responsible service shall endeavour to inform the counterpart service of the country of export within the shortest possible time, indicating the reasons for the The interception and action taken with respect to the goods.

The members of the Management Committee shall be the Contracting Parties to this Convention.

The Administrative Committee may decide to invite the competent authorities of the States which are not Contracting Parties, or representatives of international organizations which are not Contracting Parties, to the questions which Interested in attending its sessions as observers.

2. However, without prejudice to Article 1, the international organizations referred to in s. 1, competent in respect of matters dealt with in the annexes to this Convention, shall participate in the work of the Management Committee as observers.

The secretariat of the Committee is provided by the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Europe.

The Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Europe shall convene the Committee:

(i)

Two years after the entry into force of the Convention;

(ii)

Thereafter, on a date fixed by the Committee, but at least every five years;

(iii)

At the request of the competent administrations of at least five States which are Contracting Parties.

The Committee shall elect a Chairman and a Vice-Chairperson for each of its sessions.

A quorum of at least one-third of the States which are Contracting Parties is necessary for rendering decisions.

(i)

The proposals shall be put to the vote.

(ii)

Each State which is a Contracting Party, represented at the session, shall have one vote.

(iii)

In the case of application of s. 2 of the art. 16 of the Convention, regional economic integration organizations Parties to the Convention shall have in the event of a vote only a number of votes equal to the total number of votes attributable to their member States also Parties to the Convention. In the latter case, these Member States do not exercise their right to vote.

(iv)

Subject to the provisions of para. (v) below, the proposals shall be adopted by a simple majority of the members present and voting according to the conditions laid down in paras. Ii) and iii) above.

(v)

Amendments to this Convention shall be adopted by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting according to the conditions laid down in paras. Ii) and iii) above.

The Committee adopted its report before the close of its session.

In the absence of any relevant provisions in this Annex, the rules of procedure of the Economic Commission for Europe shall apply, unless the Committee decides otherwise.

In addition to the provisions of the Convention, and in particular those laid down in Annex 1, the purpose of this Annex is to define the measures to be taken to facilitate border crossing formalities in transport International road.

The Contracting Parties should endeavour to facilitate the formalities for issuing visas to professional drivers participating in international road transport, in accordance with the best national practices applicable to All visa applicants and national immigration regulations, as well as international commitments.

2. The Contracting Parties agree to regularly exchange information on best practices concerning the facilitation of procedures for issuing visas to professional drivers.

1. In order to facilitate the international carriage of goods, Contracting Parties shall regularly inform all parties involved in this type of transport, in a harmonised and coordinated manner, of the formalities in force or foreseen Borders for international road transport operations, as well as on the actual state of the situation at the borders.

2. Contracting Parties shall endeavour to make all necessary formalities, to the extent possible and not only for transit traffic, to the places of origin and destination of the goods transported by road, To reduce congestion at border crossing points.

3. In particular, s. 7 of this Convention, priority shall be given to urgent shipments, such as live animals and perishable foodstuffs. In particular, the relevant services at border crossing points should:

(i)

Take the necessary measures to minimise the waiting times for ATP vehicles carrying perishable foodstuffs or vehicles carrying live animals, between the time of arrival at the border and the time when they are submitted Regulatory, administrative, customs and health controls;

(ii)

Ensure that the required regulatory controls referred to in para. (i) above be carried out as quickly as possible;

(iii)

Authorise, as far as possible, the operation of the necessary refrigeration systems on vehicles carrying perishable foodstuffs during the crossing of the border, unless this is not possible because of the Required control procedures;

(iv)

Cooperate, in particular through the prior exchange of information, with their counterparts in other Contracting Parties, in order to speed up border crossing formalities for perishable foodstuffs and live animals where these Shipments must be subject to health checks.

