Zakon o ratifikaciji sporazuma o sodelovanju pri napovedovanju, preprečevanju in ublažitvi naravnih in tehnoloških katastrof med Vlado Republike Avstrije, Vlado Republike Hrvaške, Vlado Republike Madžarske, Vlado Republike Italije, Vlado Republike Poljske, Vlado Republike Slovenije

The Government of the Republic of Austria, the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the Government of the Republic of Hungary, the Government of the Republic of Italy, the Government of the Republic of Poland, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia,

aware of the risks caused by natural and technological disasters which their respective countries are exposed to,

desiring to develop cooperation in the field of forecast and prevention of natural and technological disasters,

stressing the importance of coordinating their efforts to assist Contracting Parties struck by any such disaster,

convinced that enhanced collaboration also in the field of Civil Protection and Disaster Management will strengthen the ties of friendship among the Contracting Parties,

agree as follows:

Cooperation in the field of forecast and prevention of major risks, entailing serious consequences for the safety of people, assets and environment, shall primarily include:

1. exchange of scientific and technical information and relevant data on a regular basis. This exchange of information will be carried out in conformity with the laws and regulations in force in the territory of each Contracting Party;

2. implementation of common research programmes;

3. training of experts in the field of forecast, prevention and relief, in order to set up common programmes on Civil Protection and Disaster Management.

The trends of cooperation and the implementation of the provisions of Article 1 will be agreed upon by a Joint Committee, made up of representatives of the Contracting Parties.

The Joint Committee will give recommendations to the Contracting Parties as regards the implementation of Article 1 and will propose specific fields and priorities for the aforesaid cooperation.

The Joint Committee will meet once a year and expectionally more often upon request of one of the Contracting Parties, it will be chaired in annual rotating shifts by each Contracting Party, following the english alphabetical order of the names of the member States.

The Joint Committee, if necessary, can designate Sub-Committees in charge of specific sectors.

The Joint Committee will adopt its own rules of procedure.

Closer cooperation should be envisaged among the Contracting Parties should a major natural or technological disaster occur in the territory of one of the Contracting Parties.

All procedures for stronger cooperation and tighter solidarity will be agreed upon by the Joint Committee mentioned in Article 2.

If a major disaster strikes a State not party to this Agreement the Contracting Parties willing to help that Country will coordinate their actions as to ensure a better result of their common efforts in compliance with the rules and the trends set out by the Joint Committee mentioned in Article 2.

Disputes arising from the interpretation and implementation of the present Agreement, which cannot be solved by the Joint Committee, will be settled through diplomatic channels.

The present Agreement will not affect Bilateral Agreements on Civil Protection and Disaster Management and will be executed in accordance with International Agreements in the same field.

The Contracting Parties inform each other of the designation of a national Authority that will act as a coordinator for the implementation of this Agreement.

The Government of Italy will act as a Depository for this Agreement.

The Contracting Parties to this Agreement will notify the Depository through diplomatic channels that this Agreement has been approved in accordance with their respective national legislations.

This Agreement will enter into force on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of three months after the date on which the third Contracting Party has notified the Depository that the Agreement has been approved according to its national legislation.

This Agreement enters into force only among the Contracting Parties that have given the above notification to the Depository.

This Agreement has an unlimited duration.

A Contracting Party wishing to withdraw from this Agreement will notify this decision to the Depository.

The withdrawing State will cease to be a Contracting Party six months after the notification has been received by the Depository.

The Depository will inform the other Contracting Parties of the withdrawal, which will only affect the relationship between the withdrawing State and the other Contracting Parties.

Every other State, member of the Central European Initiative aiming at a better regional cooperation among the Governments enumerated in the Preamble to this Agreement – can accede to this Agreement by informing the Depository in writing of its intention to accede, subject to the consent of all the Contracting Parties.

The accession will come into effect in compliance with the procedures set out in Article 9 which apply to the Contracting Parties.

The Depository will transmit a certified copy of the document of accession to the Government of each signatory State as well as to the Governments of the States that have acceded to this Agreement later.

Done in Vienna on July 18th, 1992, in a single authentic English text, which will be deposited in the archives of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

For the Government
of the Republic of Austria
Alois Mock, (s)

For the Government
of the Republic of Croatia
Zdenko Skrabalo, (s)

For the Government of
the Republic of Hungary
Geza Jeszenszky, (s)

For the Government
of the Republic of Italy
Vincenzo Scotti, (s)

For the Government
of the Republic of Poland
Krzysztof Skubiszewski, (s)

For the Government of
the Republic of Slovenia
Dimitrij Rupel, (s)