Article 24 Signature, ratification and accession

Any Member of the Council and any Member of the United Nations or its specialized agencies may become a Contracting Party to this Convention:

This Convention shall be open for signature by the Members referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, either at the Council Sessions at which it is adopted, or, thereafter at the Headquarters of the Council in Brussels until 30 June 1991. After that date, it shall be open for accession by such Members.

Any State, or Government of any separate Customs territory which is proposed by a Contracting Party having responsibility for the formal conduct of its diplomatic relations but which is autonomous in the conduct of its commercial relations, not being a Member of the Organization referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, to which an invitation to that effect has been addressed by the Depositary at the request of the Administrative Committee, may become a Contracting Party to this Convention by acceding thereto after its entry into force.

Any Member, State or Customs territory referred to in paragraph 1 or 3 of this Article shall at the time of signing without reservation of ratification, ratifying or acceding to this Convention specify the Annexes it accepts, it being necessary to accept Annex A and at least one other Annex. It may subsequently notify the depositary that it accepts one or more further Annexes.

Contracting Parties accepting any new Annex which the Administrative Committee decides to incorporate in this Convention shall notify the depositary in accordance with paragraph 4 of this Article.

Contracting Parties shall communicate to the depositary the conditions of application of or the information required under Article 8 and Article 24, paragraph 7 of this Convention; Annex A, Article 2, paragraphs 2 and 3; Annex E, Article 4. They shall also communicate any changes in the application of those provisions.

Any Customs or Economic Union may become, in accordance with paragraphs 1, 2 and 4 of this Article, a Contracting Party to this Convention. Such Customs or Economic Union shall inform the depositary of its competence with respect to the matters governed by this Convention. The Customs or Economic Union which is a Contracting Party to this Convention shall, for the matters within its competence, exercise in its own name the rights, and fulfill the responsibilities, which this Convention confers on its Members which are Contracting Parties to this Convention. In such case, these Members shall not be entitled to individually exercise these rights, including the right to vote.