THE CONTRACTING PARTIES

CONCIOUS of the need to facilitate and develop international road traf­fic in Europe,

CONSIDERING that in order to strengthen relations between European countries it is essential to lay down a co-ordinated plan for the construction and development of roads adjusted to the requirement of future internatio­nal traffic,

HAVE AGREED as follows:

The Contracting Parties adopt the proposed road network hereafter referred to as «the international E-road network» and described in annex I to this Agreement, as a co-ordinated plan for the construction and development of roads of international importance which they intend to undertake within the framework of their national pro­grammes.

The international E-road network consists of a grid system of reference roads hav­ing a general north-south and west-east orientation; it includes also intermediate roads located between the reference roads and branch, link and connecting roads.

The roads of the international E-road network as referred to in article 1 of this Agreement shall be brought into conformity with the provisions of annex II to this Agreement.

• The roads of the international E-road network shall be identified and signed by means of the road sign described in annex III to this Agreement.
• All signs used to designate E-roads, which are not in conformity with the provisi­ons of this Agreement and its annexes shall be removed within three years from the date of entry into force of this Agreement for the State concerned, in accor­dance with article 6.
• New road signs conforming to that described in annex III to this Agreement shall be placed on all roads of the international E-road network within four years from the date of entry into force of this Agreement for the State concerned, in accor­dance with article 6.
• The provisions of this article shall not be subject to any limitations which may result from the national programmes referred to in article 1 of this Agreement.

• This Agreement shall be open until 31 December 1976 for signature by states which are Members of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe or have been admitted to the Commission in a consultative capacity in conformity with paragraph 8 of the terms of reference of the Commission.
• Those States may become Parties to this Agreement by
  • signature not subject to ratification, acceptance or approval;
  • signature subject to ratification, acceptance or approval, followed by ratifica­tion, acceptance or approval; or
  • accession.
• Ratification, acceptance, approval or accession shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument in good and due form with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

• This Agreement shall enter into force 90 days after the date on which the Govern­ments of eight States have either signed it not subject to ratification, acceptance or approval or have deposited an instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession provided that one or more roads of the international E-road network link, in a continous manner, the territories of at least four of the States which have so signed or which have deposited such an instrument.  If this condition is not fulfilled, the Agreement shall enter into force 90 days after the date of the signature not subject to ratification, acceptance or approval or of the deposit of the instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval og accession, whereby the said condition will be satisfied.
• For each State which deposits its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval og accession after the commencement of the period of 90 days specified in para­graph 1 of this article, the Agreement shall enter into force 90 days after the date of deposit of the said instrument.
• Upon its entry into force, this Agreement shall terminate and replace in relations between the Contracting Parties the Declaration on the Construction of Main Inter­national Traffic Arteries signed at Geneva on 16 September 1950.

• The main text of this Agreement may be amended by either of the procedures specified in this article.
• • Upon the request of a Contracting Party, any amendment proposed by it to the main text of this Agreement shall be considered in the Working Party on Road Transport of the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE).
  • If adopted by a two-third majority of those present and voting and a majo­rity includes a two-third majority of the Contracting Parties present and vot­ing, the amendment shall be communicated by the Secretary-General to all Contracting Parties for acceptance.
  • If the amendment is accepted by two-thirds of the Contracting Parties, the Secretary-General shall so notify all Contracting Parties and the amendment shall come into force twelve months after the date of such notification.  The amendment shall come into force with respect to all Contracting Parties except those which, before it comes into force, make a declaration that they do not accept the amendment.
• Upon the request of at least one-third of the Contracting Parties, a conference to which the States referred to in article 5 shall be invited, shall be convened by the Secretary-General.  The procedure specified in sub paragraph (a) and (b) of pa­ragraph 2 of this article shall be applied in respect of any amendment submitted to the consideration of such conference.

