53. The representative of Japan, on behalf of the Chair of the IWG on IWVTA, presented the draft General Guidelines for UN regulatory procedures and transitional provisions in UN Regulations (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2017/67). The document aimed to streamline the future work in the subsidiary bodies, to clarify the procedures following Revision 3 of the 1958 Agreement and to ensure “good regulatory practice” by providing clarifications to avoid divergence in the understanding of Revision 3 of the 1958 Agreement and the application of UN Regulations. The document also was largely based on the existing guidelines (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1044/Rev.1), but updated them in order to reflect Revision 3 of the 1958 Agreement. Finally, the IWG on IWVTA was considering the possibility to transform, in the future, this guidance document into a new Schedule to the 1958 Agreement.

54. WP.29 noted Corrigendum 1 to ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2017/67 to align the French version to the English and Russian versions and endorsed the document. WP.29 further agreed to correct the current version of the guideline document, ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1044/Rev.1, and requested the secretariat to publish a Corrigendum. The World Forum also noted other amendments submitted by the IWG on IWVTA (WP.29-172-11) and from the representative of EU (WP.29-172-16).

55. Following the discussion, WP.29 did not fully endorse the proposed amendments and agreed to keep them in square brackets, subject to a final review by each Working Party that is subsidiary to WP.29, by the IWG on IWVTA, and by the secretariat. Each Working Party is invited to submit the result of final review to the Technical Secretary of IWG on IWVTA and UNECE Secretariat by the end of October 2017 at the latest. WP.29 agreed to consider ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2017/67 and Corr.1, with the proposed amendments contained in by WP.29-172-11 and WP.29-172-16, for adoption at its November 2017 session and requested the secretariat to circulate the proposal as a consolidated document with a new symbol by the end of June 2017.

58. The representative of Japan, on behalf of the Chair of the Informal Working Group (IWG) on International Whole Vehicle Type Approval (IWVTA), presented the draft General Guidelines for UN regulatory procedures and transitional provisions in UN Regulations (ECE/TRANS/2017/53). He underlined that the aim of the document is to streamline the future work in the subsidiary bodies, to clarify the procedures following Revision 3 of the 1958 Agreement and to ensure “good regulatory practice” by providing clarifications to avoid divergence in the understanding of Revision 3 of the 1958 Agreement and the application of UN Regulations. He informed the World Forum that the IWG on IWVTA had considered the proposed amendments in WP.29-171-13. He concluded that all amendments agreed by the IWG had been reproduced in WP.29-171-24. He informed WP.29 that the forthcoming meeting of the IWG would be held in Madrid on 16 June 2017. The representative of the Russian Federation raised a study reservation on the revised text. The Chair of WP.29 invited all delegates to send their comments on WP.29-171-24 to the Secretary of the IWG on IWVTA by mid of June 2017 at the latest.

59. WP.29 agreed to resume, at its June 2017 session, consideration of ECE/TRANS/2017/53 as reproduced in WP.29-171-24 and to approve it at the November 2017 session when Revision 3 of the 1958 Agreement entered into force.

58. WP.29 noted the progress made by the IWG on IWVTA in updating the general guidelines for United Nations regulatory procedures and transitional provisions in UN Regulations (WP.29-170-03). The World Forum agreed to consider this subject at its next session in March 2017 and requested the secretariat to circulate WP.29-170-03 with an official symbol.