Mongolia Joins the EU Trucking Agreement

Summary

The European Union (EU) is preparing a Council Decision that will tell the Group of Experts on the European Agreement concerning the work of crews of vehicles engaged in international road transport (AETR) and the UNECE Working Party on Road Transport what position the EU will take. The decision is about a proposal to let Mongolia join the AETR.

What is the AETR?

• An international agreement that sets rules for driving times, rest periods and tachograph (speed‑recording) equipment for professional truck drivers.
• It entered into force on 5 January 1976 and has been amended several times.
• All EU Member States are parties to the AETR.

Why Mongolia wants to join

• Mongolia has trade mainly with China (64 % of its foreign trade) and Russia (13 %).
• It already has bilateral road‑transport agreements with several EU states (Latvia, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovenia, Poland, Germany, Slovakia, Czechia) and with other AETR members (Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Moldova, Georgia).
• Joining the AETR would harmonise driving rules, improve safety, and help train Mongolian drivers.
• Mongolia is not a member of the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) and is not on the closed list of non‑European states that can join the AETR.

How the AETR can be amended

1. A proposal is first tabled and endorsed by the Group of Experts on the AETR.
2. It is then submitted to the UNECE Working Party on Road Transport (SC.1).
3. If both groups agree, a contracting party (any AETR member) submits the amendment to the UN Secretary‑General.
4. The amendment becomes binding after six months if no party objects.

EU’s legal basis for the decision

• Article 91 TFEU (transport policy competence).
• Article 218(9) TFEU (procedure for adopting positions in international bodies).

EU’s position

• The EU will support a proposal that amends Article 14(1) of the AETR to add Mongolia to the list of non‑European states that can accede.
• The amendment will be presented at the 40th session of the Group of Experts on the AETR (February 2026) and at the 121st session of the Working Party on Road Transport (October 2026).
• Member States should not object to the amendment once it is notified by the UN Secretary‑General.

Annex – Proposed amendment to Article 14(1)

“1. This Agreement shall be open for signature until 31 March 1971 and thereafter for accession, by States members of the Economic Commission for Europe and States admitted to the Commission in a consultative capacity under paragraph 8 or 11 of the Commission’s terms of reference. Accessions under paragraph 11 of the Commission’s terms of reference shall be limited to the following States: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Mongolia, Morocco and Tunisia.”

Key dates and facts

• AETR entered into force: 5 January 1976.
• Mongolia’s trade: 64 % with China, 13 % with Russia (2022).
• EU Member States that are parties to the AETR: all 27 EU states.
• The decision will be adopted by the Council and communicated to the Commission and Member States.

This decision will allow Mongolia to become a party to the AETR, bringing its road‑transport sector into line with EU rules and facilitating safer, more efficient cross‑border trucking.