The annual OSJD/UIC Joint Seminar on Finance and Settlement Issues took place on 29 June. The seminar is organised within the framework of the Permanent Working Group on Finance (PWGF), which deals with issues relating to mutual settlement of accounts between OSJD railways.
One of the main aspects of the PWGF’s activities is the work carried out in the field of payments and reduction of debt between the railways.
The seminars between UIC and OSJD are held once a year with a focus on specific, practical issues. They include exchange of experience on regulating accounting issues, IRS 30301 on accounting rules for international passengers, IRS 30304 on accountancy and allocation regulations between carriers applicable to international freight, as well as settlement of accounts for use of wagons in international freight and comparison of the GCU and the PGV (OSJD).
The seminars also focus on practical issues such as financial relations arising from transport of passengers by rail with a foreign carrier operating on the railway infrastructure of other countries, financial relations and compensation payments between the wagon owner and the railway undertaking, and financial relations between railways for repairs and loss of freight wagons.
This year’s seminar was attended by Thierry Béra, UIC CFO, who presented UIC’s new governance structure, which will come into effect on 8 July, the date of the UIC General Assembly. Mr Béra also provided information on ongoing IRS deployment and migration, as well as the latest news from the UIC Finance Platform, including the nomination of a new chair, Stefano Pierini of FS Group, and the UIC document on technical solutions for the operational railway. Finally, he presented the Finance Platform groups.
Sabine Dambuyant, UIC Consultant, then gave a presentation on the procedure for organisation of transport operations and interrelationships between carriers regarding payments for services rendered and work completed in view of the fulfilment of financial liabilities by railway traffic stakeholders. The discussion included issues relating to contracts of carriage, documents for completed work, and the procedure for making payments for completed transport operations, amongst others.
