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In the frame of the new EC strategy “Market Access Partnership”¹, which aims to develop closer and more action-oriented cooperation between the European Commission, Member States and Industry, to solve and eliminate obstacles to trade a dedicated EC Working Group on Tyres has been set up in April 2008. Its purpose is primarily to tackling technical barriers to trade mainly related to certification of tyres in 3 priority markets: India, China and ASEAN² countries. 

At the Symposium on Market Access organized in Paris on 27 November 2008 by the French Presidency of the EU, Commissioner Ashton particularly shared her belief that ‘the Market Access Partnership’ will improve tyres exports to emerging markets.

Since the launch of its activities, the Working Group has mainly focused on obtaining regulatory convergence of the Chinese and Indian compulsory certification systems and standards requirements with international 'tyre' technical regulations developed under the UN/ECE 1958 Agreement.  In particular, the 133 Committee identified, in February 2009, the Indian certification scheme and IS tyre standards as part of the top 5 Indian trade obstacles that need to be rapidly tackled and solved.

Eurostat

Within the Working Group, ETRMA and the European Commission, with the support of Member States, have also developed new strategies, which actively involve EC Delegations in Beijing and New Delhi and representatives of EU tyre companies present on the ground to promote the benefits for consumers and authorities of providing equivalence with UN/ECE ‘tyre’ technical regulations.  Indeed the tyre industry is convinced that encouraging these countries to contribute to the international harmonisation of technical regulations will indubitably respond to their safety concerns and provide the highest safety standards for tyres while avoiding the creation of technical barriers to EU exports.

The EC Working Group on Tyres holds several meetings, when appropriate, in the year.

Update 29 July 2009

¹ Global Europe: A Stronger Partnership to Deliver Market Access, COM(2007)183, of 18 April 2007
^{2 ASEAN countries: Brunei Darussalam , Cambodia , Indonesia , Laos , Malaysia , Burma/Myanmar, Philippines , Singapore , Thailand and Vietnam}