RESTRICTED  
  
GPA/M/65  
 
15 September 2016  
(16-4914) Page: 1/8 
Committee on Government Procurement    
 
 MINUTES OF THE FORMA L MEETING OF 22 JUNE  2016  
CHAIRMAN: MR JOHN NEWHAM  (IRELAND)  
The Chairman  said that , in preparation for the meeting , delegations had received an Airgram1 
setting out the proposed agenda, in addition to two related faxes. A s agreed in in formal session, 
Kazakhstan was authorized to be present for the day's sessions and to make a statement as it had 
requested. This special authorization was being  granted to Kazakhstan as a WTO Member, and 
would  under no circumstances be granted to non -Membe rs of the Organization. As well, 
Kazakhstan was cordially encouraged to make its formal request for observership, consistent with 
its WTO accession commitment, well in advance of the Committee's meetings scheduled for 
19 October 2016.  
 
The proposed agenda  for the meeting was  as follows : 
 
1. Adoption of the Committee's d raft Decision on Arbitration Procedures GPA/W/335 of 
19 November 2015), together with the Corrig endum Circulated on 25  November  2015 
(GPA/W/335/Corr.1) ; 
2. The Coming into Force of the Revised Agr eement for Ukraine and the Republic of 
Moldova ;  
3. Other business , if any . 
The Chairman said that u nder the heading of Other Business, as foreseen in a fax communication 
from the Secretariat the preceding week, he would  draw attention to the dates that had been 
reserved for the Committee's next substantive meetings in 2016 . No other item of other business 
had been proposed .  
The Committee  adopted  the agenda, as proposed by the Chairman.  
 
1  ADOPTION OF THE COMM ITTEE'S DRAFT DECISI ON ON ARBITRATION PR OCEDURES  
1.1.  The Chairman  recalled that during the Committee's formal meeting of 11 November 2015, 
the draft D ecision on Arbitration Procedures had been  cleaned of square brackets and informally 
agreed, subject where relevant to requisite internal procedures of Parties. Subsequently, at the 
Committee's  meeting on 17 February 2016 , this informal agreement had been reaffirmed. Note 
had been  taken at both meetings of a related Corrigendum. The draft Decision had been  circulated 
in document GPA/W/335 of 19  November 2015, and t he Corrigendum circulated on 
25 November  2015 (GPA/W/335/Corr.1).  
1.2.  The Committee adopted  the decision  on Arbitration Procedures , together with the 
Corrigendum .2 
1.3.  The Chairman  commended delegations for their hard work and constructive engagement 
leading to t he adoption of this important Decision. The decision that had just been taken was the 
result of intensive work by the Committee over an extended period . He thank ed, in particular, 
those delegations  that had taken  a leading role in the work, together with  those Parties that had 
                                                