1. Contracting Parties which are not yet Parties to the Agreement on the Adoption of Uniform Conditions for Periodical Technical Monitoring of Wheeled Vehicles and the Reciprocal Recognition of Controls (1997) should Endeavour, in accordance with relevant national and international laws and regulations, to facilitate the crossing of borders to road vehicles by accepting the International Certificate of Technical Control as provided for in the Agreement Above. A model of a technical inspection certificate in accordance with the Agreement at 1 ^Er January 2004 is reproduced at Appendix 1 Of this Annex.

2. In order to identify ATP vehicles carrying perishable foodstuffs, Contracting Parties may use the identification marks affixed to the equipment in question and the ATP certificate or certification plate provided for in the The Agreement on the International Carriage of Perishable Foodstuffs and on the Special Equipment to be Used for such Carriage (1970).

1. In order to speed up border crossings, Contracting Parties, in accordance with applicable national and international laws and regulations, should endeavour to avoid the repeated weighing of vehicles at the crossing points. Acceptance and mutual recognition of the International Vehicle Weighing Certificate as presented to Appendix 2 Of this Annex. In the event that the Contracting Parties accept this certificate, no other weighing of the vehicle shall be carried out except for the purpose of sampling inspection or control in the event of suspected irregularity. The weight measures of the vehicle whose result is recorded in these certificates must be carried out only in the country of origin of the international transport operation. These results must be duly registered and certified in these certificates.

(2) Each Contracting Party accepting the International Certificate of Vehicle Weighing shall publish the list of all weighing stations approved in accordance with the international principles existing in its country, as well as any modification thereof. This list and the amendments to it shall be transmitted to the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe for distribution to each Contracting Party and to the international organizations referred to in Art. 2 of Annex 7 to this Convention.

3. The minimum requirements for certified weighing stations, the principles for the granting of their approval, the main elements of the weighing methods to be applied shall be set out in Appendix 2 Of this Annex.

In order to simplify and speed up the formalities prescribed at border crossing points, the Contracting Parties must ensure that, as far as possible, the following minimum requirements are met for border crossing points Open to international carriage of goods:

(i)

Provide for facilities to carry out common controls between neighbouring states (single-stop system), 24 hours a day, to the extent that commercial requirements justify it and in compliance with the rules of traffic Road;

(ii)

Establish separate traffic lanes, depending on the type of transport, on both sides of the border, in order to give priority to vehicles having a valid international customs transit title or carrying live animals, or Perishable goods;

(iii)

Provide for discontinuation zones for unannounced loads and vehicle controls;

(iv)

Development of appropriate parking lots and terminals;

(v)

Make available to drivers suitable sanitary facilities, meeting places and means of telecommunication;

(vi)

Encourage the installation of freight forwarders at crossing points, equipped with the necessary facilities and providing services to carriers at competitive prices.

With respect to the implementation of s. 1 to 6 of this annex, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe conducts a survey every two years with the Contracting Parties on the progress made in improving the effectiveness of the Border crossing procedures in their country.

The purpose of this Annex, which supplements the provisions of the Convention, is to define the measures to be taken in order to facilitate and speed up border crossing formalities in the carriage of goods by rail.

2. The Contracting Parties undertake to cooperate with a view to standardising as far as possible the formalities and requirements concerning documents and procedures in all fields relating to the carriage of goods by rail.

"Border station (exchange)" means a railway station where operational or administrative procedures are carried out to enable rail freight to cross the border. This railway station may be located at or near the border.

1. The Contracting Parties shall endeavour to facilitate the formalities relating to the issuing of visas to train drivers, to those of refrigerated units, to persons accompanying a shipment and to officials at the border stations (exchange) participating in international rail transport, in accordance with the best national practices applicable to all visa applicants.

2. The procedures for crossing the borders by the persons referred to in s. 1 of this Article, including in respect of official documents confirming the status of such persons, shall be established on the basis of bilateral agreements.

3. During joint control operations, border guards, customs officers and other bodies exercising control functions at border (exchange) stations, in the performance of their duties, cross The State border using documents drawn up by the Contracting Parties for their nationals.

