New Rules for Transporting Dangerous Goods on Trains

Summary

The European Commission proposes a Council Decision that tells the EU how it will vote at the 59th meeting of the RID Expert Committee (the group that decides on rules for dangerous goods on rail). The meeting will take place on 28 May 2026. The committee will adopt amendments to the Annex to Appendix C of the Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF). These amendments will update technical rules such as the list of dangerous goods, packing instructions, and standards for containment, making rail transport safer and more cost‑effective.

Key facts

• The EU is a full contracting party to COTIF, which has 25 Member States (Cyprus and Malta are not parties).
• COTIF has 51 OTIF Member States and 45 RID Contracting States.
• The RID Expert Committee meets every two years; the next meeting is the 59th session on 28 May 2026.
• The amendments are expected to enter force on 1 January 2027, unless a quarter of the contracting parties object within four months.
• The decision will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Legal basis

• The decision is based on Article 218(9) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which allows the EU to set its position in international bodies.
• The substantive basis is Article 91 TFEU, which covers transport policy.

Outcome

The Council will adopt a decision that sets the EU’s position on the amendments. The decision will be addressed to the Commission and will be published in the Official Journal. The amendments will become part of EU law once they enter force.