Azerbaijan acceded to Additional Protocol to e-CMR Convention
President Ilham Aliyev signed the law on the accession of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Additional Protocol on the “Electronic Consignment Note” to the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (e-CMR). Azerbaijan’s accession to this Additional Protocol will create conditions for local carriers to use electronic International Consignment Note (CMR) and will contribute to increasing their competitiveness in the European Union market.
Azerbaijan acceded to the said Convention on 11 February 2000. The main essence of this Convention is the application of unified rules to contracts for the international carriage of goods by road, especially to the documents required for such carriage. The CMR currently applies to international road transport of goods in accordance with the requirements of the Convention, which is also reflected in the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The e-CMR to be introduced as part of the work being carried out towards electronization of public services provided in the areas of activity of the Azerbaijan Land Transport Agency, as well as ensuring digital transformation, has a number of advantages. Thus, the e-CMR serves to increase and expand transit transport capacity, facilitating import and export operations. The e-CMR also contributes to increasing the share of carriers and exporters in the international market, speeding up customs formalities and promoting accurate and transparent oversight and accountability.
“Additional Protocol on the Electronic Consignment Note to the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road” entered into force in June 2011. The main essence of the Additional Protocol is to create the possibility of drawing up an international consignment note in electronic form. The e-CMR is an alternative to the paper CMR and does not replace it. The advantages of using e-CMR include real-time exchange of information between parties, saving resources, facilitating document flow and ensuring the accuracy of data entered.
It should be noted that, although e-CMR entered into force in 2011, the first international road freight transport operations using it were carried out between Spain and France in January 2017. Currently, 27 countries have acceded to the Additional Protocol.
