20. The expert from the Kingdom of the Netherlands presented informal document GRSP-78-44 with a proposal to remove transitional provisions 15.1.2. and 15.1.3. from the 06 series of amendments to UN Regulation No. 22. He argued that these transitional provisions, which prevent Contracting Parties applying the 06 series of amendments from granting approvals and extensions under the preceding series of amendments, were against paragraph 4 of article 12 of revision 3 of the 1958 Agreement. He noted that the provisions create an uneven playing field for manufacturers from countries who have and have not adopted the 06 series of amendments. He also argued that helmets approved under the 06 series of amendments were too expensive for many low-income countries.

21. A member of the secretariat reiterated these points and added that these provisions posed an obstacle for the widespread diffusion of safe helmets with a good trade-off between affordability and safety (05 series of amendments) in several regions of the World, including Africa. He urged GRSP to adopt this amendment.

22. The expert from Italy recognised that these transitional provisions seemed in contradiction with revision 3 of the 1958 Agreement but recalled that their original intent was to promote widespread harmonization to a higher level of safety and that removing them would carry certain risks for road safety since it would jeopardize national legislation among Contracting Parties applying the 06 series of amendments. He disputed the notion that helmets under the 06 series of amendments were too expensive. The expert from Italy agreed to discuss this proposal in the next session on the basis of a working document, in order to have enough time to weigh its consequences and he invited to bring data to justify the proposal to change the transitional provision.

23. GRSP agreed that in case of contradiction between the provisions of revision 3 of the 1958 Agreement and those of UN Regulation No. 22, the provisions of the 1958 Agreement should prevail and asked the expert from the Kingdom of the Netherlands to submit this proposal as a working document to the next session.