CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL CARRIAGE BY RAIL (COTIF 1999)

The Secretary of State for Transport hereby gives notice that on and after 1 July 2006 the Railways (Convention on International Carriage by Rail) Regulations 2005 will give the force of law in the UK to the convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF) of 9 May 1980 (Protocol 1999). Under Article 42(1) of COTIF 1999, and as advised by the European Commission, the UK has made a declaration that it will not apply the CUI, APTU and ATMF appendices to COTIF 1999. The UK will not be applying COTIF 1999 to the Channel Tunnel. This notice is made pursuant to Regulation 1 of the Railways (Convention on International Carriage by Rail) Regulations 2005, which provides that they come into force in the UK on the day (to be published in The London/Edinburgh/Belfast Gazettes), on which COTIF 1999 comes into force in the UK. This is the later of two dates: (i) COTIF 1999 itself coming into force generally, and Deposit by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the UK’s instrument of ratification.