25. The Chair of GRRF recalled the purpose of ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/63 (Draft UN GTR on tyres), amended by ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRRF/2014/20 (adopted at the seventy-seventh session of GRRF), and ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/122 (the corresponding technical report).

26. The expert from France presented GRRF-78-18 introducing minor updates to ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/63 and ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/122. He added that the timeline for further development of the gtr had to be updated, taking into account the delay to adopt phase I. GRRF adopted GRRF-78-18 as amended by GRRF-78-47 and as reproduced in Annex III to this report. GRRF requested the secretariat to submit the proposal to WP.29 and AC.3 for consideration at their November 2014 sessions.

27. GRRF reviewed the ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRRF/2014/20 containing the amendments defined at the seventy-seventh GRRF session. The Chair recalled that GRRF previously agreed that updates to the UN GTR on tyres would be proposed after its establishment in the global registry by AC.3 to keep it in line with the latest regulatory developments.

28. Finally, the expert from France advised GRRF that his country would not be able to sponsor phase 2 of the UN GTR on tyres once phase 1 was concluded.

92. The representative of the United Kingdom, Chair of the IWG on the Tyre GTR, informed AC.3 that the draft proposal ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/63 was not recommended for vote at this session because GRRF at its September 2013 session had not resolved the pending issues. He expressed his disappointment that it had not been possible to resolve these detailed points but remained optimistic that the GRRF session in February 2014 would finalise the GTR. He therefore, proposed to extend the mandate of IWG until June 2014. The representative of the United States of America clarified that some necessary research in his country had not be concluded on time and therefore supported the proposal to extend the mandate. AC.3 gave its consent for the extension of the mandate.

[US government shutdown delayed research on the proposed wet grip test procedures necessary before the United States can commit to the new GTR. As a result, US position should only be ready in time for discussion and finalization of draft GTR within GRRF in February 2014. This time-line suggests a vote on the GTR at the June 2014 WP.29 session.]</

100. The representative of the United Kingdom, Chair of the IWG on the UN GTR on Tyres, informed AC.3 that five questions were still unresolved. He confirmed that two Contracting Parties were still in the process of reviewing the text of the draft UN GTR. Referring to the final report on the development of the UN GTR (WP.29-160-09), he stated that, in the case of disagreement at the September 2013 session of GRRF, an optional test procedure should be included in addition to the two optional modules.

101. The representative of EU stated that a really long list of controversial provisions had been solved by March 2013 and, due to the five remaining unresolved questions, the UN GTR could not be adopted during the current session. He urged the Contracting Parties to make an effort to solve the pending issues at the September 2013 session of GRRF, thus allowing for voting on the draft UN GTR at the November 2013 session of AC.3.

102. The secretariat was requested to distribute WP.29-160-09 with an official symbol for consideration at the November 2013 session of AC.3.