The main deliverables of WP.6 follow a three-step development process of inception, development and finalization. These are described in the Working Procedures for the UNECE Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies. The inception and development documents are shared among experts participating in the project itself, under the general intellectual property rights policy annexed to the Revised Terms of Reference in document ECE/CTCS/WP.6/2022/11.
The main part of the finalization process is a public review where any expert may provide comments using a pre-defined template.
- Public Review
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When project teams have finalized their initial drafts, they will be posted for public review in this section for a period of about thirty days. The projects currently in public review follow.
- GRM Project: Integrated risk management in Single Window systems
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Project launch date: scheduled 15 February 2023
Expected completion date: 31 May 2024
Project leader: Valentin NikonovProject purpose:
GRM has developed a series of recommendations on risk management. Recommendation R on Managing Risk in Regulatory Frameworks underlines the importance of ensuring safety without stifling growth and to avoid the two extremes of over- or under-regulation. This recommendation also sets out the basic principles of risk analysis and management. Recommendation S on Applying Predictive Risk Management Tools for Targeted Market Surveillance suggests setting priorities in market surveillance based on the consequence of non-compliance and the probability of finding a non-compliant product.Recommendation V on Addressing Product Non-Compliance Risks in International Trade proposes to optimize border compliance time and costs while maintaining regulatory requirements through an integrated risk management of product regulators and customs. These requirements support safety measures, sanitary-phytosanitary measures, public health measures, or economic safeguarding measures, for example. This would be in contrast to each individual agency establishing their own risk management system.
A Single Window as defined by UN/CEFACT in its Recommendation 33 on Establishing a Single Window is a facility that allows parties involved in trade and transport to lodge standardized information and documents with a single-entry point to fulfil all import, export, and transit-related requirements. It should effectively coordinate all border agencies including product regulators and customs. Recommendation 33 advises that it can be an integrated system where the data is processed by the single-entry point, or it can be an interfaced system (decentralized) where the data is sent through the single-entry point to each agency for processing or a combination of the two.
In either of the two models proposed by UN/CEFACT Recommendation 33, it is important to apply the principles of WP.6-GRM Recommendation V to ensure that there is not unnecessary delays caused by uncoordinated risk management.
This project was proposed by the WP.6-GRM to the UN/CEFACT Single Window Domain in September 2021 and has since been integrated into the Programme of Work of WP.6 under the 2023 paragraph 14.c.
Project scope:
This project will develop a White Paper guideline to describe the best practices of coordinated risk management among multiple government agencies through a Single Window. It will be a practical example of applying the principles of WP.6 GRM Recommendation V (and preceding recommendations) to the principles of the UN/CEFACT developed Recommendation 33 (and subsequent SW recommendations). It is planned to be developed in close collaboration with the experts of the UN/CEFACT Single Window Domain and eventually proposed as a joint WP.6 - UN/CEFACT deliverable. - START Project: Common regulatory arrangement (CRA) for trunk pipeline safety in relation to hydrogen
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Project launch date: 5 January 2024
Expected completion date: 4 July 2025
Project co-leaders: Frank Lienesch and Roman SamsonovProject purpose:
As outlined in the WP.6 2024 Programme of Work (paragraph 9), “Products placed on markets need to comply with the regulatory requirements in domestic and export markets. Consistent with the requirements of the World Trade Organization (WTO) administered multilateral trading system, technical regulations should be developed with the aim of addressing health, safety and environmental concerns without posing unnecessary barriers to trade. Businesses need to study, understand and comply with such regulatory requirements by implementing standards referenced in national technical regulations. Harmonizing these requirements across borders based on internationally agreed standards can facilitate this process and contribute to common principles for enforcement of product safety, security and market surveillance. This is supported by the Recommendation L on International Model for Transnational Regulatory Cooperation Based on Good Regulatory Practice.”
This project reflects the need for harmonization of conformity assessment procedures and approaches as there are currently a lot of different standards in this area. The project seeks to provide guidance on harmonizing standards and conformity assessment systems for the transportation of hydrogen through trunk pipelines, using the template of Recommendation L for a Common Regulatory Arrangement.
The project team will develop guidance for the harmonization of approaches to the development of standards and conformity assessment systems for the transportation through trunk pipelines of hydrogen.
Project scope:
- Develop a common regulatory arrangement for trunk pipeline safety in relation to hydrogen.
- Develop guidance for the harmonization of the conformity assessment requirements concerning hydrogen transportation.
- Prepare a questionnaire on the application of regulations concerning the transport of hydrogen by trunk pipeline. The resulting questionnaire would be reviewed by the WP.6 Bureau and then circulated for responses by the UNECE Secretariat. The information received would inform the next steps of the project and help to develop the requirements for common approaches.
- Analyse the legislative framework, including national legislation and standards developed for example, within the framework of ISO (TC 67 and TC 197), regulatory documents of the Hydrogen Council, legislation of the EAEU, the EU, US and other countries). This analysis will inform the details of the common regulatory arrangement.
- Develop guidance for the harmonization of the conformity assessment requirements concerning hydrogen transportation.