• Annex I to this Agreement may be amended by the procedure specified in this article.
• Upon the request of a Contracting Party, any amendment proposed by it to annex I to this Agreement shall be considered in the Working Party on Road Transport of the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE).
• Of adopted by the majority of those present and voting and if such majority in­clude the majority of the Contracting Parties present and voting, the amendment shall be communicated by the Secretary-General to the competent administrati­ons of the Contracting Parties directly concerned.  The following shall be conside­red Contracting Parties directly concerned:
  • in the case of a new, or the modification of an excisting class-A international road, any Contracting Party whose territory is crossed by that road;
  • in the case of a new, or the modification of an existing, class-B international road, any Contracting Party contigouos to the requesting country, whose territory is crossed by the class-A international road or roads with which the class-B international road, whether new or to be modified, is connected.  Two Contracting Parties having in their respective territories the terminal points of a sea link on a class-A international road or roads specified above shall also be considered contigouos for the purpose of this paragraph.
• Any proposed amendments communicated in accordance with paragraph 3 of this article shall be accepted if within a period of six months following the date of its communication none of the competent administrations of the Contracting Parties directly concerned notify the Secretary-General of their objection to the amend­ment.  If the administration of a Contracting Party states that its national law obli­ges it to subordinate its agreement to the grant of a specific authorization or to the approval of a legislative body, the competent administration shall not be con­sidered as having consented to the amendment to annex I to this Agreement, and the proposed amendment shall not be accepted, until such time as the said com­petent administration notifies the Secretary-General that it has obtained the req­uired authorization or approval.  If such notification is not made within a period of eighteen months following the date on which the proposed amendment was communicated to the said competent administration or if, within the period of six months specified above, the comptent administration of a Contracting Party directly concerned expresses an objection to the proposed amendment, that amendment shall not be accepted.
• Any amendment accepted shall be communicated by the Secretary-General to all the Contracting Parties and shall come into force for all the Contracting Parties three months after the date of its communication.

• Annexes II and III to this Agreement may be amended by the procedure speci­fied in this article.
• Upon the request of a Contracting Party, any amendment proposed by it to annex II and III to this Agreement shall be considered in the Working Party on Road Transport of the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE).
• If adopted by the majority of those present and voting, and of such majority includes the majority of the Contracting Parties present and voting, the amend­ment shall be communicated by the Secretary-General to the competent admini­strations of all Contracting Parties for acceptance.
• Such amendment shall be accepted if during a period of six months from the date of notification, less than one-third of the competent administrations of the Con­tracting Parties notify the Secretary-General of their objection to the amendment.
• Any amendment accepted shall be communicated by the Secretary-General to all Contracting Parties and shall come into force three months after the date of its communication.

Each State shall at the time of signing, ratifying, accepting, approving or accedeing to this Agreement, inform the Secretary-General of the name and address of its admi­nistration to which proposed amendments to the annexes to this Agreement are to be communicated in confirmity with article 8 and 9 of this Agreement.

Any Contracting Party may denounce this Agreement by written notification addres­sed to the Secretary-General.  The denunciation shall take effect one year after the date of receipt by the Secretary-General of such notification.

This Agreement shall cease to be in force if the member of Contracting Parties is less than eight for any period of twelve consecutive months.

• Any dispute between two or more Contracting Parties which relates to the inter­pretation or application of this Agreement and which the Parties in dispute are unable to settle by negotiation or other means of settlement shall be referred to arbitration if any of the Contracting Parties in dispute so requests and shall, to that end, be submitted to one or more arbitrators selected by mutual agreement between the Parties in dispute.  If the Parties in dispute fail to agree on the choice of an arbitrator or arbitrators within three months after the request for arbitra­tion, any of those Parties may request the Secretary-General of the United Nati­ons to appoint a single arbitrator to whom the dispute shall be submitted for deci­sion.
• The award of the arbitrator or arbitrators appointed in accordance with paragraph 1 of this article shall be binding upon the Contracting Parties in dispute.

Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as preventing a Contracting Party from taking such action, compatible with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and limited to the exigencies of the situation, as it considers necessary to its external or internal security.

Any State may, at the time of signing this Agreement or of depositing its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, declare that it does not consider it­self bound by article 13 of this Agreement.  Other Contracting Parties shall not be bound by article 13 with respect to any Contracting Party which has made such a dec­laration.

In addition to the declarations, notifications and communications provided for in article 7, 8, 9 and 15 of this Agreement, the Secretary-General shall notify the Con­tracting Parties and the other States referred to in article 5 of the following:

• signatures, ratifications, acceptances, approvals and accessions under article 5;
• the dates of entry into force of this Agreement in accordance with article 6;
• the date of entry into force of amendments to this Agreement in accordance with article 7, paragraph 2 (c); article 8, paragraphs 4 and 5; and article 9;
• denunciations under article 11;
• the termination of this Agreement under article 12.

After 31 December 1976 the original of this Agreement shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who shall send certified true copies to all the States referred to in article 5 of this Agreement.