Kutse

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Auditorium Five Bank Street, London E14 4BG, United Kingdom

Where

5 September 2025 Friday

9:30 – 16:15 British Summer Time

When

How to register

To register your participation, please complete this registration form by 29 August 2025. Participants are also invited to the Cape Town Convention Conference, which will be held in Cambridge on 2 and 3 September 2025. For more information and registration, please see: https://ctcap.org/event/14th-cape-town- convention-conference/

Diplomatic representatives and government officials are warmly invited to attend the conference. The conference will be conducted in English in hybrid format. Attendance inperson is strongly encouraged. Coffee, tea and lunch will be provided for participants. A limited number of places will be reserved for private sector stakeholders, legal practitioners and academic experts.

Co-organised by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT), this international conference for state delegates and officials will explore how the MAC and Rail Protocols operate in practice and how they contribute to credit expansion and international trade. The conference will also consider perspectives from the EBRD regions and beyond, as well as what countries can do to realise the benefits of the MAC and Rail Protocols. Eighty-five countries around the world, in addition to the European Union (EU), have already ratified the CTC and its Aircraft Protocol, including seventeen EBRD countries of operation.

The MAC and Rail Protocols to the Cape Town Convention (CTC) offer a powerful solution. These international treaties establish an international legal framework that enhances access to credit, facilitates trade, and enables businesses to acquire modern machinery, ultimately supporting inclusive and sustainable economic development.

In today’s climate of economic uncertainty, businesses around the world face growing challenges in obtaining finance for major projects that support economic development, particularly in the mining, agriculture and construction (MAC) and rail sectors. One major constraint on access to credit for equipment used in these critical sectors is the absence of clear, balanced and harmonised legal rules.

International conference | A Focus on the Mining, Agriculture and Construction (MAC) Protocol and Rail Protocol

Facilitating economic growth and trade through equipment finance

16:00 Closing remarks

Sir Roy Goode, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Oxford and author of the Cape Town Convention Official Commentaries

William Brydie-Watson, Senior Legal Officer, UNIDROIT

15:45 | Into the future How Governments can realise the benefits

of the MAC and Rail Protocols

14:45 | Panel 4 Benefits of the MAC and Rail

Protocols: a view from industry

Alex Russ (Moderator), Senior Advisor, Global Public Policy, Association of Equipment Manufacturers

Howard Rosen, Chair, Rail Working Group

Riccardo Viaggi, Secretary-General, European Construction Equipment Manufacturing Association

Louise Mor, Partner, Assets and Structured Finance Watson Farley and Williams law firm

Coffee break14:15

13:15 | Panel 3 Fuelling economic development – regional perspectives on the MAC

and Rail Protocols and relevance for EBRD Regions

Teresa Rodríguez-de-las-Heras Ballell (Moderator), Chair, Rail Protocol Supervisory Authority, Professor, University Carlos III of Madrid

Kier Fitch, Head of Unit, Rail Safety and Interoperability, European Commission Directorate General for Mobility and Transport

Iyare Otabor-Olubor, Senior Lecturer in Commercial Law, Aston University, United Kingdom

Megumi Hara, Professor, Chuo University, Japan

TBC, EBRD, Case study: Future Impact of the Cape Town Convention for Ukraine

Lunch (provided)12:15PM

11:30 | Panel 2 Evaluating the Transactional Impact of the MAC and Rail

Protocols in facilitating trade and investment

Milot Ahma (Moderator), Principal Counsel, Legal Transition Programme

Yuichiro Akita, President, Berne Union, Senior General Manager, Nippon Export and Investment Insurance

Anne Mazière, Managing Director, Aviation and Rail Finance Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank (CA-CIB)

Ifeanyi Chukwu Egbuniwe, Senior Counsel, Export-Import Bank of the United States

Markus Renfert, Senior Counsel, Office of the General Counsel, EBRD

Ekaterina Kushnareva, Office of the General Counsel, International Finance Corporation

10:40 | Panel 1 Expanding the Cape Town

Convention to new sectors – the legal operation and economic

benefits of the MAC Protocol and Rail Protocols

Catherine Bridge Zoller (Moderator), Senior Counsel, Legal Transition Programme, EBRD

Anna Veneziano, Deputy Secretary-General, UNIDROIT

Marek Dubovec, Director of Law Reform Programmes, International Law Institute

Kathy Hillman-Weir, Executive Vice-President, Chief Corporate Officer, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Information Services Corporation (ISC)

Zsoka Koczan, Lead Economist, Transition Impact, Global Economics, EBRD

Ignacio Tirado, Secretary-General, UNIDROIT

10:20 | Keynote | A model of success The role of the Cape Town Convention and its Aircraft Protocol in the facilitation of access to credit supporting economic development

