Press Release ECE/TRANS/00/9
Geneva, 4 August 2000
GLOBAL AGREEMENT ON VEHICLE REGULATIONS SET
TO ENTER INTO FORCE
The Agreement for the development of global regulations for vehicles
will enter into force on 25 August 2000, the thirtieth day following the date on which at
least 8 countries and/or regional economic integration organizations have become
Contracting Parties to the Agreement.
On 26 July 2000, the Russian Federation became the eighth Contracting
Party to the Agreement when Mr. V. S. Sidorov, Permanent
Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations and other International
Organizations in Geneva, signed the Agreement. The other seven Contracting Parties are
Canada, France, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, United States of America and the European
Community.
The Agreement, which had been concluded in Geneva in 1998 in the
framework of the UN/ECE Working Party on the Construction of Vehicles (WP. 29) after
three years of intense negotiations, provides the legal framework for the development of
global automotive regulations, which are expected to improve the safety, environmental
protection, energy efficiency and anti-theft performance of road vehicles and at the same
time reduce manufacturing costs.
The development of global technical regulations will be achieved
through harmonization of existing national and international regulations, including the
ECE regulations currently annexed to the existing 1958 Agreement, which shall continue to
operate in parallel to the new Agreement.
Several other countries have expressed their intention to also become
Parties to the new global Agreement. The Republic of South Africa has already signed the
Agreement although still has to ratify it to become a Party. The Government of Spain has
already decided to sign the Agreement.
The WP.29, in the framework of which the global vehicle regulations
will be developed, has since March 2000 transformed itself into the World Forum for
Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) and will continue to work under the auspices
of the UN/ECE Inland Transport Committee. The WP.29 was created in 1953 and has become
universally recognized by Governments and the industry as the forum for harmonization of
vehicle regulations through its development of the 1958 Agreement and the 110
Regulations annexed thereto.
The text of the Global Agreement (ECE/TRANS/132 and Corr.1) is
available via the Internet at the following address:
http://www.unece.org/trans/main/welcwp29.htm
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For further information please contact:
Mr. J. Capel Ferrer, Director, Transport Division, or
Mr. J. Jerie, Secretary to WP.29
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE)
Palais des Nations
CH – 1211 GENEVA 10, Switzerland
Phone: (+41 22) 917 24 01
Fax: (+41 22) 917 00 39
E-mail: [email protected]
[email protected]
In order to provide you with a better service, we
would appreciate it if you would send a copy of your article to: Information Unit, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE), Palais des
Nations, Room 356, CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Tel: +(41 22) 917 44 44 - Fax: +(41 22) 917 05 05
E-mail: [email protected] - Website: http://www.unece.org
Thank you. |