Article XI.
Les Hautes Parties contractantes, décidées à appliquer la présente Convention dans un esprit de loyale collaboration, s’engagent à s’abstenir de toute mesure, quelle qu’elle soit, qui tendrait à éluder les obligations résultant de ladite Convention.
Article XII.
La présente Convention, dont les textes français et anglais font également foi, portera la date de ce jour et pourra être signée jusqu’au 15 avril 1930 par tout Membre de la Société des Nations et tout Etat non membre, représentés à la Conférence.
Elle sera ratifiée et les instruments de ratification seront déposés avant le 1er novembre 1930 auprès du Secrétaire général de la Société des Nations, qui en notifiera immédiatement la réception à tous les Membres de la Société, ainsi qu’aux Etats non membres représentés à la Conférence qui a établi la présente Convention ou qui auront adhéré à celle-ci.
Article XIII.
Le Secrétaire général de la Société des Nations convoquera, entre le 1er et le 15 novembre 1930, une réunion des Hautes Parties contractantes qui auront ratifié la Convention et de celles qui auraient introduit une demande d’adhésion conformément aux dispositions de l’article XIV.
Au cours de cette réunion, sera fixée la date de la mise en vigueur de la Convention et, s’il y a lieu, sera établie la liste des Membres de la Société des Nations et des Etats non membres dont l’adhésion serait considérée comme nécessaire à la mise en vigueur de ladite Convention.
Le Secrétaire général de la Société des Nations pourra convoquer à cette réunion tous les signatures de la présente Convention et, sur la demande d’une des Hautes Parties contractantes ayant ratifié ladite Convention, tout autre Membre de la Société des Nations ou Etat non membre ayant participé à la présente Conférence.
Article XIV.
Tout Membre de la Société des Nations et tout Etat non membre pourra introduire auprès du Secrétaire général de la Société des Nations une demande d’adhésion à la présente Convention.
Cette demande sera immédiatement notifiée, par les soins du Secrétaire général, aux Membres de la Société des Nations et Etats non membres au nom desquels la signature de la présente Convention ou l’adhésion à celle-ci aura été effectuée.
Le Membre de la Société des Nations ou Etat non membre désirant adhérer à la Convention indiquera dans sa demande d’adhésion s’il désire se voir appliquer les stipulations de l’article II ou de l’article IV. Dès que la Convention aura été mise en vigueur conformément aux stipulations de l’article XIII, le Secrétaire général consultera à ce sujet les Hautes Parties contractantes qui auront ratifié la présente Convention. L’adhésion ne deviendra définitive que de l’assentiment de toutes les Hautes Parties contractantes. Elle produira ses effets un mois après la date de la notification, par le Secrétaire général, de l’accord intervenu.
Article XV.
Chacune des Hautes Parties contractantes peut déclarer, au moment de la signature, de la ratification ou de l’adhésion, que, par son acceptation de la présente Convention, elle n’entend assumer aucune obligation en ce qui concerné l’ensemble ou toute partie dé ses colonies, protectorats ou territoires placés sous sa suzeraineté ou mandat; dans ce cas, la présente Convention ne sera pas applicable aux territoires faisant l’objet de pareille déclaration.
Chacune des Hautes Parties contractantes pourra, dans la suite, notifier au Secrétaire général de la Société des Nations qu’elle entend rendre la présente Convention applicable à l’ensemble ou à toute partie de ses territoires avant fait l’objet de la déclaration prévue à l’alinéa précédent. Dans ce cas, la procédure prévue à l’article XIV sera suivie.
Chacune des Hautes Parties contractantes peut, à tout moment, déclarer qu’elle entend voir cesser l’application de la présente Convention à l’ensemble ou à toute partie de ses colonies, protectorats ou territoires placés sous sa suzeraineté ou mandat; dans ce cas, la Convention cessera d’étre applicable aux territoires faisant l’objet de pareille déclaration, un mois après la réception de cette déclaration par le Secrétaire général de la Société des Nations.
EN FOI DE QUOI, les plénipotentiaires ont signé la présente Convention.
FAIT à Genéve, le vingt-quatre mars mil neuf cent trente, en simple expédition qui sera déposée dans les archives du Secrétariat de la Société des Nations; copie conforme en sera transmise à tous les Membres de la Société des Nations et à tous les Etats non membres représentés à la Conférence.
ALLEMAGNE
SCHMIDT
AUTRICHE
E. PFLÜGL
BELGIQUE
Conjointement avec le Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, pour l’Union Economique Belgo-Luxembourgeoise.
