6. The Council shall convene the committee at a time fixed by the committee and also at the request of the competent administrations of at least two Contracting Parties. It shall circulate the draft agenda to the competent administrations of the Contracting Parties and of the Members, States or customs territories referred to in Article 24 of this Convention which are not Contracting Parties, at least six weeks before the committee meets.

7. On the decision of the committee, taken by virtue of the provisions of paragraph 2 of this Article, the Council shall invite the competent administrations of the Members, States or customs territories referred to in Article 24 of this Convention which are not Contracting Parties and the international organizations concerned to be represented by observers at the sessions of the committee.

8. Proposals shall be put to the vote. Each Contracting Party represented at the meeting shall have one vote. Proposals other than proposals for amendments to this Convention shall be adopted by the committee by a majority of those present and voting. Proposals for amendments to this Convention shall be adopted by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting.

9. Where Article 24 of this Convention applies, the customs or economic unions Parties to this Convention shall have, in case of voting, only a number of votes equal to the total votes allotted to their Members which are Contracting Parties to this Convention.

10. Before the closure of its session, the committee shall adopt a report.

11. In the absence of relevant provisions in this Article, the Rules of Procedure of the Council shall be applicable unless the committee decides otherwise.

Settlement of disputes

Article 23

1. Any dispute between two or more Contracting Parties concerning the interpretation or application of this Convention shall so far as possible be settled by negotiation between them.

2. Any dispute which is not settled by negotiation shall be referred by the Contracting Parties in dispute to the administrative committee which shall thereupon consider the dispute and make recommendations for its settlement.

3. The Contracting Parties in dispute may agree in advance to accept the recommendations of the administrative committee as binding.

Signature, ratification and accession

Article 24

1. Any Member of the Council and any Member of the United Nations or its specialized agencies may become a Contracting Party to this Convention:

(a) by signing it without reservation of ratification;

(b) by depositing an instrument of ratification after signing it subject to ratification; or

(c) by acceding to it.

2. This Convention shall be open for signature by the Members referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, either at the Council sessions at which it is adopted, or, thereafter at the headquarters of the Council in Brussels until 30 June 1991. After that date, it shall be open for accession by such Members.

3. Any State, or government of any separate customs territory which is proposed by a Contracting Party having responsibility for the formal conduct of its diplomatic relations but which is autonomous in the conduct of its commercial relations, not being a Member of the organizations referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, to which an invitation to that effect has been addressed by the depositary at the request of the administrative committee, may become a Contracting Party to this Convention by acceding thereto after its entry into force.

4. Any Member, State or customs territory referred to in paragraph 1 or 3 of this Article shall at the time of signing without reservation of ratification, ratifying or acceding to this Convention specify the Annexes it accepts, it being necessary to accept Annex A and at least one other Annex. It may subsequently notify the depositary that it accepts one or more further Annexes.

5. Contracting Parties accepting any new Annex which the administrative committee decides to incorporate in this Convention shall notify the depositary in accordance with paragraph 4 of this Article.

6. Contracting Parties shall communicate to the depositary the conditions of application of or the information required pursuant to Articles 8 and 24 (7) of this Convention; Annex A, Article 2 (2) and (3); Annex E, Article 4. They shall also communicate any changes in the application of those provisions.

7. Any customs or economic union may become, in accordance with paragraphs 1, 2 and 4 of this Article, a Contracting Party to this Convention. Such customs or economic union shall inform the depositary of its competence with respect to the matters governed by this Convention. The customs or economic union which is a Contracting Party to this Convention shall, for the matters within its competence, exercise in its own name the rights, and fulfil the responsibilities, which this Convention confers on its Members which are Contracting Parties to this Convention. In such case, these Members shall not be entitled to individually exercise these rights, including the right to vote.

Depositary

Article 25

1. This Convention, all signatures with or without reservation of ratification and all instruments of ratification or accession shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the Council.

