Project

A. General Information

1. Title

EAEU e-CMR Pilot Project (Electronic International Transport Waybill Pilot Project of the Eurasian Economic Union)

2. Status of the project
Pilot
3. Implementation period of the project/service:
From
Sep-2021
To
--
4. Website
https://eec.eaeunion.org
5. Geographical coverage
Global: Europe, Asia and the Pacific
Participating countries: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation
Hub Point: Russian Federation
6. Participating agencies/entities of the project/service:
a. Development stage
Lead agencies/entities
• Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) - Committee on Transport and Infrastructure
• Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation
• Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Belarus
Other participating agencies/entities
• Federal Tax Service of the Russian Federation (FNS Russia)
• Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation (FTS Russia)
• Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation
• Ministry of Taxes and Duties of the Republic of Belarus (MNS)
• Ministry of Communications and Informatization of the Republic of Belarus
• State Customs Committee of the Republic of Belarus
• ANO "Directorate of International Transport Corridors" (Russia)
• LLC "Modern Trade Technologies" (STT) (Belarus)
• FGUP "ZashchitaInfoTrans" (GIS EPD operator, Russia)
• OAO "Agency for Servicing and Reengineering" (Belarus)
• UE "IVC Ministry of Finance" (Belarus)
b. Operational stage
Lead agencies/entities (op)
• Eurasian Economic Commission - Minister of Energy and Infrastructure (Arzybek Kozhoshev)
• State authorities of EAEU member countries
Other participating agencies/entities (op)
• Trusted Third Party Operators: LLC "Certification Center Gazinformservice" (Russia); RUE "National Center for Electronic Services" (Belarus)
• Electronic Document Management Operators: LLC "KORUS Consulting CIS" (SberKorus, Russia); LLC "Modern Trade Technologies" (STT, Belarus)
• Industry Associations: ASMAP (Russia); BAMAP (Belarus)
• IRU (International Road Transport Union)
• PAO "Sberbank" (Methodological Partner)
7. Main stakeholders/beneficiaries of the project
Traders (big enterprises)
Traders (SMEs)
Transport
Customs brokers
Customs
Other Government Agencies (OGAs)
Consignors (shippers), Carriers (road transport operators), Consignees (receivers), Electronic document management operators, Trusted third party operators
8. Business process category of the project
Transport
Regulatory/official control
Cross-border electronic document exchange for international road freight transport

B. Lessons Learned

9. Summary description of the project/service
Brief Summary

The EAEU e-CMR Pilot Project implements electronic international transport waybills for cross-border road freight within the Eurasian Economic Union, enabling digital document exchange between consignors, carriers, and consignees across member states using the Trusted Third Party mechanism.

a. Objective(s)

To test the technological environment and business processes for cross-border exchange of electronic e-CMR documents between freight transport participants; develop proposals for regulatory changes; enable legally significant electronic document exchange between EAEU countries using the Trusted Third Party mechanism; accelerate digitalization of international transport and create digital transport corridors.

b. Business need for the project (background)

International road freight transport requires CMR consignment notes as proof of transport contracts. Paper-based documentation causes delays, errors, and high administrative costs. Russia acceded to the e-CMR Protocol in 2018, Belarus in 2019. The project addresses the need for cross-border recognition of electronic signatures and legally valid digital document exchange within EAEU transport corridors.

c. Business process covered*

Cross-border electronic document exchange for international road freight transport; creation, signing, transmission, and verification of electronic CMR consignment notes between consignors, carriers, and consignees; mutual recognition of electronic digital signatures through the Trusted Third Party mechanism; integration with national state information systems (GIS EPD in Russia, ETLP in Belarus).

d. Overall architecture and functionalities*

The system uses national Electronic Document Operators (EDO) for B2B document exchange. Cross-border electronic signature verification is performed via Trusted Third Party (TTP) operators in each country. Documents follow the UN/CEFACT e-CMR D.22A international standard in XML format with XAdES electronic signatures. The architecture enables multi-party signing (consignor, carrier, consignee) with cross-border signature validation through interconnected TTP services.

e. Relevant document/figure
--
10. Documents and data exchanged via the project

• Electronic international transport waybill (e-CMR) in UN/CEFACT D.22A XML format
• Electronic digital signatures (XAdES format)
• Trusted Third Party verification receipts/certificates
• QR codes linked to state information systems (GIS EPD)
• Technical acknowledgment messages between EDO operators

11. Data models/databases, proprietary solutions, hybrid approaches

The project uses the UN/CEFACT e-CMR D.22A international standard as the base data model, with adaptations for EAEU requirements. XML schemas and JSON API specifications are aligned to the UN/CEFACT Reference Data Model and EEC Data Model. Additional fields were added for multi-party electronic signatures.