J. BRUNET
A. JANSSEN
GRANDE-BRETAGNE ET IRLANDE DU NORD
ainsi que toutes parties de l’Empire britannique non membres séparés de la Société des Nations.
Je déclare que ma signature ne couvre pas les colonies, protectorats ou territoires placés sous la suzeraineté ou le mandat de Sa Majesté britannique.
S. J. CHAPMAN
DANEMARK
WILLIAM BORBERG
ESTONIE
A. SCHMIDT
FINLANDE
KYÖSTI JÀRVINEN
FRANCE
En signant la présente convention, les soussignés déclarent:
10 que les dispositions de l’article II, troisième alinéa, et de l’article III, deuxième alinéa, s’appliquent aux produits visés par les lois françaises du 13 décembre 1897 et du Ier décembre 1929;
20 que Ie Gouvernement français n’assume, du fait de ladite Convention, pour les colonies, protectorats et pays sous mandat de la France, aucune obligation autre que celles résultant des traités de commerce en vigueur.
PIERRE ETIENNE FLANDIN
R. SEROT
GRÈCE
R. RAPHAËL
ITALIE
En signant la présente Convention, le plénipotentiaire de Sa Majesté le Roi d’Italie déclare que les articles II, alinéa 3, et III de la Convention et ad article III du Protocole, visant les «circonstances urgentes», s’appliquent, pour ce qui concerne l’Italie, à tous les cas où les modifications des droits de douane sont adoptées d’urgence par le Gouvernement au moyen d’un acte ayant caractère législatif.
DE MICHELIS
LETTONIE
CHARLES DUZMANS
LUXEMBOURG
Conjointement avec la Belgique, pour l’Union Economique Belgo-Luxembourgeoise.
ALBERT CALMES
NORVÈGE
HERSLEB BIRKELAND
PAYS-BAS
Je déclare que ma signature ne couvre pas les Indes Orientales néerlandaises, Surinam et Curaçao.
TRIP
POLOGNE
Le délégué de la République de Pologne près la Société des Nations au Secrétaire général, le 12 avril 1930:
«En signant aujourd’hui la Convention commerciale et le Protocole de ladite Convention, ainsi que le Protocole relatif au programme de négociations ultérieures, adoptés à Genève en date du 24 mars 1930, j’ai l’honeurr, d’ordre de mon Gouvernement, de porter à votre connaissance ce qui suit:
»Le Gouvernement polonais ne pourra soumettre la Convention commerciale du 24 mars 1930 à la procédure de ratification et la mettre en vigueur qu’à la condition que les tarifs appliqués par les autres Etats, existants à la date du 1er avril 1930, ne subiront pas, jusqu’à la date de la mise en vigueur de ladite Convention, de modifications importantes, défavorables aux exportations de la Pologne.
»Veuillez agréer...»
F. SOKAL
ROUMANIE
C. ANTONIADE
SUÈDE
K. I. WESTMAN
Sous réserve de ratification de Sa Majesté le Roi de Suède avec l’approbation du Riksdag.
SUISSE
SCHULTHESS
STUCKI
GASSMANN
Commercial Convention.
The President of the German Reich; the Federal President of the Austrian Republic; His Majesty the King of the Belgians; His Majesty the King of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India; His Majesty the King of Denmark; the Government of the Estonian Republic; the President of the Republic of Finland; the President of the French Republic; the President of the Hellenic Republic; His Majesty the King of Italy; the President of the Latvian Republic; Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess of Luxemburg; His Majesty the King of Norway; Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands; the President of the Polish Republic; His Majesty the King of Roumania; His Majesty the King of Sweden; the Swiss Federal Council,
Being desirous of providing for a rapid and effective application of the resolutions of the World Economic Conference of 1927 and of creating a stable basis and an atmosphere of confidence for the concerted action contemplated by the Assembly of the League of Nations at its Tenth Session, have decided to conclude among themselves an agreement for this purpose and have appointed as their Plenipotentiaries:
The President of the German Reich:
M. R. Schmidt,
Minister for Economic Affairs of the Reich.
The Federal President of the Austrian Republic:
M. E. Pflügl,
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Permanent Delegate accredited to the League of Nations.
His Majesty the King of the Belgians:
M. J. Brunet,
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Member of the Economic Committee of the League of Nations;
M. A. L. J. Janssen,
Director-General of Customs and Excise.
