Signing Ceremony for The Electronic Contract for the
International Carriage of Goods by Road (e-CMR)

27 May 2008 - Palais des Nations - Geneva

Group photo of signatories and UNECE Executive Secretary, Marek Belka (middle)

New electronic tool offers road transport industry 21 st century solution
(Press Release - 27 May 2008) In a signing ceremony on 27 May 2008, at the Palais des Nations, seven countries signed a new United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Protocol which will ease international road freight and further improve good governance in road transport by allowing the use of electronic consignment notes.

The new Protocol is an Additional Protocol to the UNECE Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR). It sets out the legal framework and standards for using electronic means of recording and storing consignment note data, making information transfer faster and more efficient than with paper-based systems. The CMR agreement, which is the standard regulation for goods transport contracts, was established in 1956 and currently has 53 Contracting Parties.

As well as saving time and money, transport operators will benefit from streamlined procedures and secure data exchange. In particular, the so-called e-CMR reduces the scope of error in dealing with identification and authentication of signatures.

With growing trade volumes and increasingly well-organized supply chain procedures, efficient movement of goods is becoming more and more critical. By introducing electronic consignment note practices, international transport of goods by road is on the verge of a great step forward.

In a statement during the signing ceremony, Mr. Marek Belka, Executive Secretary of UNECE, pointed out that the e-CMR is but one step in a chain of efforts by UNECE to adapt traditional instruments to new technological tools.

The e-CMR, e-TIR, digital tachograph and similar initiatives are in line with governments’ efforts to implement e-governance in transport. Of the seven countries that signed the Protocol today, six are in the top 30 list of the United Nations e-Government Survey (2008), with Sweden occupying the number one spot. According to the Survey, “ the end-goal of all e-government and connected governance efforts must remain better public service delivery. Improvements in the quality of governance and the responsiveness and effectiveness of government should still serve to empower the citizen.”

The seven countries which signed on 27 May 2008 are: Belgium, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. The Netherlands signed on 28 May 2008. Seven additional countries have indicated their intention to sign in the near future: Albania, Armenia, Hungary, Montenegro, Russian Federation, Slovakia and the United Kingdom

In a message from the International Road Transport Union (IRU), the organization stated that "the IRU welcomes the opening for signature of this new Protocol which will ensure the harmonised use of the electronic consignment note. The CMR Convention is essential for road transport and trade. The CMR has demonstrated its ability to remain up to date since its creation more than 50 years ago. Since electronic consignment notes have been used in practice for several years, this new Protocol needs to be commended. It is IRU’s hope that all Contracting Parties to the CMR will adhere to this new Protocol for a smooth implementation of its provisions in all 53 countries".

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The Additional Protocol to the UNECE Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR) concerning the Electronic Consignment Note will be open for signature from today, 27 May to 30 May 2008 in Geneva. After this date, the Protocol will be open for signature at United Nations Headquarters in New York until 30 June 2009 inclusive. The Protocol shall enter into force on the ninetieth day after five of these States have deposited their instruments of ratification or accession.

United Nations E-Government Survey 2008:

http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan028607.pdf

For more information, please contact:

Mrs. Eva Molnar, Director

or

Mrs. Virginia Tanase, Road Transport and Road Safety Section

UNECE Transport Division
Palais des Nations
CH – 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland

Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 24 00, 917 32 59
Fax: +41 (0) 22 917 0039
E-mail: eva.molnar@unece.org, or virginia.tanase@unece.org

Ambassador Alex VAN MEEUWEN, the Permanent Representative of Belgium to the United Nations Office in Geneva for Belgium

Mr. Jouko ALALUUSUA, Ministerial Advisor, Ministry of Transport and Communications for Finland

Ambassador Jānis Mažeiks the Permanent Representative of Latvia to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva for Latvia

Ambassador Eduardas BORISOVAS, the Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva for Lithuania

Mrs. M. Kappeyne van de Copello, Deputy Head of Mission of the Permanent Mission of the Netherlands to the United Nations Office in Geneva for the Netherlands, on 28 May 2008

Ms. Hilde Janne SKORPEN, Minister Counsellor to the Permanent Mission of Norway in Geneva for Norway

Ambassador Hans DAHLGREN, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations Office in Geneva for Sweden

Mr. Max SCHWEIZER, Minister, Deputy Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the WTO, EFTA (UNECE, UNCTAD, ICC) for Switzerland

(IRU) Position paper concerning the draft Convention on the Carriage of Goods [wholly or partly] [by sea] under discussion at the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL)
English - (25 KB)
French - (27 KB)