Message from IRU to Romanian and Moldovan transport operators

For more than a year, two IRU members, AITA in Moldova and ARTRI in Romania, have repeatedly made false, defamatory and misleading allegations against IRU. They have done this directly to the United Nations, TIR governing bodies and contracting parties, governments, customs and legal authorities, insurance companies, and the media. This has seriously damaged IRU’s reputation and activities, and put at risk the integrity of the TIR system. 

IRU has tried, throughout this time, to engage with both AITA and ARTRI in a constructive manner. It is now clear however that continuing to attempt further constructive dialogue with AITA and ARTRI will not be productive. These associations and their representatives do not behave in the way one would expect from a member of an international organisation such as IRU. 

In order to protect the integrity of the TIR system and to limit the damage that these two associations seem to be deliberately undertaking, IRU’s Presidential Executive Board has therefore decided to initiate the process to exclude AITA and ARTRI as members of IRU. Both organisations have been notified of this. 

In parallel, the exclusion from IRU membership would also entail termination of ARTRI’s and AITA’s affiliation contracts with IRU and its partners regarding operation of the TIR system. The targeted termination date is 31 January 2018, allowing alternative legal and logistical arrangements to be put in place. 

Our aim in these challenging times is to protect the interest of all TIR stakeholders, in particular the transport operators who use the system, so that they do not have to further suffer from the actions of ARTRI and AITA. 

There are important practical and legal issues to consider, and we are working closely with all stakeholders concerned in Moldova, Romania and beyond, to ensure a smooth transition to new issuing associations by early 2018 without disruption to the guarantee chain. 

Excluding any member from IRU is not an issue to be taken lightly, and IRU aims to make sure that the process followed is fair and just for all concerned, and does not compromise the integrity of the TIR system globally. 

IRU has managed TIR for almost 70 years and takes its responsibilities seriously: to TIR, IRU members, transport operators and the road transport industry as a whole. IRU cannot stand by and do nothing as AITA and ARTRI continually, and seemingly deliberately, damage IRU and the TIR system. 

IRU will endeavour to update all relevant stakeholders on this issue on a regular basis: all IRU member associations, transport operators in Romania and Moldova who use TIR, relevant government authorities in Romania and Moldova, the United Nations, and insurance companies.