His Majesty the King of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominion beyond the Seas, Emperor of India:
For Great Britain and Northern Ireland and all parts of the British Empire which are not separate Members of the League of Nations:
Sir Sydney Chapman, K. C. B., C. B. E.,
Chief Economic Adviser to His Majesty’s Government in Great Britain.
His Majesty the King of Denmark:
M. W. Borberg,
Permanent Delegate accredited to the League of Nations.
The Government of the Estonian Republic:
M. A. Schmidt,
Deputy-Minister for Foreign Affairs.
The President of the Republic of Finland:
M. K. Järvinen,
Former Minister of Commerce and Industry, Deputy, Professor at the School of Higher Commercial Studies.
The President of the French Republic:
M. P. E. Flandin,
Minister of Commerce and Industry;
M. R. Serot,
Under-Secretary of State for Agriculture.
The President of the Hellenic Republic:
M. R. Raphaël,
Permanent Delegate accredited to the League of Nations, Charge d’Affaires at Berne.
His Majesty the King of Italy:
M. G. de Michelis,
Senator, Ambassador.
The President of the Latvian Republic:
M. C. Duzmans,
Permanent Delegate accredited to the League of Nations, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary accredited to His Majesty the King of Yugoslavia.
Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess of Luxemburg:
M. A. Calmes,
Member of the ”Conseil Superieur” of the Economic Union of Belgium and Luxemburg.
His Majesty the King of Norway:
M. Hersleb Birkeland,
Permanent Delegate accredited to the League of Nations.
Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands:
Dr. L. J. A. Trip,
Former Treasurer-General of the Department of Finance, former President of the Bank of Java.
The President of the Polish Republic:
F. Sokal,
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Permanent Delegate accredited to the League of Nations.
His Majesty the King of Roumania:
M. C. Antoniade,
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary accredited to the League of Nations.
His Majesty the King of Sweden:
M. K. I. Westman,
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary accredited to the Swiss Federal Council.
The Swiss Federal Council:
M. E. Schulthess,
Federal Councillor, Head of the Department of Public Economy;
M. W. Stucki,
Director of the Commercial Division at the Federal Department of Public Economy;
M. A. Gassmann,
Director-General of Customs,
Who, having communicated their full powers found in good and due form, have agreed upon the following provisions:
Article I.
The High Contracting Parties undertake not to avail themselves before April 1st, 1931, of the right to denounce the bilateral commercial treaties which any one of them has concluded with any other the High Contracting Parties and which are in force on this day’s date.
Article II.
Should any of the High Contracting Parties other than those referred to in Article IV be obliged to proceed, before the expiration of the present Convention, to make increases of his Customs duties above the level existing on to-day’s date, or to impose Customs duties not existing on to-day’s date, such as are likely to affect seriously the interests of any of the other High Contracting Parties, the Party who regards himself as being injured thereby shall be entitled, as soon as notice has been given as provided in Article III, and within two months of such notice being given, to ask for the opening of friendly negotiations between the Governments concerned in order to restore the equilibrium so disturbed.
Should these negotiations not lead to a result within a period of two months from the date of the request, the Party who has requested the opening of the negotiations shall be entitled to denounce the present Convention forthwith, such denunciation to take effect, so far as he is concerned, one month after notification to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations. Such denunciation may be either in respect of all the High Contracting Parties or in respect only of that Party who has increased his duties or imposed new duties.
Alterations in Customs duties made in virtue of laws, or of circumstances of urgency, which make necessary the immediate application of such alterations, shall not be subject to the above provisions regarding negotiations. Nevertheless, the High Contracting Party who considers that his interests injured shall retain the power of denunciation provided for in the second paragraph of this Article.
Article III.
Each of the High Contracting Parties to whom Article II applies undertakes to notify to the other High Contracting Parties, wherever possible, twenty days before the application of these measures, if this is impossible, at the time when the measures in question are published with a view to their application, the increases in existing Customs duties or the new duties which he may find it necessary to impose.
It is understood that the laws which provide for the immediate application of alterations in Customs duties entitle the Parties not to give the previous notice provided for above.
Article IV.
Those High Contracting Parties who do not consolidate their Customs duties by treaty, or do so only in exceptional cases, undertake not to proceed, during the term of the present Convention, to make increases of any protective duties above the level of the protective duties existing on to-day’s date, or to impose protective duties not existing on to-day’s date.
Article V.