10:00 Opening remarks

and welcome

Alba Bozo, Deputy General Counsel, EBRD

Michel Nussbaumer, Director Legal Transition Programme, EBRD

Ignacio Tirado, Secretary-General, UNIDROIT

Alexsandr Kuzmenko, Secretary-General Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF)

Registration, tea and coffee9:30AM

16:15 End of conference

VIA PANISPERNA, 28 – 00184 ROMA – ITALIA – TEL.: (+39) 06 69 62 11 – FAX (+39) 06 69 94 13 94 [email protected] – http://www.unidroit.org

Our refce.: PROM/989

N O T E V E R B A L E

The International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) presents its

compliments to the Embassy of the Republic of Estonia in Italy and has the honour to invite the

Government of the Republic of Estonia to an international conference regarding the implementation

of two of UNIDROIT’s most important treaties – the Mining, Agriculture and Construction (MAC)

Protocol and the Rail Protocol to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment (Cape

Town Convention).

UNIDROIT is pleased to communicate to Embassy of the Republic of Estonia in Italy that the

conference, jointly held with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and

titled “Facilitating economic growth through trade finance – a focus on the Mining, Agricultural and

Construction (MAC) Protocol and the Rail Protocol”, will be held on Friday 5 September 2025

between 9:30 – 16:15 British Summer Time at the EBRD Headquarters in London, United Kingdom.

The conference will provide an opportunity for diplomatic representatives and government officials

to consider the operation of these two treaties, and how they facilitate credit expansion, trade and

economic development. The agenda for the conference is attached to this Note Verbale.

UNIDROIT is further pleased to confirm to Embassy of the Republic of Estonia in Italy that

participation in the conference is free of charge and that a light lunch will be provided for participants.

Online participation will also be possible, although in-person participation is encouraged. The

conference will be conducted in English.

UNIDROIT has the honour to inform Embassy of the Republic of Estonia in Italy that participants

can register for the conference via the registration form at the following link: registration link.

UNIDROIT would be grateful if participants can register their attendance by 29 August 2025.

Participants are also encouraged to consider attending the Cape Town Convention Academic

Conference, which will be held in Cambridge on 2 and 3 September 2025 (more information and

registration: https://ctcap.org/event/14th-cape-town-convention-conference/).

UNIDROIT would be grateful if the Embassy of the Republic of Estonia in Italy would kindly bring

the contents of this Note Verbale to the attention of the competent Authorities of its Government

and its representation in the United Kingdom.

Rome, 11 August 2025

To the Embassy of the Republic of Estonia in Italy

ROME

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Auditorium Five Bank Street, London E14 4BG, United Kingdom

Where

5 September 2025 Friday

9:30 – 16:15 British Summer Time

When

How to register

To register your participation, please complete this registration form by 29 August 2025. Participants are also invited to the Cape Town Convention Conference, which will be held in Cambridge on 2 and 3 September 2025. For more information and registration, please see: https://ctcap.org/event/14th-cape-town- convention-conference/

Diplomatic representatives and government officials are warmly invited to attend the conference. The conference will be conducted in English in hybrid format. Attendance inperson is strongly encouraged. Coffee, tea and lunch will be provided for participants. A limited number of places will be reserved for private sector stakeholders, legal practitioners and academic experts.

Co-organised by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT), this international conference for state delegates and officials will explore how the MAC and Rail Protocols operate in practice and how they contribute to credit expansion and international trade. The conference will also consider perspectives from the EBRD regions and beyond, as well as what countries can do to realise the benefits of the MAC and Rail Protocols. Eighty-five countries around the world, in addition to the European Union (EU), have already ratified the CTC and its Aircraft Protocol, including seventeen EBRD countries of operation.

The MAC and Rail Protocols to the Cape Town Convention (CTC) offer a powerful solution. These international treaties establish an international legal framework that enhances access to credit, facilitates trade, and enables businesses to acquire modern machinery, ultimately supporting inclusive and sustainable economic development.

In today’s climate of economic uncertainty, businesses around the world face growing challenges in obtaining finance for major projects that support economic development, particularly in the mining, agriculture and construction (MAC) and rail sectors. One major constraint on access to credit for equipment used in these critical sectors is the absence of clear, balanced and harmonised legal rules.

International conference | A Focus on the Mining, Agriculture and Construction (MAC) Protocol and Rail Protocol

Facilitating economic growth and trade through equipment finance

16:00 Closing remarks

Sir Roy Goode, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Oxford and author of the Cape Town Convention Official Commentaries

William Brydie-Watson, Senior Legal Officer, UNIDROIT

15:45 | Into the future How Governments can realise the benefits

of the MAC and Rail Protocols

14:45 | Panel 4 Benefits of the MAC and Rail

Protocols: a view from industry

Alex Russ (Moderator), Senior Advisor, Global Public Policy, Association of Equipment Manufacturers

Howard Rosen, Chair, Rail Working Group

Riccardo Viaggi, Secretary-General, European Construction Equipment Manufacturing Association

