Welcome to the CMR
Advisory Council
CMR ADVISORY COUNCIL - NEWS
- ADOPTION OF THE FIRST CMR-AC OPINION : Article 2.1 CMR on piggyback transport adopted on July 2nd 2026 (now online : see page ‘opinions & advices)
- CMR 70th Anniversary: 2 events in October 2026 taking place in Romania – University of Bucharest
For academics as well as for practitioners (carriers, forwarders, shippers, cargo owners, cargo- and liability insurers, insurance brokers, lawyers etc.).
REGISTER NOW !>REGISTRATION : https://www.monetico-online-asso.com/idit/inscriptions
Online payment by credit card on this platform / bank transfer : see the dedicated ‘News & events’ page
- CMR Academy : Training on current topics relating to the CMR – October 7th 2026
ACADEMY PROGRAMME (click here)
Academy fees :
– Participants: 90 euros (108,9 VAT included)
– free for students
- International CMR Colloquium 2026 – Celebrating 70 Years of CMR: Challenges and Innovations– 8/9 October 2026
2026 marks the 70th Anniversary of the CMR. Highly distinguished CMR-experts from both academia and legal practice will meet to discuss current issues regarding the interpretation and application of the CMR.
COLLOQUIUM PROGRAMME (click here)
LIST OF SPEAKERS (click here)
Colloquium fees:
– Participants: 350 euros (423,5 VAT included)
– Special rate for students: 75 euros (90,75 VAT included)
– Academics and students from de University of Bucharest : free
Attending both Academy & Colloquium (3 days)
– Participants: 400 euros (484 VAT included)
– students : 75 euros (90,75 VAT included)
The CMR-AC
The CMR Advisory Council is an academic initiative which aims at promoting a uniform and autonomous interpretation of the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (Geneva, 19 May 1956) (CMR).
The CMR Advisory Council was set up in October 2023 by a group of academics specializing in international transport. The Council members do not represent countries or legal cultures, their sole objective is to improve uniform law by:
- making – as an amicus curiae to courts and arbitral tribunals in the contracting states – judicial and arbitral decisions, legal doctrine and preparatory works on the CMR Convention more easily accessible,
- providing independent, impartial and well-informed legal opinions upon interpretation issues arising under CMR.
Objectives of the Council
The purpose of the Council shall be to:
- promote a uniform interpretation of the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR) by the Courts and transport stakeholders, as guided by the preamble of the Convention.
- address issues brought to the Council’s attention via formal requests of individuals or organizations within the international community or on the Council’s own initiative, subject to Article III.1.
- issue and publish opinions and declarations on the interpretation, application, and in general the role of the Convention ss guided by its preamble in the two official languages of the CMR and in other languages required for the dissemination of these opinions.
- follow and support further work on harmonization and unification of law in the field of international transport law.
- contribute to the dissemination of knowledge on international transport law.
Board
Were elected :
- as Chairman: Pr. Frank Smeele – Erasmus University – Rotterdam – The Netherlands
- as Vice-Chair: Pr. Cécile Legros – Université de Rouen Normandie – France
- as Secretary: M. Kolacz – Maastricht University – The Netherlands
Upcoming events
OPINIONS. Work on the first opinions on Article 1.1. and Article 2.1. CMR has progressed. The first opinions are expected soon.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CMR. Stockholm/Sweden – 19 & 20 September 2024 (programme coming soon)
REGISTRATION LINK : https://enquetes-ng.univ-rouen.fr/index.php/972246?lang=en
PROGRAMME : https://www.cmr-ac.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Program-CMR-Colloquium-2024-vdef.pdf