2. The depositary shall:

(a) receive and keep custody of the original texts of this Convention;

(b) prepare certified copies of the original texts of this Convention and transmit them to the Members and the customs or economic unions referred to in Article 24 (1) and (7) of this Convention;

(c) receive any signature with or without reservation of ratification, ratification or accession to this Convention and receive and keep custody of any instruments, notifications and communications relating to it;

(d) examine whether the signature or any instrument, notification or communication relating to this Convention is in due and proper form and, if need be, bring the matter to the attention of the Contracting Party in question;

(e) notify the Contracting Parties to this Convention, the other signatories, those Members of the Council that are not Contracting Parties to this Convention, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations of:

- signatures, ratifications, accessions and acceptances of Annexes pursuant to Article 24 of this Convention,

- new Annexes which the administrative committee decides to incorporate in this Convention,

- the date of entry into force of this Convention and of each of the Annexes in accordance with Article 26 of this Convention,

- notifications received in accordance with Articles 24, 29, 30 and 32 of this Convention,

- denunciations pursuant to Article 31 of this Convention,

- any amendment deemed to have been accepted in accordance with Article 32 of this Convention and the date of its entry into force, as well as of any objection to a proposed amendment.

3. In the event of any difference appearing between a Contracting Party and the depositary as to the performance of the latter’s functions, the depositary or that Contracting Party shall bring the question to the attention of the other Contracting Parties and the signatories or, where appropriate, to the Council.

Entry into force

Article 26

1. This Convention shall enter into force three months after five of the Members or customs or economic unions referred to in Article 24 (1) and (7), of this Convention have signed this Convention without reservation of ratification or have deposited their instruments of ratification or accession.

2. For any Contracting Party signing without reservation of ratification, ratifying or acceding to this Convention after five Members or customs or economic unions have signed it without reservation of ratification or have deposited their instruments of ratification or accession, this Convention shall enter into force three months after the said Contracting Party has signed without reservation of ratification or deposited its instrument of ratification or accession.

3. Any Annex to this Convention shall enter into force three months after five Members or customs or economic unions have accepted that Annex.

4. For any Contracting Party which accepts an Annex after five Members or customs or economic unions have accepted it, that Annex shall enter into force three months after the said Contracting Party has notified its acceptance. No Annex shall, however, enter into force for a Contracting Party before this Convention has entered into force for that Contracting Party.

Rescinding provision

Article 27

Upon the entry into force of an Annex to this Convention containing a rescinding provision, that Annex shall terminate and replace the conventions or the provisions of the conventions which are the subject of the rescinding provision, in relations between the Contracting Parties which have accepted that Annex and are Contracting Parties to such conventions.

Convention and Annexes

Article 28

1. For the purposes of this Convention, any Annexes to which a Contracting Party is bound shall be construed to be an integral part of this Convention, and in relation to that Contracting Party any reference to this Convention shall be deemed to include a reference to such Annexes.

2. For the purposes of voting in the administrative committee, each Annex shall be taken to be a separate Convention.

Reservations

Article 29

1. Any Contracting Party which accepts an Annex shall be deemed to accept all the provisions therein, unless at the time of accepting the Annex or any time thereafter it notifies the depositary of the provisions in respect of which it enters reservations, in so far as this possibility is provided for in the Annex concerned, stating the differences existing between the provisions of its national legislation and the provisions concerned.

2. Each Contracting Party shall at least once every five years review the provisions in respect of which it has entered reservations, compare them with the provisions of its national legislation and notify the depositary of the results of that review.

3. Any Contracting Party which has entered reservations may withdraw them, in whole or in part, at any time, by notification to the depositary specifying the date on which such withdrawal takes effect.

