WHO WE ARE
The International Association of Transport Law East–West (IATL) is an independent non-profit professional organisation established in 2026 in Plovdiv, Republic of Bulgaria. It brings together legal practitioners, academics and experts specialising in transport, customs, commercial and international law, covering all modes of transport — road, rail, maritime and air — as well as their interaction within multimodal logistics chains.
The Association is dedicated to fostering professional cooperation and advancing the development and harmonisation of legal frameworks governing transport activities across the Black Sea region and its neighbouring jurisdictions. It operates as a platform for legal expertise, professional dialogue and exchange of knowledge, supporting a stable, predictable and efficient legal environment for cross-border transport operations.
A central element of IATL’s activity is its role as a bridge between East and West, facilitating structured dialogue between different legal systems and regulatory approaches, with particular emphasis on the interface between European Union law and the BSEC region, contributing to regulatory convergence, consistency in enforcement practices and alignment with European standards and best practices.
Through its activities — including conferences, expert discussions, legal analyses and cooperation with institutions, transport associations and academic bodies — IATL contributes to strengthening institutional dialogue and to developing coherent and effective legal frameworks across all segments of the transport sector.
The Association provides specialised legal expertise in international transport law, including but not limited to the CMR Convention, multimodal transport regimes, liability frameworks, customs regulations (including the TIR and Common Transit Conventions), regulatory compliance and cross-border dispute resolution.
Our Vision
Our vision is to establish IATL as an internationally recognised platform for professional cooperation, legal knowledge and dialogue in transport law and related areas of international commerce.
The Association connects legal professionals, academia, business and institutions across Europe and the wider East–West transport corridor, facilitating the exchange of expertise between jurisdictions and contributing to the development of modern, effective and internationally coherent legal solutions for transport and trade.
What Makes IATL Diffrent?
IATL is a legal network built around international transport. Transport does not stop at national borders, and neither do the legal questions surrounding it. International carriage increasingly involves several jurisdictions, different regulatory systems, contractual relationships, insurers, customs authorities, logistics operators and commercial interests.
IATL brings together professionals who understand these connections. Its focus extends beyond individual branches of law: transport law is examined in its broader international and commercial context, including contractual relations, carrier liability, insurance, customs, private international law, dispute resolution, regulatory compliance and cross-border trade.
By connecting expertise from different jurisdictions, IATL creates a professional forum in which legal theory meets commercial and transport practice.
Our Mission
Through conferences, expert working groups, professional training, research, publications and institutional cooperation, IATL promotes the exchange of knowledge, best practices and legal innovation, while strengthening professional relationships between different jurisdictions. The aim is not only to discuss transport law academically, but to connect legal knowledge with the practical realities of international transport, logistics and commerce.
Connecting East and West
The East–West concept is one of the central elements of the Association’s identity, not simply part of its name. International transport creates natural connections between legal systems, economies and regions. Major transport corridors linking the European Union, the Balkans, the Black Sea region, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, the Eastern Mediterranean and Central Asia cross jurisdictions with different legal traditions and regulatory environments.
IATL provides a professional platform for building relationships across these jurisdictions, exchanging experience and improving understanding of the legal challenges affecting international transport and commerce. The Association presents itself as a bridge between legal communities and markets, rather than as an organisation confined to a particular country or region.
Governance
IATL is governed in accordance with its Statute, ensuring effective management and representation in its relations with national and international partners.