1 WTO/AIR/GPA/7 , dated  10 June 2016 . 
2 Subsequently circulated as GPA/139, dated 23 June 2016.  GPA/M/65  
 
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  demonstrated flexibility to assist the reaching of an agreement. It was pleasing that the Decision 
was now in place as called for by Article XIX:8(a) of the revised Agreement. As regards the 
separate requirements , also under the Artic le XIX,  to adopt indicative criteria regarding the 
elimination of government control  (paragraph 8(b)), and criteria for compensatory adjustment  
(paragraph  8(c)), he looked forward to Parties signalling, at an appropriate time, what action, if 
any, they proposed to take . 
1.4.  The representative of Canada  said that the just -adopted Decision was an important tool that 
would help to resolve disagreements that Parties m ight have on coverage questions, going 
forward. Canada, nonetheless, hoped  that, wherever possible,  Parties would continue to resolve 
related  disagreements amicably , without resorting to the new procedures . Canada was also 
pleased about the transparency with respect to relevant procedures that was called for in the 
Decision  that had been adopted, as and  when such procedures proved necessary . Transparency 
was a very  important value underpinning  the Agreement and it was important that it was also  
upheld in the decision. As a Party that had helped to shepherd the process to its successful 
conclusion, Canada  joined the Chairman in congratulating all Parties for their pragmatism, 
flexibility, hard work and perseverance in reaching the day's Decision.  
1.5.  The representative of Norway  said that the adoption of the Decision was proof, yet again, 
that the Committee on  Government Procurement  was a Committee that could  – and did  – deliver 
results. Norway thanked all the Parties for the cooperative spirit and flexibility that had brought 
the negotiations to a successful conclusion. In particular, Norway wished to thank an d congratulate 
the delegation of Canada for its leadership in the small group process . 
2  THE COMING INTO FORC E OF THE REVISED AGR EEMENT FOR UKRAINE A ND THE 
REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA  
2.1.  The Chairman  said that  the purpose of this agenda item was to enable the Committee  to take 
note of relevant developments concerning the accessions  of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova . 
Delegations would recall that the Agreement had entered into force for Ukraine on 18  May 2016, 
following the submission of its instrument of accession on 18 April 2016.3 Subsequently, on 
14 June 2016, the Republic of Moldova had deposited its instrument of accession, within the time -
frame established in the addendum to the Committee's original decision on accession of the 
Republic of Moldova which had be en adopted in February  2016. The Agreement would , 
accordingly, enter into force for the Republic of Moldova on 14 July 2016 .4 On behalf of the 
Committee, he  offered his warmest congratulations to both Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova 
for the successful completion of their respective accession processes , and for becoming full Parties 
to the Agreement . 
2.2.  The representative of Ukraine  said that his delegation was honored  that Ukraine had no w 
achieved the status of a full -fledged Party to the GPA. Ukraine expr essed its gratitude to all GPA 
Parties, including, in particular, the United States, the European Union, Canada, and Japan,  for 
their effective assistance, advice and support throughout the course of its accession process. 
Further, Ukraine expressed its thanks to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development 
(EBRD) and to the WTO Secretariat. Ukraine also wished to record its appreciation personally to 
Mr John Newha m, Chairman  of the Committee on Government Procurement ; to 
Mr Krzysztof  Trepczyński (Poland), former Chairman  of the Committee; and to Mr  Robert Anderson 
and Ms  Anna Caroline Müller of the Secretariat, for their practical and professional support and 
patience . 
2.3.  Ukraine had consistently indicated that it attached  great importanc e to membership in the 
GPA as a practical means to improve its public procurement practice; to  simplify procedures ; to 
combat corruption and to put at the disposal of Ukrainian economic operators a tool to enable 
them to partake of tender opportunities glo bally. With this in mind, following completion of 
Ukraine's GPA accession negotiations and pending the ratification and entry into force of the 
Agreement for it, Ukraine had, with the assistance of partners, engaged in relevant technical 
assistance activit ies. These had addressed  both implementation and the market access aspects of 
the Agreement. Ukraine had received, in this regard, valuable support from partners, including the 
Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) of the United States Government, in o rganizing 
                                                
3 Certified in document WT/Let/1150, dated 27 April 2016 . 
4 Subsequently certified in document WT/Let/1169, dated 14 July 2016 . GPA/M/65  
 
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  seminars and conferences. The activities had focused on implementation, on promoting  a deeper 
understanding of tendering processes, and on facilitating  participation by Ukrainian suppliers in 
real tender opportunities in the covered procurement m arkets of other GPA Parties such as the 
United States, the European Union, and Canada.  
2.4.  As a full -fledged GPA Party, Ukraine aimed to play an active role in the work of the 
Committee. This included work on the accession of new members, and the sharing of ex perience 
on the practical application of the GPA. In the view of Ukraine, this could not be achieved solely 
through the organization of seminars and conferences. It required, very importantly, doing one's 
homework, while seeking to benefit from the support  and experience of experts from among the 
existing Parties . 
2.5.  Based on Ukraine's initial experience, the level of simplicity and openness in the covered 
procurement markets of GPA Parties varied considerably. For example, the first approaches made 
by Uk rainian suppliers to participation  in US tenders had revealed that considerable knowledge 
was needed of the US procurement system to be able to participate successfully, and that local 
consultant assistance might be needed in this respect . 
2.6.  From the perspective of Ukraine, every GPA Party – Ukraine included – should be interested 
in involving foreign participation in its tendering proceedings, with a view to intensifying 
competition for the ultimate benefit of consumers. To achieve this goal, the Government of 
Ukraine, through the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, was taking practical steps to 
improve the business environment in the country, offer practical assistance to local economic  
operators to enhance their understanding of the public procurement pr ocedures of its GPA 
partners, and to facilitate the participation of Ukraine's businesses' in foreign tenders . 
2.7.  With regard to its relevant legislation, Ukraine had introduced in its Public Procurement Law 
(PPL) a number of new clauses aimed at  furthering specific  objectives. These included: aligning its 
Law with relevant provisions in the applicable EU Directives; reducing the risk of corruption in its 
tender procedures; simplification of processes in order to facilitate supplier participation; 
deregu lation ; and implementation of a robust  e-procurement system. As an example, one specific 
measure concerned the replacement of the then prevailing paper -based and partially electronic 
procurement procedures with fully electronic processes. This had enabled or fac ilitated : 
 the evaluation of bids , when undertaking electronic auctions, using  either " price" as a 
sole criterion or " price plus other criteria "; 
 the automatic public disclosure of all information after the end of an auction;  
 the creation of a "hybrid " mode l of e -procurement , involving both  state and business 
participation, with new definitions provided in Article 1 of the Law.5 
2.8.  A second set of measures concerned the approximation of  the provisions of  Ukraine's  Public 
Procurement Law to certain EU practices.  This had been welcomed by the European Commission. 
These measures had involved:  
 the introduction of the concept of " authorized professional procurement specialists " as 
an alternative to the compulsory use of Tender Committees ; 
 the introduction of a new de finition  regarding  "centralized procurement organization "; 
this represent ed a first attempt to apply EU experience with regard to the activities of  
centralized procurement bod ies; 
 new threshold rules introducing  a requirement that below -threshold procureme nts must 
follow general public procurement principles – for instance, that they must be published 
and may be performed through a competitive e -procedure;  
                                                
