Journal of Competitiveness 132 THE IMPACT OF THE CMR PROTOCOL ON CARRIER COMPETITIVENESS ▪ Milos Poliak, Jana Tomicova, Kelvin Cheu, Gabriel Fedorko, Adela Poliakova Abstract In 1956, an important step was taken in international road freight transport. The CMR Conven- tion, the main purpose of which was to unify the rules for the international transport of goods and thereby promote the development of international trade, was concluded. From a practi- cal point of view, this is of great importance to both carriers and transporters. Similarly, this Convention also incorporates the most important document for the carriage of goods, i.e. the consignment note CMR. Since the adoption of the CMR Convention, the method of calculating the carrier liability has changed with the adoption of the Protocol to the CMR Convention. The Protocol changed the system for calculating liability from one based on the gold franc to a system based on special drawing rights. This protocol has not only changed the unit of constraint, but has also reduced the value of liability limitation for carriers. However, the protocol, which intro- duced a change in the carrier liability system, has not been accepted by all states. This disparity causes differences in liability and also in the competitiveness of carriers. The aim of this paper is to identify the impact of the adoption of the Protocol on the competitiveness of the carrier in each state which is party to the agreement. Keywords: document, CMR, convention, contract, carriage, liability, competitiveness JEL Classification: R48, H40 Received: May, 2019 1st Revision: November, 2019 Accepted: November, 2019 1. INTRODUCTION Developments in human society are closely linked to the exchange of goods and thus to the development of transport. Transport has become an important need for humanity and is also a prerequisite for the operation of international trade. Within the EU, road transport has gradually gained a dominant position, especially at the expense of railways. Reasons for this are many, but among the most important are the quality and density of the road network within the EU, along with flexibility, speed, convenience, adaptability and other advantages road transport brings (Kan et al., 2015; Poliak & Poliaková, 2015). Goods may be transported across national borders on the basis of the conclusion of a transport contract only. The conclusion of a contract for car- Poliak, M., Tomicova, J., Cheu, K., Fedorko, G., & Poliakova, A. (2019). The Impact of the CMR Protocol on Carrier Competitiveness. Journal of Competitiveness, 11(4), 132–143. https://doi.org/10.7441/ joc.2019.04.09