If any of the High Contracting Parties referred to in Article IV should, before the expiration of the present Convention, proceed to make increases in his existing fiscal duties, or to impose fiscal duties not existing at to-day’s date, such as are likely to interfere seriously with the interests of any of the other High Contracting Parties, the Party who considers himself injured shall have the right to denounce the present Convention forthwith, such denunciation to take effect, as far as he is concerned, one month after notification to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations.
Article VI.
Without prejudice to such more extensive obligations as would be imposed on each of them by the putting into force of the International Convention of November 8th, 1927, concerning the Abolition of Import and Export Prohibitions and Restrictions, the High Contracting Parties will not aggravate the situation existing in this matter at this day’s date, failing which the procedure provided for in Articles II and III of the present Convention would be applicable.
Article VII.
Should any of the High Contracting Parties avail himself of the right of denunciation provided for in Articles II, V and VI of the Convention, and in the Protocol of Signature ad Article I-C, paragraph 5, any other High Contracting Party who may regard such denunciation as calculated to disturb seriously, in his case, the equilibrium of the present Convention, may denounce the Convention forthwith, such denunciation to take effect, so far as he is concerned, one month after notification to the Secretary-General of the League of Nation.
Article VIII.
a) Bilateral commercial treaties denounced before this day’s date shall be excepted from the provisions of Article I.
Any increases of duties resulting from such denunciation shall not be subject to the procedure laid down in Article II.
b) Bilateral commercial treaties signed before this day’s date, but not yet in force, may be substituted during the period of the present Convention for existing treaties; in such case they shall be subject to the provisions of Article I.
Any increases of duties resulting from the substitution of treaties referred to in the previous paragraph shall not be subject to the procedure laid down in Article II.
c) Provisional agreements substituted for commercial treaties denounced before this day’s date and in force at that date, may be replaced, during the period of the present Convention, by definitive treaties or by other provisional agreements. Article I shall apply to these latter treaties or agreements.
If, however, increases in duties should result from these new treaties or agreements, such increases may be made the subject of the procedure laid down in Article II.
d) Bilateral commercial treaties to which Article I applies may be modified or replaced wholly or in part by new agreements during the period of the present Convention.
Nevertheless, in order that account may be taken of the interests of the other High Contracting Parties, and especially of those referred to in Article IV, it is agreed that, if these new agreements should involve increases of duties, the latter may be made the subject of the procedure laid down in Article II.
Article IX.
The present Convention is concluded for a period of one year from April 1st, 1930.
Before February 1st, 1931, any of the High Contracting Parties may inform the Secretary-General of the League of Nations of his intention to withdraw from the Convention on April 1st, 1931.
In the absence of any such notification, the Convention shall remain in force for a further period of six months, and similarly for successive periods of six months. Two months before the expiration of each of these periods of six months, any of the High Contracting Parties may notify the Secretary-General of the League of Nations of his intention to withdraw from the Convention on the expiration of the current period.
Article X.
Should one of the High Contracting Parties avail himself of the right to withdraw from the Convention, as provided in the preceding Articles, any of the High Contracting Parties may, by making application to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations, require all the High Contracting Parties to be consulted for the purpose of taking a decision with regard to the Contention. If the Secretary-General thinks it necessary, he shall convene a meeting of the High Contracting Parties, who undertake to participate therein.
Article XI.
The High Contracting Parties, being determined to apply the present Convention in a spirit of loyal co-operation, undertake to refrain from any measure of any kind calculated to evade the obligations resulting from the said Convention.
Article XII.
The present Convention, the French and English texts of which are both authentic, shall bear this day’s date and can be signed up to April 15th, 1930, by any Member of the League and any non-member State represented at the Conference.
It shall be ratified, and the instruments of ratification shall be deposited before November 1st, 1930, with the Secretary-General of the League of Nations, who shall at once notify the receipt thereof to all Members of the League, as well as to the non-member States which were represented at the Conference which drew up the present Convention, or which have acceded to the Convention.
Article XIII.
The Secretary-General of the League of Nations shall convene, between the November 1st and 15th, 1930, a meeting of the High Contracting Parties who have ratified the Convention, and of those who have submitted a request to accede thereto, in accordance with the provisions of Article XIV.
During this meeting, the date of the coming into force of the Convention shall be fixed and, if necessary, a list drawn up of the Members of the League of Nations and non-member States whose accession is considered indispensable for the coming into force of the said Convention.
The Secretary-General of the League of Nations may convene to this meeting all the signatories of the present Convention and, at the request of one of the High Contracting Parties who have ratified the said Convention, any other Member of the League of Nations or non-member State which has participated in the present Conference.