In order to streamline and speed up the formalities at the (exchange) border stations, the Contracting Parties must meet the following minimum requirements for open border (exchange) stations for international transport Of goods by rail:

(i)

Border (exchange) stations are equipped with buildings (of premises), equipment, facilities and technical means which allow inspections to be carried out every day and twenty-four hours, if the volume of traffic of Goods justifies it;

(ii)

Border (exchange) stations in which phytosanitary, veterinary and other controls are carried out are equipped with the necessary technical means;

(iii)

The reception and flow capacity of border (exchange) stations and adjacent channels must correspond to the volume of freight traffic;

(iv)

Inspection areas should be provided, as well as facilities for the temporary storage of goods subject to customs controls or other controls;

(v)

Equipment, installations, computer systems and means of telecommunication must be provided for in order to permit the prior exchange of information, including those relating to goods arriving at a border station (exchange), and Corresponding to the particulars mentioned in the railway car letters and customs declarations;

(vi)

Qualified personnel of the railways, customs services, border surveillance service and other competent bodies must be available at the (exchange) border stations, in sufficient numbers given the volume of traffic Goods concerned;

(vii)

Border (exchange) stations are equipped with equipment, installations, computer systems and means of telecommunication allowing, before the arrival of rolling stock at the border, to receive and use the data relating to the authorisation Technical and technical inspections of rolling stock carried out by the authorities and the railways within the framework of their respective powers, unless the Contracting Parties implement other arrangements in view To perform these functions.

In accordance with the provisions of Art. 7 of the Convention, the Contracting Parties shall coordinate the measures to be taken for the inspection of rolling stock, containers, tractor-capable semi-trailers and transported goods, as well as for the processing of documents Transport and accompanying documents and endeavour to put in place all forms of joint inspections on the basis of bilateral agreements.

The Contracting Parties shall:

(i)

Establish a mechanism for mutual recognition of controls of all types relating to rolling stock, containers, tractor-ready semi-trailers, and goods, provided that their objectives coincide;

(ii)

Carry out customs controls on the basis of a selection based on analysis and risk management; as a general rule, if the required information is provided for the goods, and if the goods are in a Unit of rolling stock, in a container, in a tractor-trailer or in a car, closed and sealed as appropriate, a physical examination is not carried out;

(iii)

Simplify controls at border (exchange) stations and carry out, as far as possible, certain types of checks at departure and destination stations;

(iv)

Without prejudice to the provisions of Art. 10 of the Convention, of Art. 4 of Annex 2, Art. 5 of Schedule 3 and of s. 5 of Annex 4, carry out an inspection of goods in transit only in cases where the goods are justified in the light of a situation or a specific risk.

Contracting Parties shall ensure compliance with the time limits established by bilateral agreements for the performance of technical operations related to the reception and delivery of trains at border (exchange) stations, including different And seek to reduce these delays by improving the equipment and technologies used. The Contracting Parties undertake to minimize delays in the coming years.

2. Contracting Parties record the delays of trains or wagons at border (exchange) stations and communicate this information to the parties concerned, who then analyse them and propose measures to reduce the Delays.

Contracting Parties shall ensure that transport documents and accompanying documents are prepared in accordance with the laws and regulations of the importing and transit countries.

2. In their relations, the Contracting Parties shall endeavour to reduce the use of paper documents and to simplify documentation procedures, using electronic systems for the exchange of information In the letters of railway car and the customs declarations accompanying the goods, established in accordance with their respective laws.

(3) The Contracting Parties shall endeavour to communicate in advance to the customs authorities the information relating to the goods sent to the border stations (exchange), contained in the railway car letters and declarations Customs. The format, terms and time limits for the provision of such information shall be determined by the Contracting Parties.

Contracting Parties may, instead of the transport documents currently provided for in international treaties, use the CIM/SMGS rail consignment note, which could also be a customs document.