43. The Chair of GRPE (Sweden) reported to WP.29 on the results achieved by GRPE during its ninety-third session (for more details see the report of the session ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRPE/93).

44. The GRPE chair pointed out that GRPE had approved terms of references for the IWG on Electric Vehicle/Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles (EV/HFCV) retrofit systems, under the leadership of France and Spain, until December 2027. He also mentioned that GRPE had approved revised terms of references and rules of procedure for the IWG on EPPR until December 2027 and IWG on A-LCA until December 2026. WP.29 endorsed these decisions.

45. WP.29 noted that GRPE had unanimously elected Mr. P. Öhlund (Sweden) as Chair of GRPE, Mr. T. Niikuni (Japan) and Mr. D. Miles (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) as Vice-Chairs for the sessions of GRPE scheduled for the year 2026.

46. The GRPE Chair sought WP.29 guidance on the inclusion of an additional Level 1C in the amendment proposals to UN Regulations Nos. 154 and 168, and the reference to it in UN Regulation No. 83, which would be submitted for consideration and vote at the next session of WP.29 in March 2026.

47. The representative of the United States of America asked for detailed explanation of the proposals and their expected impacts on emissions and the environment. The Chair of GRPE recalled that levels had always been present in UN Regulation No. 154 and that the proposed Level 1C had been developed in relation with the EU regulatory framework Euro7 for Small Volume Manufacturers (SVMs). The representative of OICA pointed out that most jurisdictions had specific provisions for SVMs and that an additional level 1C would not be subject to mutual recognition. He also explained that Level 1C includes exemptions on provisions on On-Board Fuel Consumption Measurement (OBFCM) and On-Board Monitoring (OBM), having no direct impact on emissions.

48. AAPC noted that WP.29 is fundamentally about harmonizing vehicle regulations to ensure consistency and safety across markets and setting criteria based on sales or vehicle registration volumes in a specific country or region runs counter to the core principles of WP.29. AAPC believes that, as currently drafted, the proposed exemption for small-volume manufacturers - where the exemption is based on arbitrary global sales volumes and/or vehicle registrations only in the EU - are inconsistent with the spirit of both these principles and represents a troubling precedent for future WP.29 efforts aimed at global harmonization.

49. The representative of Japan requested for justification of the sales figures in the SVM definition. He called for a careful approach by WP.29 and GRPE on this matter and proposed to continue discussions until the next session of WP.29.

50. The representative of the United Kingdom supported the inclusion of level 1C, as other levels had been already included in some UN Regulations under the purview of GRPE. The representative of the European Commission did not oppose the inclusion of level 1C and encouraged further discussions ahead of the next session.

51. The representative of the United States of America shared concerns over which Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) would qualify for SVMs, potentially favouring OEMs coming from certain regions. She suggested that level 1C should not be included and that decisions regarding exemptions for SVMs should be dealt on the regional or national level. She proposed to work with GRPE on the issue.

52. The Chair confirmed the WP.29 commitment to seek full harmonization and noted that on vehicle emissions a level approach had been occasionally needed to get more countries actively engaged. Given the lack of consensus, WP.29 invited GRPE to submit to the March 2026 session of WP.29 the amendment proposals for UN Regulations Nos. 83, 154 and 168 in their two versions. In the interim, WP.29 encouraged all interested parties to find a compromise.