Territorial extension

Article 30

1. Any Contracting Party may, at the time of signing this Convention without reservation of ratification or of depositing its instrument of ratification or accession, or at any time thereafter, declare by notification given to the depositary that this Convention shall extend to all or any of the territories for whose international relations it is responsible. Such notification shall take effect three months after the date of the receipt thereof by the depositary. However, this Convention shall not apply to the territories named in the notification before this Convention has entered into force for the Contracting Party concerned.

2. Any Contracting Party which has made a notification pursuant to paragraph 1 of this Article extending this Convention to any territory for whose international relations it is responsible may notify the depositary, pursuant to the procedure of Article 31 of this Convention, that the territory in question will no longer apply this Convention.

Denunciation

Article 31

1. This Convention is of unlimited duration but any Contracting Party may denounce it at any time after the date of its entry into force pursuant to Article 26 of this Convention.

2. The denunciation shall be notified by an instrument in writing, deposited with the depositary.

3. The denunciation shall take effect six months after the receipt of the instrument of denunciation by the depositary.

4. The provisions of paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article shall also apply in respect of the Annexes to this Convention, any Contracting Party being entitled, at any time after the date of their entry into force pursuant to Article 26 of this Convention, to withdraw its acceptance of one or more Annexes. Any Contracting Party which withdraws its acceptance of all the Annexes shall be deemed to have denounced this Convention. Furthermore, a Contracting Party which withdraws its acceptance of Annex A, even though it continues to accept other Annexes, shall be deemed to have denounced this Convention.

Amendment procedure

Article 32

1. The administrative committee, meeting in accordance with Article 22 of this Convention, may recommend amendments to this Convention and its Annexes.

2. The text of any amendment so recommended shall be communicated by the depositary to all Contracting Parties to this Convention, to the other signatories and to those Members of the Council that are not Contracting Parties to this Convention.

3. Any recommended amendment communicated in accordance with the preceding paragraph shall enter into force in respect of all Contracting Parties six months after the expiry of a period of 12 months following the date of communication of the recommended amendment if no objection to the recommended amendment has been notified during that period to the depositary by a Contracting Party.

4. If an objection to the recommended amendment has been notified to the depositary by a Contracting Party before the expiry of the period of 12 months specified in paragraph 3 of this Article, the amendment shall be deemed not to have been accepted and shall have no effect whatsoever.

5. For the purposes of notifying an objection, each Annex shall be taken to be a separate Convention.

Acceptance of amendments

Article 33

1. Any Contracting Party which ratifies this Convention or accedes thereto shall be deemed to have accepted any amendments thereto which have entered into force at the date of deposit of its instrument of ratification or accession.

2. Any Contracting Party which accepts an Annex shall be deemed, unless it enters reservations pursuant to Article 29 of this Convention, to have accepted any amendments to that Annex which have entered into force at the date on which it notifies its acceptance to the depositary.

Registration and authentic texts

Article 34

In accordance with Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations, this Convention shall be registered with the Secretariat of the United Nations, at the request of the depositary.

In witness thereof the undersigned, being duly authorized thereto, have signed this Convention. Done at Istanbul this twenty-sixth day of June nineteen hundred and ninety, in a single original, in the English and French languages, both texts being equally authentic. The depositary is requested to prepare and circulate authoritative translations of this Convention in the Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish languages.

ANNEX A

ANNEX CONCERNING TEMPORARY ADMISSION PAPERS
(ATA CARNETS AND CPD CARNETS)

CHAPTER I

Definitions

Article 1

For the purposes of this Annex:

(a) temporary admission papers means:

the international customs document accepted as a customs declaration which makes it possible to identify goods (including means of transport) and which incorporates an internationally valid guarantee to cover import duties and taxes;

(b) ATA carnet means:

the temporary admission papers used for the temporary admission of goods, excluding means of transport;

(c) CPD carnet means:

the temporary admission papers used for the temporary admission of means of transport;

(d) guaranteeing chain means:

a guaranteeing scheme administered by an international organization to which guaranteeing associations are affiliated;

(e) international organization means: