World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations | Session 165 | 10-13 Mar 2015
Geneva
Agenda Item 7.1.
Status of the 1997 Agreement

76. The secretariat presented the consolidated document (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1074/Rev.5) on the status of the Agreement including the status of the UN Rules annexed to the Agreement, the list of the Contracting Parties to the Agreement and of their Administrative Departments and noted that no changes had been made since June 2014.

77. The representative of the Russian Federation presented WP.29-165-07 and noted that the 1997 Agreement should not only increase safety but also eliminate the barriers for implementation of the international automobile carriages. He underlined the importance of international standards incorporating the best practices in the sphere of traffic safety. He noted that the 1958 Agreement and the 1997 Agreement were becoming more interlinked as several UN Regulations under the 1958 Agreement already contain provisions relevant for Periodic Technical Inspections (PTI). He, therefore, concluded that Contracting Parties to the 1958 agreement could become Contracting Parties to the 1997 Agreement.

78. The representative of CITA introduced informal document ITC (2015) No. 15, proposing the development of three additional rules to the 1997 Agreement: (i) requirements on the roadworthiness facilities and test equipment, (ii) requirements on the competence, training and certification of inspectors, and (iii) supervising bodies.

79. The secretariat presented WP.29-165-03 and proposed to align the 1997 Agreement and its annexed rules with the new European legislation, thus including the testing of electronic safety systems into PTI. The secretariat also proposed introducing additional element to the Agreement in line with the decisions taken at the seventy-seventh ITC: (i) new Rule 3 on the equipment to be used for PTI, (ii) new Rule 4 on skills and training of staff performing PTI, and (iii) new Rule 5 on supervision and quality control of PTI centres. The secretariat also suggested that an IWG on PTI could be created to provide a platform for PTI discussions, which should result in consensus on possible amendments to existing Rules as well as the envisaged new rules. The secretariat pointed that the drafting of Rules by the IWG would smooth the decision-making process in WP.29 and AC.4.

80. The representative of the Russian Federation stated that, in principle, his country would support the creation of an IWG. He expressed the willingness of his country to participate in its work and addressed organizational questions related to the establishment of terms of reference and whether it should be a permanent group. He noted that items to be covered by Rules are prescribed by the Agreement (Article 1) and include elements such as vehicle categories, the equipment and/or parts to be inspected, test methods, and conditions for granting inspection certificate. The certificate shall cover date of its issue, the Rules to which the inspected vehicle shall comply and date of the subsequent inspection. He elaborated that elements proposed by the secretariat should be reflected directly in the text of the Agreement, specifically in the provisions for conformity of periodical technical inspection process.

81. The representative of the Netherlands stated that his country agreed with the proposal from CITA and the secretariat to create an IWG. He expressed the willingness of his country to chair it.

82. The representative of Finland welcomed the initiatives and supported the proposal. He expressed the willingness of his country to participate in the work of the group.

83. The representative of Sweden stated that, as a Member State of the EU, his country was obliged to transpose EU directives. He stated that it would be interesting to learn more about the 1997 Agreement to assess if this would be a suitable platform to develop PTI Rules. He added that, as the 1968 Vienna Convention links the usage of vehicles with PTI, the 1997 Agreement could become a cooperation platform between WP.29 and WP.1. He expressed his support for the establishment of an IWG.

84. The representative of Romania supported the establishment of the IWG and expressed the hope that this proposal would address the challenges faced by WP.29 and AC.4.

85. The World Forum agreed to establish an IWG on PTI under the chairmanship of the Netherlands and that CITA would act as secretariat to the group. The World Forum requested the group to draft its Terms of Reference and submit them to the November 2015 session of WP.29.

Documentation
ITC (2015) No. 15 Proposal with regard to a further development of the 1997 Agreement (CITA)
ITC (2015) No. 15 Proposal with regard to a further development of the 1997 Agreement (CITA)
WP.29-165-03 The 1997 Agreement - Possible solutions and the way forward
WP.29-165-03 The 1997 Agreement - Possible solutions and the way forward
WP.29-165-05 Minimum inspection requirements for electric and hybrid-electric vehicles (Russia and CITA)
WP.29-165-06 Minimum inspection requirements for vehicles powered with LPG and СNG (Russia and CITA)
WP.29-165-07 Proposals for futher development and improvement of the 1997 Vienna Agreement (Russia)
WP.29-165-07 Proposals for futher development and improvement of the 1997 Vienna Agreement (Russia)