(1) Unanimity of the Contracting Parties Present and Voting at the meeting of the Charter Conference where such matters fall to be decided shall be required for decisions by the Charter Conference to:

• (a) adopt amendments to this Treaty other than amendments to Articles 34 and 35 and Annex T;
• (b) approve accessions to this Treaty under Article 41 by states or Regional Economic Integration Organisations which were not signatories to the Charter as of 16 June 1995;
• (c) authorise the negotiation of and approve or adopt the text of association agreements;
• (d) approve modifications to Annexes EM, NI, W and B;
• (e) approve technical changes to the Annexes to this Treaty; and
• (f) approve the Secretary General’s nominations of panelists under Annex D, paragraph (7).
• (g) approve the addition of items to Annex EM II from Annex EM I with the corresponding deletion of those items from Annex EM I and approve the addition of items to Annex EQ II from Annex EQ I with the corresponding deletion of those items from Annex EQ I.

The Contracting Parties shall make every effort to reach agreement by consensus on any other matter requiring their decision under this Treaty. If agreement cannot be reached by consensus, paragraphs (2) to (5) shall apply.

(2) Decisions on budgetary matters referred to in Article 34(3)(e) shall be taken by a qualified majority of Contracting Parties whose assessed contributions as specified in Annex B represent, in combination, at least three-fourths of the total assessed contributions specified therein.

(3) Decisions on matters referred to in Article 34(7) shall be taken by a threefourths majority of the Contracting Parties.

(4) Except in cases specified in subparagraphs (1)(a) to (g), paragraphs (2) and (3), and subject to paragraph (6), decisions provided for in this Treaty shall be taken by a three-fourths majority of the Contracting Parties Present and Voting at the meeting of the Charter Conference at which such matters fall to be decided.

(5) For purposes of this Article, “Contracting Parties Present and Voting” means Contracting Parties present and casting affirmative or negative votes, provided that the Charter Conference may decide upon rules of procedure to enable such decisions to be taken by Contracting Parties by correspondence.

(6) Except as provided in paragraph (2), no decision referred to in this Article shall be valid unless it has the support of a simple majority of the Contracting Parties.

(7) A Regional Economic Integration Organisation shall, when voting, have a number of votes equal to the number of its member states which are Contracting Parties to this Treaty; provided that such an Organisation shall not exercise its right to vote if its member states exercise theirs, and vice versa.

(8) In the event of persistent arrears in a Contracting Party’s discharge of financial obligations under this Treaty, the Charter Conference may suspend that Contracting Party’s voting rights in whole or in part.