12. Main challenges faced during the project

• Mutual recognition of electronic digital signatures across jurisdictions
• Technical challenges with XAdES multi-signature validation (signature invalidation when signing second party)
• Absence of accredited Trusted Third Party operators in Russia at project completion
• Need for regulatory harmonization across EAEU member states
• Integration with national state information systems still under development (ETLP Belarus)
• Development of additional scenarios (driver change, vehicle change, destination change, carrier change)

13. Lessons learned from the project

• States must accede to the 2008 Additional Protocol to the CMR Convention for e-CMR legal recognition
• National EDO operators are essential for cross-border document exchange
• International standards (UN/CEFACT D.22A) are preferable over national formats for cross-border exchange
• National electronic signatures from participating states ensure document authenticity and legal validity
• The format required adaptation to enable multiple electronic signatures from different countries
• Trusted Third Party services are essential for cross-border signature verification
• Full transition requires simplification of procedures, not just digitization of paper forms

14. Main benefit(s) of the project
Transaction Cost savings*
Transaction Time savings
Simplified process
Increased trade flow
14A. Elaborations/detailed description on benefits gained
--
15. Technical/financial/capacity building/other assistance

The pilot project was implemented on an initiative basis without state funding, by EDO operators and EDI providers: LLC "KORUS Consulting CIS" (Russia) and LLC "Modern Trade Technologies" (Belarus), with expert participation from ASMAP and BAMAP, and methodological support from PAO "Sberbank". The UNECE/UN Development Account project provided technical guidance on UN/CEFACT standards alignment.

16. Future plan for expansion of the project

• Expansion to all five EAEU member states (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia)
• Next working group meeting scheduled for September 2025 to finalize practical mechanisms
• Development of additional scenarios (driver change, vehicle replacement, destination change, carrier change)
• Integration with Belarus Unified Transport and Logistics Platform (ETLP)
• Full integration with national customs and tax systems
• Transition from pilot to production exchange
• Proposals to UN/CEFACT for updates to the international e-CMR standard

17. Other information or relevant references on the project

• The project aligns with the EAEU Digital Agenda until 2025
• Part of the ecosystem of digital transport corridors of the EAEU
• Implements the 2008 Additional Protocol to the CMR Convention (e-CMR Protocol)
• Belarus joined e-CMR Protocol in January 2019, Russia in March 2018
• 34 countries have acceded to the e-CMR Protocol as of 2024
• The project builds on the Union State (Russia-Belarus) framework for digital integration

18. Relevant document regarding the project
4.1-otchet-transgranichnyy-pilot-e_cmr.pdf

C. Relevant Standards

19. Name(s) of any international, national legal instrument underpinning the project
• Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR Convention, 1956)
• Additional Protocol to the CMR Convention concerning the Electronic Consignment Note (e-CMR Protocol, 2008)
• Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union (signed 29 May 2014)
• EEC Decision No. 120 of 22 August 2023 on Rules for Recognition of Electronic Digital Signatures in Cross-border Information Exchange
• Federal Law of the Russian Federation No. 63-FZ "On Electronic Signature" (06.04.2011)
• Law of the Republic of Belarus No. 113-Z "On Electronic Document and Electronic Digital Signature" (28.12.2009)
• Union State Program on Unification of Transport Market Regulation
20. Electronic message standard
20A. Electronic message standard supporting the project
XML:
- UN/CEFACT BRS/RSM
- Other XML format: UN/CEFACT e-CMR D.22A standard with adaptations for EAEU requirements
20B. Type of standard for electronic message applied for the project
International standard
21. Technical communication standard
21A. Technical communication standard supporting the project
HTTP, REST API, inter-operator roaming technology (FNS Russia EDO Technology - "ROSEU Technology")
21B. Type of technical communication standard applied for the project
International standard
Industry-specific standard
22. Security-related standards*
22A. Security-related standard supporting the project
Digital signatures
XAdES (XML Advanced Electronic Signatures), Trusted Third Party (TTP) mechanism, electronic digital signatures per national cryptographic standards
22B. Type of security-related standard applied for the project
International standard
Technical recommendations from international body(ies)
23. Other Technical Information
23A. Interface developed for data exchange with an internal system
• API interface between EDO operators and Trusted Third Party operators
• Integration with GIS EPD (State Information System for Electronic Transport Documents) of the Russian Federation (test mode)
• Inter-operator roaming based on FNS Russia EDO Technology ("ROSEU Technology")
• REST API for TTP verification services (Litoria DVCS module)
• QR code generation from GIS EPD for document verification
23B. Other technical implementation information
• Document signing using CryptoPro EDS Browser plug-in (~5-10 seconds)
• Foreign signature verification via TTP (~10-30 seconds via Litoria DVCS REST API)
• XAdES-BES signature format used (timestamp recommended for future implementation)
• XSD schema for e-CMR developed according to UN/CEFACT D.22A with modifications for multiple signature support
• Web client implementation without ERP system integration during pilot phase