5 In particular , "authorized e -platform ", "Public Procurement web -portal ", "e-procurement system ", and 
"discounted price ". GPA/M/65  
 
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   further t hreshold rules relating  to the thresholds of the EU Public Procurement Directives 
in an attem pt to introduce a dual system approach in the PPL;  
 transformation of the current two -stage tender procedure into an EU-style competitive 
dialogue procedure;  and 
 clarification of  the grounds for applying the negotiated procedure to align them with the 
EU Di rectives and to prevent the misuse or abuse of the negotiated procedure to further  
corruption.  
2.9.  The new Law also envisaged the creation of a new, official, public procurement web -portal 
(http://www.prozorro.gov.ua ) for the publication of information on tendering procedures. This site 
would be available in English. The publication rules would apply to procurement contracts of an 
estimated value exceeding an amount equivalent to EUR 133,000 for supplies and services a nd 
EUR 5,150,000 for works . 
2.10.   Information relevant to government procurement for suppliers and for procuring entities, 
information about tenders and tender documentation, laws and regulations , and other instructions 
governing public procurement in Ukraine wo uld be available in English to any interested user. The 
provisions on exemptions, principles of procurement, deadlines for submission of bids, and equal 
treatment of all participants remained the same as in the previous Law. 
2.11.   To conclude, he underline d that Ukraine intended  to be an active, transparent and creative 
member of the GPA. Ukraine was currently preparing the required inputs to the various Work 
Programmes . These would be submitted to the Committee in due course.6 Ukraine also wished to 
foreshadow i ts interest in cooperating with the Secretariat and other interested Parties with a view 
to building on the work done on  the e -GPA portal, using open contracting data standards, via 
which the suppliers from all GPA parties could more easily find and access  information about GPA 
tenders. Ukraine stood ready to organize and coordinate related work.  
2.12.   The representative of the Republic of Moldova , H.E. Ambassador Tudor Ulianovschi , said 
that the present meeting of the Committee was a historic occasion for his co untry. He noted that 
the Republic of Moldova's delegation to the meeting  included the Deputy Minister of Finance, 
Mr Iuri Cicibaba ; the Director of the Public Procurement Agency , Mr Ruslan Malai;  and the Deputy 
Director of the Public Procurement Agency, Mr Valeriu Secas . The Republic of Moldova had, only 
the previous week, ratified its accession to the Agreement, and it looked forward to taking its place 
as a full -fledged Party on 14 July 2016. On behalf of his Government, he conveyed his sincere 
gratitude to the Committee  for the extension of the time frame for his country to submit its 
instrument of accession . 
2.13.   Throughout its GPA accession process, the Republic of Moldova had benefited from support 
from a variety of sources. He express ed, in this regard,  the deep appreciation of his delegation for 
the assistance of : (i) EBRD, noting in particular  the role played by Ms Dorina Harcenco of the 
EBRD 's Office in Moldova; (ii) the Parties to the Agreement, including, in particular, the 
delegations of the European Union, the United States, Canada, Japan, Switzerland and Chinese 
Taipei; and (iii) the WTO Secretariat .  
2.14.   The Republic of Moldova had a strong and firm commitment to effective implementation of  
the Agreement upon its entry into force for the country . The GP A aimed to open up, to the extent 
possible, government procurement markets to international compet ition. It  provided  legal 
guarantees of transparency and non-discriminat ion with regard to access to the GPA covered 
procurement markets of the goods, services  and suppliers of the Parties to the Agreement. 
Membership in the Agreement provided legally secure access to markets  valued at US $1.7  trillion 
annually and growing. It also signalled a country's commitment to good governance and 
transparency . By its acce ssion to the Agreement, the Republic of Moldova had gained this legally 
secure market access, and equally had affirmed its commitment to the good governance principles 
embodied in the Agreement.  
                                                
