16. The representative of Canada, speaking on behalf of the six Co-Chairs of the Informal Working Group (IWG) on Automated Driving Systems (ADS), presented their status report (WP.29-197-08) which outlined the key milestones achieved by IWG, including the progress made during the GRVA workshops on ADS. He informed WP.29 that the draft UN Global Technical Regulation (GTR) and the draft UN Regulation on ADS had been submitted as official documents for review by GRVA at its January 2026 session.

17. The Chair of GRVA thanked the secretariat for preparing the two documents. He announced that consultations were expected to begin shortly to develop a proposal to amend the Framework Document on Automated Vehicles and its annex. The aim of the proposal would be to define the activities to be undertaken after June 2026. The representative of France congratulated GRVA on the significant progress made in line with its mandate. He stressed the importance of continuing work on the guidance and interpretation document, which would support consistent application of the regulations once adopted. The Chair of GRVA recalled the GRVA workshops on the implementation of UN Regulation No. 155 and proposed a similar approach to support the practical implementation of the new regulations, starting in mid-2026.

18. WP.29 noted the IWG ADS status report and agreed to resume consideration of this agenda item at the March 2026 session.

19. The representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland presented the status report of IWG on Artificial Intelligence (AI), on behalf of the Co-Chairs from Japan and the United States of America (WP.29-197-18). He recalled the adoption of the group’s terms of reference in June 2025, reported on the outcomes of its first two meetings, announced the dates of upcoming meetings, and shared the group’s timeline. The representative of SAE International invited participants to join the group’s roster. Delegates from Sweden, ITU, Canada, and others highlighted related AI activities in different forums and encouraged coordination. WP.29 noted the report and that the next meeting of the IWG on AI would take place during the WP.29 week in November 2025.

20. The representative of Japan, Co-Chair of IWG on Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and its Task Force on Vehicular Communication (TF VC), reported on the outcome of the recent task force meeting held after the June 2025 WP.29 session. He summarized the group’s work on collecting input via questionnaires from Contracting Parties and NGOs, noted that further responses were still welcome, and invited participants to share information on tests and proposals to enhance protection of vulnerable road users (VRUs) through communication technologies at the next meeting, scheduled for 27 January 2026. He also informed WP.29 about the upcoming 2026 Future Networked Car (FNC) symposium, to be organized jointly with ITU during the AI for Good week in July 2026. WP.29 took note of the report and the information regarding FNC.

21. The representative of FIA introduced their report “Stocktaking of offboard and onboard authorisation systems” (WP.29-197-16 and WP.29-197-17) which outlined how access to in-vehicle data, resources, and functions is currently organised, regulated, and standardised worldwide, listing the available international and national regulations and standards covering this aspect. She provided an analysis of answers received during interviews with WP.29 stakeholders between June and October 2025. She proposed that WP.29 provide a structured consultation process to develop a recommendation or a guidance document to supplement the existing UN Regulations and UN GTRs.

22. The representative of China welcomed the study, expressed support for the FIA proposal, and offered to contribute to the related activities based on the national experience in the field. The representative of Germany noted that the proposed activities extended beyond the scope of WP.29 and suggested that FIA may address the issue at regional level. The representative of Netherlands (Kingdom of the) echoed China’s positive remarks on the study but pointed out that the topic had regional specificities. The representative of SAE International, Co-Secretary of the Task Force on Vehicular Communication, encouraged FIA to complete the questionnaire and suggested that FIA present the study to ITU Study Group 21. The representative of the Russian Federation highlighted the existence of different paths toward harmonization. He noted that the earlier WP.29 began work in this area, the sooner harmonization could be achieved. He proposed considering the establishment of an advisory group. The representative of Canada observed that slide 3 of the presentation indicated that the scope of the proposed activities went beyond WP.29’s mandate. He referred to slides 4 and 5, which listed numerous standards and regulations already in place, and emphasized that data-related issues could not be separated from privacy concerns. He suggested that FIA refine the report to better align with the WP.29 context. The representative of the United Kingdom supported Canada’s proposal to further study the matter and suggested that WP.29 could serve as a platform for such analysis. He asked whether the IWG on ITS might be the appropriate body to take this forward, given its previous work on issues beyond WP.29’s remit. The representative of Japan referred to the challenge outlined in paragraph 6.3.6 of the report and recommended that no action be taken until that issue was resolved. The representative of France distinguished between policy-related items and technical elements, noting that the latter could be harmonized within an appropriate body. The representative of the United States of America shared the concerns raised by Canada and Germany. She encouraged FIA to revise the report to support further discussion within WP.29 before assigning the matter to the IWG on ITS. She also noted that a regional approach might be the most suitable. The representative of OICA agreed that selecting appropriate standards for harmonization was a political decision. He cautioned that initiating a review in this area would require significant resources and could affect WP.29’s priorities and pointed out that access to vehicle data was primarily an economic and privacy issue, not directly related to safety or emissions.

23. WP.29 welcomed the FIA report and agreed to resume discussion of the item at its March 2026 session.

24. The representative of France, speaking on behalf of the Chairs of the Expert Groups on Regulatory Fitness for Automated Driving Systems (FADS), presented the current status of the review of existing UN Regulations related to ADS (WP.29-197-25). He recalled the initial ambition to prepare the necessary amendments to all these Regulations for adoption at the June 2026 WP.29 session, alongside the UN Global Technical Regulation (GTR) and the UN Regulation on ADS. However, he noted potential delays in meeting this deadline and proposed two options for submitting the amendments both to the June and November 2026 sessions. Following an in-depth discussion, WP.29 reaffirmed its objective to adopt all documents at its June 2026 session and invited the GR Chairs to consider various strategies to ensure timely preparation of the required documents. The representative of the European Commission welcomed the progress of the work of different task forces and invited the experts of task forces to conclude the work on all the revisions of UN Regulations by June 2026, even if this leads to individual CPs submitting working proposals directly to WP29.

25. The representative of France reminded about the need to incorporate in UN Regulations the provisions of the new annex on software updates and identification to Revision 8 of the Consolidated Resolution R.E.3 (WP.29-197-24). He recalled that GRs had already identified the UN Regulations relevant to software updates and urged GRs to amend these regulations by Supplements at the earliest convenience, mindful of other priorities.