Louise Mor, Partner, Assets and Structured Finance Watson Farley and Williams law firm

Coffee break14:15

13:15 | Panel 3 Fuelling economic development – regional perspectives on the MAC

and Rail Protocols and relevance for EBRD Regions

Teresa Rodríguez-de-las-Heras Ballell (Moderator), Chair, Rail Protocol Supervisory Authority, Professor, University Carlos III of Madrid

Kier Fitch, Head of Unit, Rail Safety and Interoperability, European Commission Directorate General for Mobility and Transport

Iyare Otabor-Olubor, Senior Lecturer in Commercial Law, Aston University, United Kingdom

Megumi Hara, Professor, Chuo University, Japan

TBC, EBRD, Case study: Future Impact of the Cape Town Convention for Ukraine

Lunch (provided)12:15PM

11:30 | Panel 2 Evaluating the Transactional Impact of the MAC and Rail

Protocols in facilitating trade and investment

Milot Ahma (Moderator), Principal Counsel, Legal Transition Programme

Yuichiro Akita, President, Berne Union, Senior General Manager, Nippon Export and Investment Insurance

Anne Mazière, Managing Director, Aviation and Rail Finance Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank (CA-CIB)

Ifeanyi Chukwu Egbuniwe, Senior Counsel, Export-Import Bank of the United States

Markus Renfert, Senior Counsel, Office of the General Counsel, EBRD

Ekaterina Kushnareva, Office of the General Counsel, International Finance Corporation

10:40 | Panel 1 Expanding the Cape Town

Convention to new sectors – the legal operation and economic

benefits of the MAC Protocol and Rail Protocols

Catherine Bridge Zoller (Moderator), Senior Counsel, Legal Transition Programme, EBRD

Anna Veneziano, Deputy Secretary-General, UNIDROIT

Marek Dubovec, Director of Law Reform Programmes, International Law Institute

Kathy Hillman-Weir, Executive Vice-President, Chief Corporate Officer, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Information Services Corporation (ISC)

Zsoka Koczan, Lead Economist, Transition Impact, Global Economics, EBRD

Ignacio Tirado, Secretary-General, UNIDROIT

10:20 | Keynote | A model of success The role of the Cape Town Convention and its Aircraft Protocol in the facilitation of access to credit supporting economic development

10:00 Opening remarks

and welcome

Alba Bozo, Deputy General Counsel, EBRD

Michel Nussbaumer, Director Legal Transition Programme, EBRD

Ignacio Tirado, Secretary-General, UNIDROIT

Alexsandr Kuzmenko, Secretary-General Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF)

Registration, tea and coffee9:30AM

16:15 End of conference

VIA PANISPERNA, 28 – 00184 ROMA – ITALIA – TEL.: (+39) 06 69 62 11 – FAX (+39) 06 69 94 13 94 [email protected] – http://www.unidroit.org

Our refce.: PROM/989

N O T E V E R B A L E

The International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) presents its

compliments to the Embassy of the Republic of Estonia in Italy and has the honour to invite the

Government of the Republic of Estonia to an international conference regarding the implementation

of two of UNIDROIT’s most important treaties – the Mining, Agriculture and Construction (MAC)

Protocol and the Rail Protocol to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment (Cape

Town Convention).

UNIDROIT is pleased to communicate to Embassy of the Republic of Estonia in Italy that the

conference, jointly held with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and

titled “Facilitating economic growth through trade finance – a focus on the Mining, Agricultural and

Construction (MAC) Protocol and the Rail Protocol”, will be held on Friday 5 September 2025

between 9:30 – 16:15 British Summer Time at the EBRD Headquarters in London, United Kingdom.

The conference will provide an opportunity for diplomatic representatives and government officials

to consider the operation of these two treaties, and how they facilitate credit expansion, trade and

economic development. The agenda for the conference is attached to this Note Verbale.

UNIDROIT is further pleased to confirm to Embassy of the Republic of Estonia in Italy that

participation in the conference is free of charge and that a light lunch will be provided for participants.

Online participation will also be possible, although in-person participation is encouraged. The

conference will be conducted in English.

UNIDROIT has the honour to inform Embassy of the Republic of Estonia in Italy that participants

can register for the conference via the registration form at the following link: registration link.

UNIDROIT would be grateful if participants can register their attendance by 29 August 2025.

Participants are also encouraged to consider attending the Cape Town Convention Academic

Conference, which will be held in Cambridge on 2 and 3 September 2025 (more information and

registration: https://ctcap.org/event/14th-cape-town-convention-conference/).

UNIDROIT would be grateful if the Embassy of the Republic of Estonia in Italy would kindly bring

the contents of this Note Verbale to the attention of the competent Authorities of its Government

and its representation in the United Kingdom.

Rome, 11 August 2025

To the Embassy of the Republic of Estonia in Italy

ROME