6 The following documents have subsequently been ci rculated by Ukraine: GPA/WPS/SME/27, dated 
9 August 2016 ; and GPA/WPS/SP/8, dated 16 August 2016.  GPA/M/65  
 
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  2.15.   As an Ambassador , he had the task of promoting his country as  a good destination and host 
for foreign direct investment. He was confident , in this regard,  that, following the entry into force 
of the Agreement for his country,  the relevant authorities7 would take the appropriate steps  to 
improv e the business climate of the country , with a view  to facilitat ing the participation of 
investors in its economy. This would include implementing transparent application processes for 
investors, including the use of electronic tools .  
2.16.   His delegation had engaged constructively in  providing additional comments and 
explanations regarding the legal framework  for public procurement in his country , and the national 
public procurement strategy which was in the process of being developed. The Republic of Moldova 
counted on the support an d assistance of its more experienced partners in the GPA with a view to 
implementing efficiently the reforms that it had undertaken through its accession to the 
Agreement . 
2.17.   Continuing, the second  representative of the Republic of Moldova, the Deputy Ministe r of 
Finance,  recalled that the over-riding goal of the public procurement system was to serve  the 
public interest, and develop and improve the living conditions  of the community . As was the case 
with other Parties , related objectives were not limited to t ransparency and efficiency alone, but 
encompassed support to the development of economic and social infrastructure, delivery  of public 
services, growth , and confidence in State institutions . An efficient and credible public procurement 
system was , accordin gly, one of the fundamental elements of the Republic of Moldova's 
development processes. The Government of the Republic of Moldova had initiated reform of  the 
public procurement system in light of the commitments assumed by his country under 
international agreements, including, notably, the European Union -Moldova  Association  Agreement, 
and the GPA . These  committed the Government to  new standards regarding transparency and 
competition, non -discrimination, market liberalization, and the fight against corrupti on. 
Participation in the  GPA was important for the Republic of Moldova to enjoy these benefits . 
Membership in the Agreement also offered the possibility to participate in the exchange of 
experience among Parties, thus facilitating  ongoing improvement, appr opriate response to evolving 
developments, and mutual support and collective benefit.  
2.18.   The GPA framework provided real and healthy competition in the procurement procedures 
carried out at the national level, and thus facilitated  the attainment of best valu e for money. Such 
competition, however, also posed significant challenges to domestic suppliers . The Republic of 
Moldova understood  these  challenges, but also considered them as helping to stimulate efficiency 
among domestic firms, and therefore deemed them a necessary condition and a part the natural 
process of societ al development . Also , in return, the GPA open ed new markets for Moldovan 
companies. His delegation hoped that, as a result of its having joined the Agreement,  new 
horizons for business develop ment would become accessible to the Moldovan economy.  
2.19.   As with the EU -Moldova Association Agreement, GPA accession entailed not only benefits 
but also obligations. The Republic of Moldova had already fulfilled a number of its GPA-related 
obligations. This included the new Law on Public Procurement that had come into effect on 
1 May 2016. This Law had been harmonized with the EU Directives Nos. 18/2004 and 66/2007 . 
2.20.   The Moldovan Parliament was in the process of creating an independent, transparent and 
imparti al Complaints Adjudication A gency. This body would be directly accountable to the 
Parliament of the Republic of Moldova. Secondly, the Republic of Moldova had implemented a n 
initial package of secondary regulations based on the new Law. This had been achie ved with the 
support of the country's international partners, including, namely: the EBRD, the World Bank, the 
European Union, SIGMA and the United States. Thirdly, a Draft Public Procurement Strategy, 
together with a detailed action  plan, had been elabora ted and was to form the basis  of public 
consultations . 
2.21.   Notwithstanding the above achievements, more work lay ahead. This  was expected to  
include, over the next four years, the following  items and activities : legal harmonization with 
provisions of the Europ ean Union's 2014 Procurement Directives; increasing administrative 
capacity at the central level; enhancing coordination amongst institutions responsible for the 
management of the key  functions of the public procurement system; increased implementing 
                                                
