The extraordinary general assembly of the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF) approved of the European Union’s accession to the Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF) on 23 June 2011 in Bern. On behalf of the rotating Presidency of the European Union, Tamás Iván Kovács, Deputy State Secretary for European Union and International Affairs of the Hungarian Ministry of National Development signed the accession agreement closing the inter-organisational negotiations that have been going on for several years.

In his address Mr Kovács pointed out that the conclusion of the agreement and the creation of a uniform regulatory background was a major development, among others, in respect of the interoperability between the railways of the European Union and the neighbouring countries. The cooperation will increase competitiveness in the international carriage of goods by rail and contribute to the improvement of rail’s modal share. After expressing his gratitude for the engagement of those who participated in the preparation, Tamás Iván Kovács declared that the finalisation of this agreement was a real success to top off the efforts made by the Hungarian Presidency in the field of transport policy.

The extraordinary general assembly was convened on 22-23 June 2011 in Bern to discuss the European Union’s accession to the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF). 33 states, including 23 Member States of the European Union participated in the meeting. The accession agreement was approved by 27 votes during the general assembly and signed by OTIF Secretary General Stefan Schimming and Deputy State Secretary Tamás Iván Kovács representing the Hungarian Presidency of the European Union. In the future the European Union may be directly represented in the work of the organization. This agreement removes the differences between the European Union legislation and the COTIF Convention. The accession agreement was approved on the 16 June 2011 meeting of the Council of Transport Ministers of the EU. With the adoption of this agreement, a 12-year negotiation process was closed under the Hungarian Presidency.

The Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF) was established in 1980 in Bern by the Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF), promulgated in Hungary in 1986. Its legal predecessor was the International Organisation for Railway Transport (OCTI) founded in 1893. The 1999 amendment of the Convention allowed the accession of “regional economic integration organisations”. The prime objective of the intergovernmental organisation is the elaboration of a standard system of rules to govern international passenger transport and the carriage of goods by rail.

The organisation headquartered in Bern currently has 45 member states (Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa) and an associate member (Jordan), including 25 Member States of the European Union. The infrastructure subject to its regulation covers approximately 250,000 km. The regular general assembly of OTIF is convened once in every three years.

(Ministry of National Development , Department of Communication)