6. The Chair of GRB proposed to transform the expert group on UN Regulation No. 51 into an informal working group (IWG) by preparing and adopting its Terms of Reference (ToR) which should focus on harmonizing the current proposal of 03 series of amendments to UN Regulation No. 51 with the provisions of the proposal of the Parliament and the Council of EU¹, as well as including additional aspects concerning the Chinese and Japanese markets. To this end, a working document would be drafted by the IWG for consideration by GRB at its sixtieth session. The IWG should also address additional amendments by preparing an informal document for consideration by GRB at its sixtieth or sixty-first sessions. The experts from France, Germany, Netherlands and EC supported this initiative. It was suggested that ToR should also cover UN Regulation No. 59 (Replacement silencing systems). The experts from France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, EC, CLEPA, ETRTO and OICA announced their intention to participate to the work of the IWG. Finally, based on a draft prepared by the Expert Group, GRB adopted the ToR (GRB-59-10-Rev.1), of the IWG on UN Regulation No. 51 and UN Regulation No. 59, as reproduced in Annex II to this report, subject to WP.29 consent.

¹The “Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the sound level of motor vehicles” (2011/0409 (COD)) and related documents are available on the EC Enterprise web site: Reference documents – Legislative proposals: Sound level of motor vehicles. However, the last revision of this document was still in process as of this GRB session and not yet available to the public.

7. The expert from EC informed GRB about the work progress of the EU regulation on the noise emission and introduced a revised proposal for the 03 series of amendments to Regulation No. 51 submitted by the GRB Expert Group on UN Regulation 51 (GRB-59-04-Rev.1). He clarified that the proposal was based on GRB-58-17-Rev.1, outcome of the GRB expert group meeting and on the latest update of the EU regulation. He clarified that one of the major modifications introduced was the deletion of Annex 11 on the Audible Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) which should become part of the UN GTR on Quiet Road Transport Vehicles (QRTV) and come into force in due course. The experts from EC and OICA pointed out the difficulties in aligning the texts of the draft EU regulation on the noise emission and UN Regulation No. 51, due to different definitions and legal languages used.

8. The experts from Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Switzerland, EC, ETRTO, OICA as well as the Chair addressed the issue whether or not to delete the footnote after the table with sound level limits in paragraph 6.2.2.1. of GRB-59-04-Rev.1 which refers to the last column “Phase 3” and reads as follows: “To be reviewed and confirmed or modified at the latest one year after entry”. GRB noted that this provision corresponds to Article 7 of the draft EU regulation on the noise emission and aims to review the appropriateness of the noise limits in the future. However, the legal implications of the footnote seemed unclear. GRB invited the expert from EC to clarify this issue with the EU legal services. In the meantime, GRB agreed to put the footnote in square brackets and resume consideration at a later stage. GRB also extensively discussed the wording of paragraph 6.2.2.1 (sound limit values and categories of vehicles) introducing exceptions for limit values applicable to certain categories of vehicles.

9. GRB resumed consideration of the limit values for certain vehicle categories on the basis of a presentation by the expert from Japan (GRB-59-09) on flat front light vehicles of category N₁. The experts from France, Germany, Italy and OICA supported GRB-59-09. The expert from EC stated that a common EU position on this issue, as well as on M₃ buses, was expected at the beginning of 2014.

10. Thus, GRB recalled GRB-58-08, GRB-58-09 and GRB-58-10 tabled by the expert from China in which he suggested higher limit values for vehicles of a specific category on the Chinese market. Referring to the above proposal by Japan, GRB invited the expert from China to explain and further justify his proposal in a similar way, possibly at the next sessions of the IWG on UN Regulation No. 51 and UN Regulation No. 59 in March and May 2014. GRB agreed to refer GRB-59-04-Rev.1 to the IWG incorporating all the changes agreed during the session, including GRB-59-09. GRB also agreed to resume discussion on the 03 series of amendments at its September 2014 session on the basis of an official proposal submitted by the IWG.

11. GRB adopted ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRB/2014/2, not amended, tabled by the expert from OICA to update the requirements on the noise test track from ISO 19844:1994 (i.e. Annex 8 of this Regulation) to ISO 10844:2011, as well as to incorporate transitional provisions to allow repaving of existing, non-complying test tracks with the ISO 10844:2011 standards. The secretariat was requested to submit ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRB/2014/2 to WP.29 and the Administrative Committee of the 1958 Agreement (AC.1), for consideration and vote at their June 2014 sessions as draft Supplement 10 to the 02 series of amendments to Regulation No. 51.

12. GRB resumed discussions on ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRB/2013/4 and GRB-57-13 proposing amendments to improve the test method of the 02 series of amendments to the UN Regulation, as well as an amendment to the acceleration test value proposed by the expert from China in GRB-58-07. GRB noted that the Chinese concerns had been taken into account by ISO Working Group 42 when revising Standard ISO 362-1:2007, referred in the current test method of the UN Regulation. The expert from China withdrew ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRB/2013/4, GRB-57-13 and GRB-58-07 and announced a possible future proposal as a result of further exchange of views with ISO.