Jacques BARROT, Vice President of the European Commission and Transport Commissioner

The Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR), the 50th Anniversary of whose signing in Geneva is being celebrated here in Deauville by the UNECE, UNIDROIT and the IRU with its Commission on Legal Affairs, has proved an exceptional instrument of economic and legal integration.

Thanks to this Convention which is currently in force in 46 countries, the legal barriers due to the diversity in laws governing international contracts for the carriage of goods by road have gradually abated from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the North Cape to the Sahara. The CMR’s legal influence is considerable judging by the abundance of case law and doctrine of which you are both the authors and the witnesses.

Transport – and particularly international road transport – is vital for economic development and trade. The CMR, thanks to its unity and legal stability, has made a decisive contribution by facilitating international road transport and the free movement of goods, which is one of the key objectives of the Treaty on European Union.

The abundance of rules and their variability in space and time lead to insecurity for the users and hamper trade. Contrary to other instruments, the basic text of the CMR has remained remarkably stable since it was first drawn up, although additions or extensions to its scope became necessary. Such was the case of substituting special drawing rights for gold francs in 1978; such is again the case of the additional protocol currently being drafted to allow the use of electronic CMR consignment notes.

There is certainly further progress to be made, in particular as to the geographical extension of the CMR’s scope, and I do not doubt that you will work towards this. Your findings will be closely analysed not only by the States having ratified or wishing to accede to the CMR, but also by the European Commission.

Our joint responsibility as political bodies, economic circles and lawyers, is to contribute to a simple regulatory framework to promote unimpaired mobility through the most efficient logistic chains, while protecting users and fostering innovation. In my capacity as European Commissioner, I would even add that this joint responsibility, for us Europeans, also includes a duty to promote our vision of transport on the global scene.

On all these levels, the CMR has played and must continue to play a key role in the field of commercial law. Long live the CMR, and may I wish you a fruitful debate.

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