36. GRBP recalled its discussion on how to implement the new provisions of Revision 3 of the 1958 Agreement on “Unique Identifier” (UI) and agreed to resume it at the next session, in the light of ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2019/77 which had been submitted to the November 2019 session of WP.29 by the Informal Working Group on Database of the Exchange of Type Approval documentation (IWG DETA).

68. The representative from Germany, Chair of the IWG on DETA, reported (WP.29-185-12) on the activities of the group at its last session in November 2021. He explained that: 33 contracting parties notified their DETA Focal Point, about 12400 approvals were uploaded by 13 contracting parties, about 5560 manufacturers were uploaded and could be selected in DETA by the Type-Approval Authority, and that 13 manufacturers were having access to their own approvals in DETA. He explained the situation with regard to contracting new features: the Unique Identifier module, the Mass Upload Functionality and the two-factor authentication to increase the security of the system. He reported on the activities of the group to reflect on possible extension of DETA to increase the attractiveness of the system for the contracting parties of the 1997 and 1998 Agreements and on the state of play with regards to the DETA summary document on UI marking.

69. The representative of OICA clarified that, while the Unique Identifier by default applies to all UN Regulations, the GR working parties should identify those UN Regulations for which the use of the Unique Identifier was not appropriate and should not be used. He also suggested that the draft contract for the UI development be reviewed with the various sponsors and finalised as soon as possible.

70. The representative from Germany, Chair of the IWG on DETA, presented (WP.29-185-13) a proposal for amendments to the ‘specifications and application guideline for the Unique Identifier (UI) module’, document ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2019/77 and (WP.29-185-12). WP.29 agreed to consider this document with an official symbol at its March 2022 session.

71. WP.29 reflected on the proposed potential extensions of DETA. The Delegate form the United States of America requested, and WP.29 agreed, to remove language from the report that suggested the United States of America proposed or supported extension of DETA to Parties of the 1998 Agreement.

72. The representatives of Japan reported on the current status of discussions in the GRVA IWG on VMAD with regards to scenarios catalogues, which was still discussing this item at a high level of abstraction.

73. The representative of the United States of America explained that the IWG on FRAV was still discussing, among others, whether scenarios were needed for the development of ADS or for their performance assessment.

74. The representative of OICA recalled that the DETA database was designed originally for the purpose of type approval data exchange; therefore, it was not appropriate for all types of extensions which in fact would entail a totally new, separate database software.

75. The representative of the Netherlands agreed with the technical comment of the representative of OICA regarding the current function of DETA. He explained that WP.29 would need to reflect on modern ways to exchange information.

76. The Chair of GRVA suggested that the GRVA IWGs could advice whether these functions could be needed. He invited WP.29 to consider whether countries would want a centralized approach to exchange information or a decentralized way that all countries would need to implement.

77. The representative of Switzerland stated that it was premature to consider details. He advised to keep the discussion at a strategic level and focus on principles. He supported this discussion and advised that WP.29 embarked in a modern, flexible and dynamic way to address the technological progress brought by ADS.

78. WP.29 invited the IWG on DETA to further explore options and thanked Germany for continuing hosting DETA.

82. The representative of Germany, on behalf of the IWG on DETA presented the status report (WP.29-178-22) of the activities of the group, and the report of the last session (WP.29-178-23). He informed WP.29 that DETA was operational for the exchange of type approval documentation and that 16 contracting parties already had notified [Germany of] their DETA focal point. He explained that DETA was still being developed to include the Unique Identifier (UI) and the Declaration of Conformance (DoC) functionalities. He presented the expected timeline for their implementation. He invited WP.29 to consider for endorsement the specifications of UI (WP.29-178-26/Rev.1) and DoC (WP.29-178-25). He recommended that WP.29 invite GRs, in the context of UI, to consider whether current additional marking provisions were still to be considered part of the approval marking and could be replaced by the UI marking, or these additional markings have an information character and could be provided by alternative means (e.g. insertion in the Communication Form). WP.29 agreed with this suggestion. This was necessary as the current version of the software was not able to render all marking variations

83. The secretariat insisted on the need to review the specifications of the DETA software extensions (delivering UI and DoC) as these would be the basis for developing these functions and as future amendments to them could have financial implications. He added that IWG was informed of difficulties for the involved parties, software house and sponsors, to establish contracts because contractual clauses would involve parties not being signatories of the contact (e.g. the DETA host).

84. The Chair of the IWG on IWVTA presented, on behalf of the IWG on DETA, WP.29-178-21 proposing amendments to the proposed Annex 6 of draft 02 series of amendments to UN Regulation No. 0. The representatives of the United Kingdom and OICA noted the additional workload required from the industry in order to generate the DoC because the storage format of Type Approval documents currently does not allow automatic generation from already available data. WP.29 requested the secretariat to distribute WP.29-178-21 and WP.29-178-05 with an official symbol at the November 2019 session of WP.29/AC.1.

85. WP.29 took note of the specifications and application guidelines for UI and DoC (WP.29-178-24, WP.29-178-25 and WP.29-178-26/Rev.1) and requested the secretariat to issue them as official documents.

89. The representative from Germany, Chair of the IWG on DETA, presented (WP.29-184-14) the report to the World Forum related to the use of DETA and also updating WP.29 on the work of the IWG at its forty-first session, held on 14 June 2021. He laid out the current state of play, noting the number of approvals uploaded as well as the geographical distribution of their origin. He underlined that Germany was able to continue hosting DETA until a long-term solution for its hosting, potentially at UNECE, is finalized, recalling the discussion at the March 2021 session of WP.29 about scheduling an AC.2 level meeting on the financing of DETA. He further noted activities of the IWG related to Contracting and implementation of Unique Identifier (UI) / Declaration of Conformance (DoC), Two factor authentication and Mass Upload Functionality, noting the intention of the IWG on DETA to present the UI summary documents to all WP.29 GRs. He requested WP.29 to consider extending the mandate of the IWG on DETA for a further two years. He also introduced a preliminary proposal for amendments to of the UI guidelines (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2019/77) for consideration of WP.29.

