Governance
Convention and Protocol
Convention establishing the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts with protocol on privileges and immunities
ECMWF is an intergovernmental organisation established by a Convention that came into force on 1 November 1975.
At its 62nd (extraordinary) session on 22 April 2005, the ECMWF Council unanimously adopted amendments to the Convention (including amendments to the Protocol on Privileges and Immunities) in form of an Amending Protocol. The amendments to the Convention entered in force on 6 June 2010.
The following official translations of the Convention (including the Protocol on Privileges and Immunities), the Amending Protocol and the original Convention (including the original Protocol on Privileges and Immunities) are available:
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Convention and Protocol on Privileges and Immunities
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Original Convention and Protocol on Privileges and Immunities
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The original Convention was ratified by the following Member States: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Yugoslavia*.
Thereafter, additional States acceded to the Convention with effect from the dates listed below:
| Portugal | 1 January 1976 |
| Türkiye | 1 May 1976 |
| Greece | 1 September 1976 |
| Italy | 1 September 1977 |
| Norway | 1 January 1989 |
| Luxembourg | 1 July 2002 |
| Iceland | 1 June 2011 |
| Slovenia | 1 December 2012 |
| Serbia | 1 January 2015 |
| Croatia | 1 January 2016 |
| Estonia | 1 December 2020 |
ECMWF has certain privileges and immunities which are set out in its Protocol on Privileges and Immunities. The Protocol grants ECMWF two important immunities: its property and income is exempt from all direct taxes; and it is immune from jurisdiction and execution. This aligns with principles of international law that no State is meant to be enriched (i.e. to receive taxes) at the expense of other ECMWF Member States who fund the Centre and that no State’s laws should take precedence over the laws of other ECMWF Member States.
ECMWF's Status: Arbitration and VAT
* By Council resolution, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ceased to be a party to the Convention on 29 June 2001.
Hosting Agreements
Headquarters agreement between ECMWF and the United Kingdom
Agreement concerning the premises of ECMWF located in Italy
Agreement concerning the premises of ECMWF located in Germany
Resolutions adopted by the Council
Resolution on the accession of Montenegro to the ECMWF Convention
Adopted by the Council at its 98th session on 8 December 2020
Resolution on the accession of the Republic of Estonia to the ECMWF Convention
Adopted by the Council at its 94th session on 27 June 2019
Resolution on the location of ECMWF new data centre
Adopted by the Council at its 90th session on 22 June 2017
Resolution on the accession of Serbia to the ECMWF Convention
Adopted by the Council at its 79th session on 20 June 2013
Resolution on the accession of Croatia to the ECMWF Convention
Adopted by the Council on 20 September 2011 (vote by correspondence)
Resolution on the ECMWF contribution to GMES
(adopted by the ECMWF Council at its 75th session on 16-17 June 2011)
Resolution the accession of Slovenia to the ECMWF Convention
Adopted by the Council on 31 March 2011 (vote by correspondence)
Resolution on the accession of Iceland to the ECMWF Convention
Adopted by the Council on 24 February 2011 (vote by correspondence)
Resolution on the request for reimbursement of the purchase price for Keeper's Cottage
Adopted by the Council at its 63rd Session (June 2005)
Resolution determining the use of languages
Adopted by the Council at its 62nd Session (April 2005)
Resolution on the requirement for additional land for the Headquarters of ECMWF
Adopted by the Council at its 56th Session (June 2002)
Resolution on the membership of the Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia
Adopted by the Council at its 54th Session (June 2001)
Resolution on harmonization
Adopted by the Council at its 48th Session (June 1998)
Resolution on Internet
Adopted by the Council at its 44th Session (July 1996)
Agreements with Co-operating States
ECMWF has co-operation agreements with the following non-Member States:
| Hungary (1 July 1994) |
| Czech Republic (1 August 2001) |
| Romania (22 December 2003) |
| Lithuania (20 November 2006) |
| Morocco (1 December 2006) |
| Montenegro (5 November 2007) |
| Slovakia (1 January 2008) |
| Latvia (30 April 2008) |
| Bulgaria (12 July 2010) |
| Israel (28 October 2010) |
| North Macedonia (formerly known as Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) (9 February 2011) |
| Georgia (1 December 2021) |
International Co-operation Agreements
| World Meteorological Organization (WMO) (1 November 1975) |
| EUMETSAT (18 May 1988) |
| African Centre for Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD) (11 May 1995 - extended on 10 July 2024 until 1 January 2030) |
| ALADIN/HIRLAM - Use of IFS/Arpege (19 February 1999 - amended 21 September 2016) |
| Joint Research Centre (JRC) (6 May 2003) |
| Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) (24 June 2003) |
| Executive Body of the Convention of Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) (26 January 2005) |
| European Space Agency (ESA) (31 May 2005 - extended on 1 June 2020 for indefinite period) |
| MoU for Joint Liaison Office with European Institutions in Brussels (23 April 2010) |
| Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia (RIMES) (8 February 2012) |
| China Meteorological Administration (CMA) (21 January 2014 - extended in January 2024 until January 2029) |
| United States National Weather Service (NWS) (23 January 2015 - extended on 7 January 2020 until 23 January 2025) |
| National Institute for Space Research (INPE) Brazil (1 August 2017 - extended in June 2022 until June 2027) |
| Bureau of Meteorology Australia (14 February 2024 until 14 February 2029) |
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Department of the Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) (16 July 2024 until 16 July 2029) |
Terms of Reference and Rules of Procedure
- Rules of procedure - Council
- Rules of procedure - Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC)
- Terms of reference - Finance Committee (FC)
- Terms of reference - Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)
- Terms of reference - Policy Advisory Committee (PAC)
- Terms of reference - Advisory Committee of Co-operating States
- Terms of reference - Advisory Committee for Data Policy (ACDP)
Rules governing the distribution of Centre products
Procedures
- Procedure for ECMWF Third Party Activities
- Procedure for ECMWF Optional Programmes
- Procedure for Externally Funded Projects
- Guidelines on distribution of computer resources
- Guidelines for the Optional Programme: Boundary Conditions for Limited Area Modelling
- Guidelines for the Optional Programme: Scalable Acquisition and Pre-Processing System (SAPP)
- Guidelines on handling of special projects
Financial regulations
- Financial regulations
- Reserves policy
- ECMWF's Status: Arbitration and VAT