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Romain Hubert, UNECE - Transport Divisionn'existe qu'en anglais
Romain Hubert - UNECE - Transport Division
The 1998 Global Agreement: A Basis for Global Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations Introduction: Road transport is a complex system with implications for road safety, energy consumption and the environment. In the past, governments minimized any side-effects by regulating them through national legislation. However, they realized that it was essential to constantly update regulations in order to keep up with new technologies, and also to internationally harmonize these requirements, in order to facilitate border crossing and trade of vehicles. Under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, a set of general technical requirements for vehicle characteristics was adopted in the Convention on Road Traffic in 1949 and a resolution (Resolution No. 45 of the Subcommittee on Road Transport SC.1) called for the establishment of a working party of experts competent in the field of technical requirements for road vehicles. Based on this resolution, the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29), previously known as the Working Party on the Construction of Vehicles, was established on 6 June 1952. In March 1958, the Federal Republic of Germany proposed the establishment of an agreement, under the auspices of the UNECE, in order to facilitate the adoption of uniform conditions of approval for motor vehicles, as well as their reciprocal recognition. The Agreement was made on 20th March 1958 and entered into force on 20th June 1959. Since then, the World Forum and its six Working Parties have formulated more than 120 UNECE Regulations relating to the active and passive safety of motor vehicles, as well as environmental protection, achieved by limiting the emission of pollutants. These Regulations are annexed to the 1958 Agreement mentioned above, and include: (a) technical requirements and alternative requirements as appropriate; (b) test methods by which performance requirements are to be demonstrated; (c) the conditions for granting type approvals and (d) their reciprocal recognition, including markings and conditions for ensuring conformity of production (COP). On 16 October 1995, the 1958 Agreement was revised in order to: (a) open it worldwide to other members of the United Nations and Regional Economic Integration Organizations that participate in UNECE activities; (b) open it to those countries whose rules and regulations are implemented through self-certification. Nevertheless, some countries were not in a position to join the revised 1958 Agreement, as the mutual recognition was not acceptable for them. Thus, the World Forum adopted in 1998, in parallel to the 1958 Agreement, the Global Agreement concerning the establishing of global technical regulations (GTRs) for wheeled vehicles, equipment and parts which can be fitted and/or used on wheeled vehicles. This 1998 Agreement entered into force on 25 August 2000. Today, 24 countries adhere to the 1998 Agreement (United States of America, Canada, Japan, France, United Kingdom, the European Community, Germany, Russian Federation, P.R. China, Republic of Korea, Italy, South Africa, Finland, Hungary, Turkey, Slovakia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Azerbaijan, Spain, Romania, Sweden, Norway and Cyprus). The purpose of this agreement is to establish a global framework for the worldwide harmonization of technical requirements regarding safety, environmental protection, energy efficiency and anti-theft performance of motor vehicles and their trailers, independently from the administrative procedure applied in the different countries. Consequently, the purpose is the same as that of the 1958 Agreement except for the mutual recognition of approvals. In addition to the technical requirements in a GTR under the 1998 Agreement, only performance requirements (limit values) are set down, if appropriate, while UNECE Regulations under the 1958 Agreement stipulate administrative procedures regarding the certification, the mutual recognition, and the conformity of production. As regards technical provisions, future UNECE Regulations may either include a reference to the corresponding GTR, or reproduce the requirements in a technical annex. So, the vehicle manufacturer only has to fulfill a single set of technical requirements, then the vehicles can be certified either according to the type approval procedure laid down in the UNECE Regulation or according to the self-certification procedure used in other countries. In this way, vehicles can be manufactured in large numbers and enter the market at low prices without the need for adaptation to local requirements, allowing for the provision of fuel-efficient vehicles with a higher level of active and passive safety. Regarding the status of the 1998 Agreement, the Executive Committee (AC.3) of the Agreement adopted, in November 2004, the first GTR on door locks and door retention components (GTR No. 1, also applicable for buses and coaches) and, in June 2005, the first environment GTR on the measurement procedure for motorcycles equipped with a positive or compression ignition engine with regard to the emissions of gaseous pollutants, CO2 emissions and fuel consumption by the engine (GTR No. 2). In June 2005, AC.3 also adopted a Special Resolution concerning the common definitions of vehicle categories, masses and dimensions (S.R.1). The World Forum has agreed fifteen priorities for developing GTRs. In relation to worldwide harmonized provisions, also covering buses and coaches, the World Forum and its Working Parties are working on lighting and light-signalling devices, passenger vehicle brakes, tyres, head restraints, hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles, emission of pollutants of heavy-duty vehicles including their OBD systems, off-cycle emissions, etc. Other fields in which the Working Parties are considering the harmonization of prescriptions are, amongst others, vehicle crash compatibility, intelligent transport systems, and drivers' field of vision. All documentation (regulations, agenda, working documents, informal documents, reports) is available on the WP.29 website at:
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