90. The representative of CITA welcomed the aim of the IWG on DETA to present UI summary documents to all WP.29 GRs, and inquired whether the IWG on PTI could also benefit from the presentation. The Chair of the IWG on DETA confirmed that the IWG on PTI would be included in the activity.

91. The secretariat updated the World Forum on the status of activities related to the financing of DETA and hosting it at the UNECE, noting the proposal of United States of America, reflected in the Programme of Work of the World Forum (page 2, item g.), to extend the scope of DETA to address needs of 1998 Agreement Contracting Parties (CPs). The secretariat further expanded on this proposal noting the potential development of DETA towards addressing 1997 Agreement CPs as well. In closing, the secretariat thanked Germany for hosting DETA and for its willingness to continue hosting until a permanent solution is established.

92. The World Forum welcomed the initiatives to expand the scope of DETA to address the needs of CPs to the 1998 and 1997 Agreements. WP.29 also supported the proposal to hold a meeting of interesting parties at AC.2 level to discuss DETA financing, inviting the secretariat to convene it in coordination with interested stakeholders.

93. WP.29 granted the extension of mandate of the IWG on DETA until June 2023. The World Forum invited the IWG on DETA to develop a document containing the proposal for amending the UI guidelines (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2019/77) and submit it to at its upcoming session.

110. The representative from Germany, Chair of the IWG on DETA, presented
(WP.29-187-27) the report (WP.29-187-26) to the World Forum related to the use of DETA and also updating WP.29 on the work of the IWG at its forty-fourth session, held on 9 June 2022. He laid out the current state of play, noting the number of approvals uploaded. He detailed activities of the IWG related to contracting and implementation of Unique Identifier (UI). He conveyed the question from the IWG to WP.29 whether UI provisions should be introduced in UN Regulations that do not specifically prohibit the use of UI, as per para. 3 of Schedule 5 to the Revision 3 of the 1958 Agreement and offered the position of the group regarding opening the access to DETA to technical service performing sovereign tasks on behalf of contracting parties.

111. The representative of OICA proposed to postpone the signature of the contract for the development of the UI module as recent questions arose that would need to be clarified before developing the feature.

112. The representative of European Commission offered tentative views according to which all UN Regulations should include, in line with the provisions of the revision 3 of 1958 Agreement, UI related provisions for supporting uniform applications of the Regulations.

113. The representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland held the view that there could be confusion in the market place, in the absence of provisions supporting uniform implementation of UI.

114. The representative of France recalled that the 1958 Agreement allows the use of UI as an alternative to the approval mark provisions in UN Regulations, unless provision prohibit the use of UI, at the condition that the Approval is uploaded in DETA. He added that, nevertheless, the use of UI could have implications for the contracting parties that would require further guidance and lead-time.

115. The representative of CITA mentioned the potential benefits of UI if details were well considered. He suggested that further work would be performed before making use of UI. Upon invitation by the Chair, he presented WP.29-187-15, showing potential negative impacts of UI if not carefully developed.

116. The representative of OICA stated that there was no intention to hamper sovereign activities and that UI should not replace marking that needs to remain on the products. He added that possibly a horizontal document could be developed to detail the precise UI provisions (e.g. format, size, etc), to which all relevant UN Regulations could refer.

117. The representative of Finland, Chair of GRE recalled the 1958 Agreement provisions related to UI and explained the GRE considerations when introducing UI provisions in UN Regulations Nos. 148, 149 and 150. He recalled that CITA made a presentation at the IWG on SLR and that further discussions would take place in the near term to address concerns raised.

118. The representative of European Commission shared some of the concerns raised by CITA and recalled that:

• the absence of a specific reference to UI in UN Regulations could lead to confusion if the choice of the use of UI or of a traditional marking was left to economic operators;
• IWG on SLR should reflect the inclusion of additional markings to facilitate the periodic checks or roadside verifications;
• if no solution can be found before the UI software become operational, a temporary freeze of UI in the lighting regulations should be considered.

119. The representative of the Republic of South Africa recalled the importance of markings when verifications of vehicles, systems and parts was at stake. He urged WP.29 to make UI and its use user-friendly.

120. The representative of Sweden announced that he would perform an analysis of the situation in his country to evaluate the potential negative impact of DETA as presented by CITA.

121. The representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland mentioned the importance of approval marking, not only for periodic technical inspection and roadside inspections but also in other cases. He mentioned as an example the existing requirements at the point of sale and felt that a large number of national regulations could be impacted by UI and could require amendments.

122. WP.29 agreed that further work was needed within the IWGs on DETA and SLR. WP.29 recalled the use of markings beyond the context of vehicle approval, having importance at all stages of the vehicle lifetimes, from approval to registration and down to decommissioning. WP.29 noted the crucial importance of the access to information and also to consider modern technology such as XML formats as PDF files were no longer state of the art.

123. WP.29 could not provide a final answer to the question raised by the IWG on DETA related to UI but expressed support for further work for the sake of simplification, uniform implementation of UI.

124. WP.29 adopted ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2022/62 (under agenda item 4.5.1).

125. The Secretary proposed to WP.29 to consider marrying the Document of Conformance (DOC) and UI for further benefits to citizens. He mentioned as an example the difficulties experiences by citizens in order to receive e.g. stickers as required in order to enter Low Emission Zones.

126. The Secretary confirmed that there was no new development regarding the budget for hosting DETA at UNECE. WP.29 thanked Germany for hosting DETA for the time being.