Global Technical Regulations - No Panacea, But A Significant Step Toward Harmonization

In 1998, the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) under the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) facilitated the negotiation of an agreement that permits all regions of the world to develop harmonized global technical regulations regarding automotive safety, environmental protection, and energy efficiency. While hardly a panacea for harmonization, the concept is pure. As demonstrated herein, however, the execution can get messy. This article discusses the harmonization process under the 1998 Agreement, chronicles efforts to transpose GTR 1 into the laws of three major automotive nations, and then, in light of that experience, offers several constructive recommendations on how to improve the process of this essential, increasingly important international trend.