WORLD TRADE WT/L/206
24April 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-1766)
REVIEW OFTHE AGREEMENT ONGOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT
Communication from theChairman ofthe
Committee onGovernment Procurement
Thefollowing communication, dated 16April 1997, fromtheChairman oftheCommittee on
Government Procurement totheChairman oftheGeneral Council, iscirculated toMembers for
information.
_______________
Iamwriting toyouinmycapacity asChairman oftheCommittee onGovernment Procurement
withaviewtoinforming Members oftheGeneral Council about theearly review oftheAgreement
onGovernment Procurement (GPA) being undertaken bytheCommittee onGovernment Procurement
andthereadiness ofParties totheGPA towelcome other WTO Members tofollow thiswork inan
observer capacity.
Article XXIV:7(b) and(c)oftheAgreement onGovernment Procurement callsonParties,
notlaterthantheendofthethird yearfrom thedateofitsentry intoforce, toundertake further
negotiations, withaviewtoimproving theAgreement andachieving thegreatest possible extension
ofitscoverage among allParties andeliminating anyremaining discriminatory measures andpractices.
InitsreporttotheMinisterialConferenceofDecember1996,theCommitteeagreedtoundertake
anearlyreview, starting in1997withanexamination ofmodalities, withaviewtotheimplementation
ofArticle XXIV:7(b) and(c)oftheAgreement. Thereview would, inparticular, cover thefollowing
elements: expansion ofthecoverage oftheAgreement; elimination ofdiscriminatory measures and
practices which distort open procurement; andsimplification andimprovement oftheAgreement,
including, where appropriate, adaptation toadvances intheareaofinformation technology (WT/L/190,
paragraphs 22and23). Anobjective ofthereview istofacilitate theexpansion ofmembership of
theAgreement bymaking itmore accessible tonon-Parties.
WTO Members notParties totheAgreement, aswellasgovernments which areintheprocess
ofacceding totheWTO, which haveaninterest inattending theCommittee 'sdiscussions onthereview
oftheAgreement areinvited toparticipate asobservers inthemeetings oftheCommittee onGovernment
Procurement, inaccordance withtheCommittee 'sDecision ontheParticipation ofObservers inthe
Committee (GPA/1, Annex 1).
ThetextofthisDecision andalistofParties totheAgreement andofGovernments already
having observer status intheCommittee areattached tothisletter.1
1Reproduced asAnnexes IandII,respectively.WT/L/206
Page2
ANNEX I
Participation ofObservers intheCommittee
onGovernment Procurement (1994)
TextofCommittee 'sDecision ascontained inGPA/1, Annex I
"1. Members oftheWorld Trade Organization which arenotParties totheAgreement mayfollow
theproceedings oftheCommittee onGovernment Procurement inanobserver capacity.
"2. Governments which arenotMembers oftheWorld Trade Organization, butareintheprocess
of,orhaveexpressed theintent of,accepting oracceding totheWTO Agreement andwhich arealso
interested ininitiating negotiations foraccession totheAgreement onGovernment Procurement (1994)
andhaveaninterest infollowing theproceedings oftheCommittee onGovernment Procurement in
anobserver capacity, should communicate arequest totheDirector-General oftheWorld Trade
Organization indicating their desire tohave observer status intheCommittee onGovernment
Procurement. TheCommittee shalldecide oneachrequest.
"3. TheCommittee shalldecide ontheconditions ofobservership, including withrespect tothe
provision ofinformation byobservers. Observers mayparticipate inthediscussions butdecisions shall
betaken onlybyParties.
"4. TheCommittee onGovernment Procurement maydeliberate onconfidential matters inspecial
restricted sessions.
"5. TheCommittee mayinvite, asappropriate, international organizations toparticipate insessions
oftheCommittee onGovernment Procurement inanobserver capacity. Inaddition, requests from
international organizations toparticipate insessions oftheCommittee onGovernment Procurement,
inanobserver capacity, shall beconsidered onacase-by-case basis bytheCommittee. Insuch
considerations, thecriteria andconditions forobserver status forintergovernmental organizations in
theWTO shallbetaken intoaccount.
"6. ThisDecision iswithout prejudice totheprovisions ofparagraph 2ofArticle XVII ofthe
Agreement."WT/L/206
Page3
ANNEX II
ListofParties totheAgreement andObserver Governments
intheCommittee
PARTIES
AUSTRIA
BELGIUM
CANADA
DENMARK
EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
FINLAND
FRANCE
GERMANY
GREECE
IRELAND
ISRAEL
ITALYJAPAN
KOREA
LUXEMBOURG
NETHERLANDS
NETHERLANDS WITH RESPECT TOARUBA
NORWAY
PORTUGAL
SPAIN
SWEDEN
SWITZERLAND
UNITED KINGDOM
UNITED STATES
OBSERVER GOVERNMENTS
ARGENTINA
AUSTRALIA
BULGARIA
COLOMBIA
HONG KONG
ICELAND
LATVIA
LIECHTENSTEIN
SINGAPORE
CHINESE TAIPEI
TURKEY