On May 22, 2023, the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on organization of pilot project(s) for use of electronic CIM/SMGS consignment note along selected TRACECA routes took place

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by representatives of the railway operators of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijan Railways JSC), Georgia (JSC Georgian Railway), Kazakhstan (JSC "NC Kazakhstan Temir Zholy), Türkiye (TCDD – Transportation AS) and Ukraine (JSC “Ukrainian railways”).

It should be noted that the work on organization of pilot project(s) for use of the electronic CIM/SMGS consignment note and the MoU signing was initiated on June 16, 2022 at the first OSJD, CIT, UIC, TRACECA Joint Workshop.

The first draft of the MoU was presented in November 2022. Updated versions of the MoU were reviewed by potential participating countries and discussed in detail at consultations organized on April 28, 2023 and May 11, 2023 via web conferencing.
 
The signed MoU is aimed at further strengthening effective cooperation of railway transport operators with the support and contribution of OSJD, CIT, UIC, UNECE and TRACECA, as well as increasing the efficiency of rail freight transport by introducing innovative solutions based on advanced technologies for electronic data and document exchange.


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With the support of partner organizations the Permanent Secretariat carries out a number of activities to solve problems related to border crossing, increasing the efficiency and support of uninterrupted transport communications. The use of a common electronic CIM/SMGS consignment note and the digitalization of customs transit documents are among the clearly defined priorities of the TRACECA Strategy and Action Plan.