30. The expert from EC presented GRPE-72-18 on the transposition of GTR No. 15 into the legislation of the European Union. He informed GRPE about the progress made on the development of a new European Regulation, which was expected to replace the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) in 2017 and which had a specific annex based on GTR No. 15 adapted to the European requirements.

31. The expert from EC continued his presentation (GRPE-72-18) on the transposition of GTR No. 15 into new Regulations annexed to the 1958 Agreement. He underlined the agreement of WP.29 at its November 2015 session on developing a new Regulation on WLTP with one top level (highest stringency) and other different levels of stringency below that top level. He recalled that the top level (Level 2) would correspond to the most stringent combination of regional requirements, whereas the levels below (Level 1a, Level 1b, etc.) would correspond to a specific national or regional legislation in terms of emission limits as well as region-specific technical and administrative requirements. He showed a possible structure of a new Regulation on WLTP and he highlighted the different parts (e.g. Annexes on approval marks and the communication form) that should enable distinction between the different levels. He introduced a possible structure of a second new Regulation that would complement the Regulation on WLTP (type 1 test only) by referring to the relevant parts of Regulation No. 83 on other test types. As the technical sponsor for these activities, he sought the advice of GRPE on the best way to move forward.

32. The expert from OICA underlined the need of Level 2 to be used for the Universal International Whole Vehicle Type Approval (U-IWVTA) as it would be the only level subjected to mutual recognition between all Contracting Parties to the 1958 Agreement applying the Regulation. He highlighted the complexity of defining Level 2 because of the different factors needed to be taken into account when defining the highest stringency (e.g. emissions limits, test, fuel, vehicle size and technology).

33. The Chair of GRPE mentioned that including Level 2 directly in the original version of the new Regulation on WLTP together with the levels below (Level 1a, Level 1b, etc.) could be a possible alternative to introducing Level 2 as a new series of amendments to the Regulation. The expert from EC emphasized the need of starting with the levels below to fill the gap in the European legislation in due time by 2017, whereas Level 2, currently artificial and likely to be time consuming to be defined due to its complexity, could be developed later on towards global harmonization. The secretariat reminded that the latest series of amendments to a Regulation (or its original version in the absence of series of amendments) were always subject to mutual recognition according to the 1958 Agreement.

34. GRPE endorsed the approach to focus first on the levels below (Level 1a, Level 1b, etc.) when developing the new Regulation on WLTP, while having in mind the need of Level 2 for IWVTA. GRPE agreed to further investigate the best way to integrate all levels in the new Regulation on WLTP and to resume discussion at the next GRPE session in June 2016.

35. The Chair of GRPE recommended that the structure of the new Regulation on WLTP should ensure the modular approach to take into account different levels. The expert from OICA was of the opinion that separation of modules could be helpful. The secretariat recalled the existence of safety Regulations structured according to one of the following options: a) modular approach in form of annexes corresponding to each of the levels, or b) single structure integrating the specifications of each level through tables in all relevant paragraphs.

36. The expert from EC wondered whether Japan would follow the provisions on the conformity of production to decide if these provisions could be directly inserted in the new Regulation on WLTP. The Chair of the IWG on Gaseous Fuelled Vehicles (GFV) mentioned that Annex 5 addressed specific additional requirements for GFV but he clarified that these requirements could also be included in the main annex on type 1 test.

37. GRPE endorsed the basic elements in GRPE-72-18 on the structure of both new Regulations (on WLTP and on other test types beyond type 1). GRPE noted the need to ensure a modular approach in the Regulation on WLTP with a general module on common provisions and specific modules adding further regional requirements.

38. Regarding the way forward on the transposition process, the expert from EC expressed his preference for setting up a Task Force reporting to the IWG on WLTP, rather than a new IWG reporting directly to GRPE. He underlined the relevance to have all Contracting Parties to the 1958 Agreement involved since the beginning to avoid the difficult integration of new elements at a later stage. The experts from Japan and India expressed their intention to participate in the Task Force.

39. GRPE endorsed the establishment of a new Task Force under the IWG on WLTP to deal with the transposition of GTR No. 15 into Regulations to be annexed to the 1958 Agreement. The Chair of GRPE invited Japan and the European Union to submit, as technical sponsors for these activities, an informal document to the March 2016 sessions of WP.29 and AC.3 to amend the proposed mandate for Phase 2 activities (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2016/29) by including the established Task Force on the transposition process.