24/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 24 November, the European Parliament adopted by an overwhelming majority (640 to 17 and 10 abstentions) the report by Dieter-Lebrecht Koch (EPP, Germany) approving the European Community's accession to the convention concerning international carriage by rail (COTIF), as amended by the Vilnius Protocol of 3 June 1999. Nonetheless, given the legal incompatibility between acquis communautaire relating to the rail sector and that of OTIF, the E, F and G appendices to the convention (relating to the contract for infrastructure use, to the validation of technical norms applying to rail material, and to the rules for technical approval of rail material respectively) will not apply to Community rail carriers. (A.By./transl.jl)