THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 91, in conjunction with Article 218(9), thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

(1)

The Agreement between the European Union and the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail on the Accession of the European Union to the Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF) of 9 May 1980, as amended by the Vilnius protocol of 3 June 1999 (1) (‘EU-COTIF Accession Agreement’) was concluded by the Union by means of Council Decision 2013/103/EU (2).

(2)

Pursuant to Article 16 § 10 of COTIF, the ad hoc Committee on Legal Affairs and International Cooperation (the ‘ad hoc Committee’) of the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF) adopted its Rules of Procedure at its sixth session on 18 April 2024. Pursuant to Article 30 of those Rules of Procedure, the ad hoc Committee is able to amend its Rules of Procedure.

(3)	The ad hoc Committee, during its ninth session on 23 and 24 June 2026, is scheduled to adopt a decision to amend its Rules of Procedure in order to align them with the rules of procedure of other OTIF organs.

(4)	The decision by the ad hoc Committee to amend its Rules of Procedure will, if adopted, produce legal effects for the Union and for the Member States of the Union who are members of OTIF.

(5)

The proposed amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the ad hoc Committee are based on the recommendations agreed at the eighth session of the ad hoc Committee to ensure further alignment and consistency between the practices of the ad hoc Committee and other OTIF organs. The proposed amendments to the Rules of Procedure should therefore be supported.

(6)

It is therefore appropriate to establish the position to be taken within the ad hoc Committee with regard to the proposed amendments to its Rules of Procedure. The scope of this Decision should be limited to the content of the proposed amendments, to the extent that they are capable of affecting Union common rules and fall under the exclusive competence of the Union. This Decision should not affect the division of competences between the Union and the Member States,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The Union shall vote in favour of the proposed amendments, as set out in OTIF working document INST-26046-JUR9, to the Rules of Procedure within the ninth session of the ad hoc Committee on Legal Affairs and International Cooperation of the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail.

Article 2

Minor technical changes to the position set out in Article 1 may be agreed upon without a further decision of the Council.

Article 3

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

Done at Luxembourg, 22 June 2026.

For the Council

The President

M. PANAYIOTOU

(2) Council Decision 2013/103/EU of 16 June 2011 on the signing and conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail on the Accession of the European Union to the Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF) of 9 May 1980, as amended by the Vilnius Protocol of 3 June 1999 (OJ L 51, 23.2.2013, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2013/103(1)/oj).