Ad hoc Committee on Legal Affairs and International Cooperation
At its 15th session in September 2021, the General Assembly decided to set up an ad hoc Committee on Legal Affairs and International Cooperation in accordance with Article 13 § 2 of COTIF for a period of three years (September 2021 – September 2024).
The ad hoc Committee on Legal Affairs and International Cooperation took over the activities of the ad hoc Committee on Cooperation and the Working Group of Legal Experts.
Mandate:
Without prejudice to the competence of the organs referred to in Article 13 § 1 of COTIF, the General Assembly gave the ad hoc Committee on Legal Affairs and International Cooperation the following mandate:
- To prepare draft amendments or supplements to the Convention;
- To provide legal advice on its own initiative or at the request of the organs referred to in Article 13 § 1 and 2 of COTIF or at the request of the organs established by them;
- To promote and facilitate the functioning and implementation of COTIF;
- To monitor and assess legal instruments;
- To take decisions on cooperation with other international organisations and associations, including establishing and dissolving consultative contact groups with other international organisations and associations and monitoring the functioning of contact groups.
The General Assembly decided that whenever applicable, the ad hoc Committee on Legal Affairs and International Cooperation, shall submit its conclusions and proposals to the competent organs referred to in Article 13 § 1 of COTIF for consideration or decision.
Focal points of OTIF members:
To ensure that the ad hoc Committee on Legal Affairs and International Cooperation functions properly, the Member States of OTIF and the regional economic integration organisations that have acceded to COTIF are invited to appoint one or more representatives as contact points and to inform the Secretariat accordingly, if they have not yet done so.
Involvement of stakeholders:
The ad hoc Committee decided to apply the “Recommendation on involving stakeholders in OTIF’s work” in order to involve these stakeholders in its area of activity.
International associations representing the interests of the rail sector (e.g. passengers, carriers, etc.), as well as university establishments, academics, researchers, independent rail transport experts and rail transport experts representing legal persons active in the international rail sector (e.g. carriers and infrastructure managers) may ask the ad hoc Committee to grant them the status of “registered stakeholder” by submitting this request.
List of registered stakeholders
For more information, please do not hesitate to contact the Legal Department: law@otif.org.
All documents are available here (access for Member States and the European Union):
