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Click here for the Trade Agreement

AGREEMENT CONCERNING

GLOBAL TECHNICAL REGULATIONS

FOR WHEELED VEHICLES, EQUIPMENT AND PARTS

OF THE

UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE (UN/ECE)

What is this Agreement and what does it do?

Who benefits from this Agreement?

How can this Agreement help my company?

Can the U.S. Government help me if I have a problem?

How can I get more information?

What is this Agreement and what does it do?

This Agreement establishes a process for the joint development of global technical regulations to ensure the safety, environmental protection, energy efficiency and anti-theft performance of wheeled vehicles, equipment and parts. These global regulations are intended to serve as the basis for national regulations, and the resulting convergence of technical standards can facilitate trade in these products. Contracting Parties to the Agreement are not obliged to adopt the global regulations, however, and their own national regulations can remain more, or less, stringent than the global ones.

The Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) is one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations. Its goal is to promote economic cooperation among its members. Fifty-five countries are members of the UN/ECE- 53 countries of Western and Eastern Europe, plus the United States and Canada.

Countries that are members of UN/ECE and regional economic integration organizations that have been established by UN/ECE members, as well as other members of the United Nations, can become Contracting Parties to this Agreement. It was opened for signature on June 25, 1998, and the United States, which signed it on that day, was the first country to sign it. The Agreement entered into force on August 25, 2000. It has no expiration date, although a Contracting Party may withdraw on one year's notice.

As of June, 2009, there are 31 Contracting Parties to the Agreement: Australia, Azerbaijan, Canada, China, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Moldova, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, European Community.

Who benefits from this Agreement?

By promoting the harmonization of technical regulations which may result in compatible standards, this Agreement can save time and money for U.S. exporters. By promoting higher levels of safety, environmental protection energy efficiency and anti-theft performance, the Agreement may also result in standards that benefit consumers.

How can this Agreement help my company?

The joint development of global technical regulations for wheeled vehicles, equipment and parts under this Agreement works as follows:

The "Compendium of Candidates"

The Agreement provides for the creation of a Compendium of national regulations which are candidates for harmonization or adoption as global technical regulations. Contracting Parties may submit requests to the Executive Committee established by the Agreement, in which each Contracting Party has a vote, to list any of its technical regulations in this Compendium. To be listed, a technical regulation must, among other things: a) provide for high levels of safety, environmental protection, energy efficiency or anti-theft performance; b) be expressed, wherever appropriate, in terms of performance instead of design characteristics; and c) include the test method by which compliance with the regulation is to be demonstrated.

The "Global Registry"

Regulations may be established in the Global Registry that was established by the Agreement in two ways:

Harmonizing Existing Regulations. A Contracting Party may submit a proposal to the Executive Committee for the development of a harmonized global regulation with performance or design characteristics that are addressed in a technical regulation listed in the Compendium of Candidates, or in UN/ECE Regulations, or both. The Executive Committee refers such proposals to a Working Party which reviews the proposal and develops a recommendation. The Executive Committee then reviews this recommendation and decides by consensus whether to establish the regulation in the Global Registry.

Establishing New Regulations. A Contracting Party may submit a proposal to the Executive Committee for the development of a new global regulation with performance or design characteristics that are not addressed by technical regulations listed in the Compendium or in UN/ECE Regulations. The Executive Committee refers this proposal to a Working Party which, after considering, among other things, its technical and economic feasibility and reviewing the benefits of any alternative regulatory approach, submits its recommendation to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee then decides by consensus whether to establish this regulation in the Global Registry.

Adoption and Notification of Established Global Regulations

The Agreement provides that a Contracting Party that votes in favor of establishing a global technical regulation in the Global Registry shall be obligated to submit that regulation to the process that it uses to adopt such technical regulations into its own laws and regulations, and to do so expeditiously. A Contracting Party that adopts a global technical regulation that has been established under the Agreement is obliged to notify the Secretary General of the UN/ECE within 60 days after its decision to adopt the regulation. Notification is also required if a Contracting Party decides not to adopt the regulation, if it has not adopted the regulation within a year, or if it decides to rescind or amend a regulation that it has adopted.


In 2008, four new harmonized global regulations were established. They include, vehicle glazing, head restraints, electronic stability control, and pedestrian safety. The current program of work includes passenger vehicle tires, hydrogen powered vehicles, and motorcycle controls and displays. In addition, several new areas like advanced crash avoidance technologies are being explored for possible harmonization.

Can the U.S. Government help me if I have a problem?

Yes. If you believe, in the course of exporting wheeled vehicles, equipment or parts to a country that is a Contracting Party to this Agreement, that the Contracting Party has failed to comply with the provisions of the Agreement, contact the Office of Trade Agreements Negotiations and Compliance's hotline at the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Center can help you understand the benefits of the Agreement and the obligations of the other Contracting Party.

How can I get more information?

The complete text of the UN/ECE Agreement Concerning the Establishing of Global Technical Regulations for Wheeled Vehicles, Equipment and Parts which can be Fitted and/or Used on Wheeled Vehicles is available on the Office of Trade Agreements Negotiations and Compliance's web site.

This Agreement operates in parallel with another UN/ECE Agreement - the Agreement Concerning the Adoption of Uniform Technical Prescriptions for Wheeled Vehicles, Equipment and Parts which can be Fitted and/or be Used on Wheeled Vehicles and the Conditions for Reciprocal Recognition of Approvals Granted on the Basis of these Prescriptions - which was concluded in 1958. Information concerning this agreement can be found on the UN/ECE's web site (offsite link).

If you have questions about this Agreement or how to use it, you can e-mail the Office of Trade Agreements Negotiations and Compliance (TANC), which will forward your message to the Commerce Department's Designated Monitoring Officer for the Agreement. You can also contact the Designated Monitoring Officer directly at the following address:

Designated Monitoring Officer -

UN/ECE Wheeled Vehicles Agreement

Office of Transportation and Machinery

U.S. Department of Commerce

14th Street & Constitution Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20230

Tel: (202) 482-1417

Fax: (202) 482-3864

For more information about the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the agreements that have been concluded under its auspices, including a number of transportation agreements, you may wish to contact its web site (offsite link).

The Office of Transportation and Machinery at the U.S. Department of Commerce provides exporters with information on the U.S. auto industry, trade barriers, trade promotion opportunities and links to other auto-related Internet sites.


TANC offers these agreements electronically as a public service for general reference. Every effort has been made to ensure that the text presented is complete and accurate. However, copies needed for legal purposes should be obtained from official archives maintained by the appropriate agency.