It occupies a central seat in the Community decision-making system, in which it is both a forum for dialogue (between the Permanent Representatives and between them and their national capitals) and a body exercising political control (by defining and supervising the work of the expert groups). Common procedures and rules have been developed together with a single document to replace the various documents used so far. The entry into force of the internal market in 1993 abolished all routine checks at internal borders and customs formalities. The customs authorities of the Member States have thus lost their responsibility for the collection of excise duties, VAT and statistical data. Article 152 provides that measures to that effect may include Community measures which supplement those of the Member States. However, the main approach should be to promote cooperation between Member States, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity. A treaty is negotiated by a group of countries, either by an organization created for that specific purpose or by an existing body such as the United Nations (UN) Disarmament Council. The negotiation process can take several years, depending on the topics covered and the number of participating countries. At the end of the negotiations, the contract will be signed by representatives of the governments concerned.

The conditions may require ratification and signature of the treaty before it becomes legally binding. A government ratifies a treaty by depositing an instrument of ratification in a place defined by the Treaty; The instrument of ratification is a document containing a formal confirmation of the Government`s approval of the provisions of the Treaty. The ratification process varies according to the laws and constitutions of each country. In the United States, the president can only ratify a treaty after receiving the “advice and approval” of two-thirds of the Senate. The High Contracting Parties; is designated as the official title of the Head of State (but without the personal name), z.B. His Majesty the King of X or His Excellency the President of Y, or alternatively in the form of “Government of Z”; are listed, together with the names and full titles of their authorised representatives and a boilerplate clause on how their representatives communicated (or exchanged) their full powers (i.e. the official documents they appoint to act on behalf of their respective High Contracting Party) and found them to be in good or due form. . . .