Preamble

The delegates of the following Members of the International Telecommunication Union:

People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, Belgium, People's Republic of Bulgaria, Republic of Cyprus, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Hungarian People's Republic, Ireland, State of Israel, Italy, Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Republic of Malta, Kingdom of Morocco, Monaco, Norway, Kingdom of the Netherlands, People's Republic of Poland, Portugal, German Democratic Republic, Socialist Republic of Romania, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Sweden, Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, Tunisia, Turkey, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,

meeting in Geneva for a Regional Administrative Radio Conference convened under the terms of Article 7 of the International Telecommunication Convention, Nairobi, 1982, have adopted subject to the approval of the competent authorities of their respective countries the following provisions relating to the maritime radionavigation service (radiobeacons) in the European Maritime Area.

Article 1

Definitions

For the purpose of this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings defined below:

1.1 Union: The International Telecommunication Union;

1.2 Secretary-General: The Secretary-General of the Union;

1.3 IFRB: The International Frequency Registration Board (also referred to as the Board);

1.4 CCIR: The International Radio Consultative Committee;

1.5 Convention: The International Telecommunication Convention, Nairobi, 1982;

1.6 Radio Regulations: The Radio Regulations, Geneva, 1979, as revised by WARC-MOB-83, annexed to the Convention;

1.7 European Maritime Area: The geographical area defined in No. 405 of the Radio Regulations;

1.8 Agreement: The whole of this Agreement including its Annexes and Appendices;

1.9 Plan: The Plan forming the Annex 1 to this Agreement

1.10 Contracting Member: Any Member of the Union which has approved or acceded to this Agreement;

1.11 Administration: Any governmental department or service responsible for discharging the obligations undertaken in the International Telecommunication Convention and the Radio Regulations;

1.12 Assignment in conformity with the Agreement: Any frequency assignment appearing in the Plan or any frequency assignment for which the procedure of Article 4 has been successfully applied.

Article 2

Frequency Bands

2.1 The provisions of this Agreement apply in the European Maritime Area to the band 283.5 - 315 kHz allocated under Article 8 of the Radio Regulations to the maritime radionavigation service (radiobeacons) on a primary basis.

These provisions also apply to frequency assignments to stations of the aeronautical radionavigation service to which the same frequency band is allocated on a permitted basis.

Article 3

Execution of this Agreement

3.1 The Contracting Members shall adopt, for their radiobeacon stations of the maritime radionavigation service operating in the European Maritime Area in the frequency band referred to in this Agreement, the characteristics specified in the Plan.

3.2 The Contracting Members shall not bring assignments complying with the Plan into use, modify the technical characteristics of stations specified in the Plan, or bring new stations into use, except under the conditions specified in Articles 4 and 5 of this Agreement.

3.3 When assigning frequencies to stations of the aeronautical radionavigations service, Contracting Members shall take account of the frequency assignments to radiobeacon stations of the maritime radionavigation service which are in conformity with this Agreement or for which the modification procedure contained in Article 4 has been initiated.

3.4 The Contracting Members shall endeavour to coordinate their efforts with a view to reducing any harmful interference that may result from the application of this Agreement.

Article 4

Procedure for Modifications to the Plan

SECTION A - GENERAL

4.1 When a Contracting Member proposes to make a modification to the Plan, that is:

a) to modify the characteristics of a frequency assignment to a radiobeacon station of the maritime radionavigation service shown in the Plan, whether or not the station has been brought into use; or

b) to bring into use an assignment to a radiobeacon station of the maritime radionavigation service not appearing in the Plan; or

c) to modify the characteristics of a frequency assignment to a radiobeacon station of the maritime radionavigation service for which the procedure in this Article has been successfully applied, whether or not the station has been brought into use; or

d) to cancel a frequency assignment to a radiobeacon station of the maritime radionavigation service;

the following procedure shall be applied at the same time as the notification is made under the provisions of Article 12 of the Radio Regulations (see Article 5 of this Agreement).

SECTION B - PROCEDURE FOR MODIFYING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF AN ASSIGNMENT OR THE BRINGING INTO USE OF A NEW ASSIGNMENT

4.2 An administration proposing to modify the characteristics of an assignment or to bring a new assignment into use shall, either directly or through the IFRB, seek the agreement of all other administrations whose assignments may be affected.

4.3 For the purposes of this procedure, these other administrations shall be the administrations of Contracting Members which have:

a) assignments in conformity with this Agreement whose service may be affected according to the criteria specified in Appendix 1 to Annex 3;

b) assignments recorded in the Master International Frequency Register for stations of the aeronautical radionavigation service which may be affected according to the provisions of No. 1241 of the Radio Regulations together with the technical criteria contained in Appendix 1 to Annex 3.

4.4 An administration proposing to modify the characteristics of an assignment or to bring a new assignment into use may at any time seek the agreement of any other Contracting Member which it has identified following the application of Appendix 1 to Annex 3 as having an assignment in the Plan which may be affected by the proposed modification to the Plan. It shall, in any case, so inform the Board not earlier than 90 days before the date of bringing into use and shall provide the Board with the characteristics listed in Appendix 1 to the Radio Regulations, and the names of the administrations with which it considers agreement should be sought and of those with which agreement has been reached. The IFRB shall consider this information as a notification in accordance with Article 12 of the Radio Regulations. Publication in Part I of the weekly circular shall at the same time constitute information to the Contracting Members on the proposed modification.

4.5 When the Board reaches an unfavourable finding under No. 1241 of the Radio Regulations in relation to frequency assignments recorded in the Master Register on behalf of non-Contracting Members, it shall notify the administration proposing the modification and shall make recommendations with a view to reaching a satisfactory solution to the problem.

4.6 When the Board reaches a favourable finding under No. 1241 of the Radio Regulations in relation to frequency assignments recorded in the Master Register on behalf of non-Contracting Members, it shall examine the modification proposed in relation to assignments:

- in conformity with this Agreement;

- published in Part I of the weekly circular in accordance with paragraph 4.4 above;

- of the aeronautical radionavigation service recorded in the Master Register on behalf of Contracting Members.

The Board shall inform the administration proposing the modification of the results of its examination.