Council Decision 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 (Text with EEA relevance) (2013/103/EU)

3. Statements and voting in the OTIF meetings U.K.

3.1. Where an agenda item deals with matters of exclusive Union competence, the Commission will speak and vote for the Union. After due coordination, the Member States can also speak in order to support and/or develop the Union position. U.K.

3.2. Where an agenda item deals with matters of exclusive national competence, Member States will speak and vote. U.K.

3.3. Where an agenda item deals with matters containing elements of both national and Union competence, the Presidency and the Commission will express the common position. After due coordination, Members States can speak to support and/or develop the common position. The Member States or the Commission, as appropriate, will vote on behalf of the Union and its Member States in accordance with the common position. The decision on who will be voting is made in the light of where the preponderance of the competence lies (e.g. mainly national or mainly Union competence). U.K.

3.4. Where an agenda item deals with matters containing elements both of national and of Union competence and the Commission and the Member States have not been able to agree a common position as referred to in point 2.6, Member States and the Commission can speak and vote on matters falling clearly within their respective competence. U.K.

3.5. On matters for which there is no agreement between the Commission and the Member States on division of competence, or where it has not been possible to obtain the majority needed for a Union position, a maximum effort will be made to clarify the situation or achieve a Union position. Pending this, and after due coordination, the Member States and/or the Commission, as appropriate, would be entitled to speak on condition that the position expressed will not prejudge a future Union position, will be coherent with Union policies and previous Union positions, and will be in conformity with Union law. U.K.

3.6. The representatives of the Member States and of the Commission may participate in OTIF working groups preparing the technical committees of OTIF namely the Committee of Experts for the Carriage of Dangerous Goods (RID) and the Committee of Technical Experts (TEC). During participation in these working groups the representatives of the Member States and the Commission may present technical contributions and fully participate in the technical discussions on the basis of their technical knowledge. These discussions will not bind the Union. U.K.

The representatives of the Member States and the Commission will make serious efforts to reach a common position and to defend this position during the discussions in the OTIF working groups.