E.T.R.T.O. WAS FOUNDED IN OCTOBER 1964 BUT PREVIOUSLY, FROM 1956 TO 1964, IT WAS KNOWN AS THE EUROPEAN TYRE AND WHEEL TECHNICAL CONFERENCE (ETWTC).

Its principal objects, as stated in the current E.T.R.T.O. Constitution dated October 2019, are as follows :

• To further align of national standards and ultimately to achieve interchangeability of pneumatic tyres, rims and valves in Europe as far as fitting and use are concerned.
• To establish common engineering dimensions, load / pressure characteristics and operational guidelines.
• To promote the free exchange of technical information appertaining to pneumatic tyres, rims and valves.

Since tyres are recognised as making a major contribution to road safety, E.T.R.T.O. is active in its contacts with national and international organisations and legislative bodies in order to make appropriate recommendations. However, the activities of E.T.R.T.O. are strictly confined to technical aspects of tyres, rims and valves as far as fitting and use are concerned.

Before 1964

In June 1952 the Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations (UN-ECE) established Working Party 29 (WP.29) as “Working Party of Experts on Technical Requirement of Vehicles” with the task to establish uniform rules for the construction of vehicles and their components.

An Agreement was signed in Rome in 1956 in the form of an exchange of letters (indirectly sponsored by WP.29) between the governments of the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands, on the subject of adoption of uniform and harmonized requirements for headlamps emitting an asymmetrical passing beam. Promoted by Dr. Sergio Vittorelli, (Technical Director of the tyre division in Industry Pirelli SpA) through CUNA, and under his active chairmanship the major European National Organisations active on tyre standardisation:

• CUNA – (Commissione per l’Unificazione Ne 11′ Automobile) -Italy
• WdK – (Wirtschaftsverband der Deutschen Kautschukindustrie) – Germany
• SMMT – (Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders)- United Kingdom
• BNA – (Bureau National de I’ Automobile) – France
• TNB – (Travaux de Normalisation du Benelux) – BeNeLux
• SIS – (Swedish Institute for Standardisation) – Scandinavia

met in Torino on 30 April 1956 with the aim to ‘align national standards in order to achieve interchangeability of tyres, wheels and valves’ and eventually establish a common organisation, thus originating the European Tyre and Wheel Technical Conference (ETWTC). ETWTC established an Executive Committee and some Working Groups (PC, CV, AGR, INP) to try and harmonise the national standards for these tyres and the relative rims.

The TRANSPORT division of UNECE on 20 March 1958 agreed on the proposal made by WP29: “Agreement Concerning the Adoption of Uniform Conditions of Approval and Reciprocal Recognition of Approval for Motor Vehicle Equipment and Parts” (1958 Geneva Agreement), that entered into force on 20 June 1959 with attached Regulation N.1 “Uniform provisions concerning the approval of motor vehicle headlamps emitting an asymmetrical passing beam and/or a driving beam and equipped with filament lamps of categories R2 and/or HS1”. To fulfil with the requirements of the 1958 Agreement, WP29 created amongst others a “Group de Rapporteurs sur les Pneumatiques (GRPN)” with the scope to prepare Regulations aimed at the type approval of tyres. Later on GRPN was merged with the “Group de Rapporteurs sur le Freinage”, thus creating the new “Groupe de Rapporteurs sur le Roulement et Freinage (GRRF)”.

At the beginning of the 60s some USA eastern states published the first tyre safety standard
(the” V-1″ standard). In order to offer WP.29 a unique representation of the European Tyre Manufacturers from 1956 to 1964, ETWTC held 8 General Meetings, hosted by the national organisations (plus Austria and Switzerland), and the Executive Committee prepared a draft Constitution for the new official Organisation.

At their meeting on 15 October 1964 in Montreux (CH) the General Meeting of ETWTC completed its task and approved the creation of the new organisation named European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation (ETRTO), the relevant Constitution and the Rules of Procedure. The European Tyre and Wheel Technical Conference (ETWTC) was disbanded.

The new Organisation
The new organisation nominated a General Secretary (L. J. Lambourn) based in Birmingham
(UK). The Organisation was constituted by Full Members (Tyre, Rim and Valve manufacturers having production facilities in Western Europe), Corresponding Members and Associate Members (the original national organisations, where in the meantime SMMT had been replaced by BRMA and SIS by STRO. Later on, BNA was replaced by TNPF). An Executive Committee formed by 11 members (nominated by the Associate Members: 2 each from France, Italy, Germany, Great Britain and 1 each from Scandinavia, Benelux, Austria/Switzerland) was established. Mr. Sergio Vittorelli was nominated Honorary President.

Similarly, as in the Tire and Rim Association Inc., technical Sub-Committees were created to
deal with Passenger Car tyres, Commercial Vehicle tyres, Agricultural tyres, Motorcycle and
Cycle tyres, Earthmoving tyres, Industrial pneumatic tyres and Valves. Rim contours were
under the responsibility of each tyre Sub-Committee. A special Sub-Committee (Road Safety) was also created with ad-hoc assignments to deal with the ‘Recommendations on tyre use and maintenance’ as well as to interact with governmental agencies (mainly WP29-GRPN and NHTSA because of the ‘National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act’ issued by the USA in 1966) on the subject of tyre Regulations. Members of the Committees were nominated by the Associate Members (two each) and also manufacturers of other countries (i.e. Spain, Austria, Switzerland and Turkey), where no Associate Member was active, could nominate one delegate.

The first General Meeting of ETRTO took place in Roma on 30 September 1965 and the Organisation did count 67 Full Members (50 Tyre, 13 Rim and 4 Valve) from 17 eastern European countries, inclusive Turkey, and two Corresponding Members (SATMC-South African Tyre Manufacturers’ Conference and JATMA- Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturers’ Association).

Meetings of the Technical Sub-Committees were organised and managed by the Associate Members and were conducted and reported in the three official languages (English, French and German); only the Executive Committee was organised and managed by the Secretary
General. Only in 1969 the first ETRTO Data Book was published under the responsibility of the new
Secretary General, Mr. R. Debesson, based in Montluçon (France). The first ETRTO premises were installed in Bruxelles, Avenue Brugmann, 32 only in 1973. The Rim Sub-Committee started as a Working Group in 1973, organised by the Secretary General (their technical data were then transferred to the relevant tyre Sub-Committees for approval) and became an independent Sub-Committee only in 1976.
The Solid Tyre group, originally created by WdK and whose standards were hosted in the ETRTO Data Book, became officially an ETRTO Sub-Committee in 1989 and a new category “Affiliated Members” was created to include their manufacturers. Starting in 1976, with the new Secretary General Mr. J. Trimble, the Secretariat and management of the various Sub-Committees was gradually transferred to ETRTO and meetings convened in Bruxelles. From 1982 the Secretariat of all Sub-Committees was managed by the Secretary General and from 1991 all Sub-Committee meetings were convened in Bruxelles. From the edition 1987, the “Data Book” was renamed “Standards Manual”.