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General Publications (Archive)

Transient Terms of Reference

Motivation

The European Enhanced Vehicle Safety Committee (EEVC) needs now a new transient governance and organisation due to existing economical and human resources and new technical regulatory activities framework.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Article 1: Objective

The organisation is intended:

  • to provide impartial scientific advice to support the development of European vehicle safety standards and legislation,
  • to co-ordinate European research activities with regard to harmonised vehicle safety regulations,
  • to support specific research, evaluate technical proposals and define scientific tools (such as biomechanical criteria, test dummies, test procedures) needed for further development of technical standards and legislation,
  • to advise European governments, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (WP29), and the European Commission including their groups of experts on vehicle safety, in the area of vehicle safety improvement,
  • to organise, upon request, European representation to international research groups in the area of vehicle safety,
  • to advise other groups if called upon, on issues related to vehicle safety,
  • to promote enhanced vehicle safety by publishing research results.

Article 2: Authorities

EEVC members are responsible to their own governments, but collectively decide on appropriate EEVC work programmes.

When invited the EEVC may be represented at international meetings to provide impartial and balanced scientific advice, conforming to the provisions of article. It has no direct mandate to negotiate with regard to vehicle safety regulations.

Article 3: Membership

3.1 Full Members

Full members of the EEVC organisation shall be representatives of government administrations in charge of vehicle safety regulation from the member states of the European Union.

3.2 Founding Members

When the organisation was created, the EEVC comprised 9 full members representing the administrations in charge of vehicle safety regulation from France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

3.3 Associate Members

Representatives of research institutes from the countries of the full members of the EEVC may be associate members of the EEVC organisation. These members are selected by the full member of each country, with a well-balanced country representation. Representatives of the secretariat of the World Forum of Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (under the Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations) and the European Commission may participate in the work of the EEVC organisation as observers. Other organisations concerned with vehicle safety, including representatives of EU members states interested in becoming full members may also participate as observers by invitation.

3.4 Election of New Members

The government of any EU member state, which has sufficient scientific capacity to carry out practical research relevant to vehicle safety and is willing and able to contribute effectively to coordinated EEVC research programmes, may become a full member of EEVC.

Application for membership by the government administration in charge of vehicle safety regulation of an EU member state shall demonstrate that it has sufficient scientific capacity or is in a position effectively to contribute to EEVC research. Application shall be made to full members who shall agree to its membership unless one-third of the existing full members object.

Article 4: Organisation

4.1

The EEVC organisation shall consist of the steering committee and the working groups

4.2

Each member government shall appoint up to two representatives to the steering committee. These representatives shall be appointed by virtue of their technical expertise in vehicle safety. One representative should have sufficient experience of international vehicle safety regulations and shall be a member of a government, the other representative should be mainly involved in the practical work of safety research activities.

Article 5: Steering Committee

5.1

The members must conscientiously guard the impartiality of the EEVC and they must also ensure that the EEVC’s research is relevant to improving vehicle safety and is of high quality.

5.2

Representatives of the Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations and of the European Commission may participate at the meetings of the steering committee as observers.

5.3

The steering committee consists of full members, each member having a right of one vote.

However, at the end of each year, the secretary general shall ask all the full members to indicate to each other their volunteer to continue and to participate actively to the EEVC work for the year to come.

In case of negative answer of a full member, this full member shall be designated as “sleeping full member” and shall not be part of the steering committee for the year to come with no possibility to vote.

The others are designated as “full members of the year”.

A “sleeping full member” may become again a full member of the steering committee when it expresses to the others its willingness to do so.

5.4

Full members of the year of EEVC shall nominate every year the (turning) secretary general in charge of the steering committee activities and the coordination with working groups.

5.5

The steering committee meets at least once a year. To be valid, a steering committee meeting shall be attended by more than 2/3 of steering committee full members of the year.

5.6

The decisions of the steering committee shall insofar as possible be made by consensus but if necessary, by a simple majority of the present full members of the year . In the case of an absent full member of the year, its vote may be delegated to another full member of the year having also one vote only.

In duly justified cases, the secretary general may obtain the steering committee’s opinion by written procedure. The secretary general shall send the full members of the year the draft act to vote and shall lay down a time limit for delivery of an opinion according to the urgency of the matter. Any full member of the year who does not oppose the draft implementing act or who does not explicitly abstain from voting thereon before the expiry of that time limit shall be regarded as having tacitly agreed to the draft act.

5.7

The steering committee shall decide on work programmes and priorities with regard to the projects to be carried out.

5.8

The approval of the steering committee is required before EEVC research may be published and distributed.

5.9

Working groups shall be convened by the steering committee. The steering committee shall nominate the chairpersons of the working groups. Mandates of the working groups shall be determined by the steering committee.

5.10

The secretary general of the steering committee shall represent the EEVC as and when required, although this responsibility may be delegated to full members for certain questions for a period of time.

Article 6: Working Groups’ Organisation

6.1.

The working groups shall consist of the scientific experts from the member countries. The experts from the various countries shall be requested to cooperate by their respective governments. Generally each member country shall be represented in the groups by one principal expert who may be accompanied by an additional expert. The chairperson may act also as the national principal expert.

6.2.

The working groups may, with the consent of the steering committee, invite technical and scientific experts from governments which are not members of the EEVC, such as other members of European Union or members of WP29 (including their working groups in charge of safety regulations) to cooperate and they may similarly invite experts from industry.

6.3.

The working groups shall report to the steering committee. So far as possible, the conclusions of the working groups shall be achieved by consensus but in the event of unresolvable disagreements, the report must correctly reflect both the majority and minority views. Reports of the working groups must be adopted by the steering committee before they become official EEVC reports and published.

6.4

The costs of participation in the work of EEVC shall be borne by the member governments involved. The Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nation, the European Commission or other scientific bodies may also share the costs of research work sponsored by these institutions.

Publications