7 Namely, the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Moldova, and the Public Procurement Agency of the 
Republic of Moldova.  GPA/M/65  
 
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  capac ity at the level of the contracting authorities; fostering institutional responsibility and 
personal accountability in the public sector; and increased transparency of the public procurement 
process. A key objective  to be achieved by mid-2017 was to furthe r enhance the  transparency and 
efficiency of procurement procedures. Additional  objectives and activities were expected to be 
elaborated in the period up to 2020 . 
2.22.   With the Republic of Moldova's successful accession to the GPA, together with the adoption 
of the EU -Moldova Association Agreement, t he journey towards a transparent and efficient public 
procurement system in the Republic of Moldova had well commenced. His Government  realised 
that the path  would not be easy , and it counted on the experience and su pport of Parties and its 
donor  partners  to assist it in its drive  to join the club of countries enjoying state -of-the-art public 
procurement systems in line with the principles of good governance . 
2.23.   Building on the comments of  the two preceding speakers with  regard to the important 
obligations assumed and benefits to be realized under the referenced international agreements, 
the third representative of the Republic of Moldova, the Director of the Public Procurement Agency,  
said that t he public procurement sys tem of his country  was, as a result of its participation in 
relevant international instruments, in a dynamic state of evolution  and alignment to international 
best practices . Although the Republic of Moldova had already completed the necessary processes 
to become a full GPA Party - which presume d that its public procurement system was in conformity 
to the requirements of GPA - his Government wished to further develop and improve the 
procurement system. This was the reason for the elaboration  of the public p rocurement strategy. 
The strategy had as a key objective to continue the process of aligning the national legislation with 
the EU acquis  with the view to achieving full conformity to the requirements of the 2014 EU 
Directives (no. 2014/ 24 and 2014/ 25) by the year 2019, and thus, also to international best 
practice . These reforms were not limited to the regulatory framework, but represented a set of 
actions aimed at improving the public procurement system institutionally, technically and 
organizationally. In  institutional terms, the Republic of Moldova intended to establish a system that 
would enforce all the basic principles of public procurement while strictly respecting the rights of 
stakeholders regardless of nationality . 
2.24.   Consistent with international bes t practices, the Republic of Moldova had split the duties of 
supervision and monitoring of procurements from those relating to  policy  development. In 
addition, as noted by his predecessor, the new legislation set forth the creation of an independent 
and impartial  Complaint Adjudication Agency. This was an important legal guarantee that would 
ensure that the rights of economic operators would be protected - including via the common law 
courts.  
2.25.   As another priority, the national public procurement system was to be digitized , with a view 
to diminishing  the human factor in the procurement process and thus reducing opportunities for 
corruption. The Republic of Moldova already had an existing e -procurement system which had 
demonstrated its efficiency . Nonetheless , the Ministry of Finance and the Public Procurement 
Agency were exploring new possibilities in light of the continuing evolution and new developments 
in technology . As a result, the Republic of Moldova, with the support of its development partners, 
notably the EBRD and World Bank, was set to implement a number of IT systems  that would 
facilitate the procurement procedures and increase transparency in this field. The new e -
Procurement system that was being developed would fulfil the current technological need s of the 
country while providing technical solutions consistent with international best practices . 
2.26.   In addition, his country was in  the final stages of implementing an IT solution that would 
offer free access to open data in the field of public procurement , while also providing a higher 
degree of transparency. Furthermore, a  major training programme had been initiated by the Public 
Procurement Agency for stakeholders involved in the public procurement process to keep them 
informed about the opportunities tha t the Public Procurement Agency provides.  
2.27.   The representatives of Norway ; the European Union ; the United States of America ; Canada ; 
the Republic of Korea ; Hong Kong, China ; the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, 
Kinmen and Matsu ; Singapore ; Japan ; Montenegro ; and New Zealand  congratulated Ukraine and 
the Republic of Moldova for their achievement , and warmly welcomed them as Parties to the 
Agreement . They looked forward to fruitful cooperation with the two new Parties.  GPA/M/65  
 
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  2.28.   Continuing, the representativ e of Norway  said that participation in the GPA would give 
Ukrainian and Republic of Moldova  suppliers access to a global procurement market while 
contributing to strengthening good governance, fighting corruption, increasing transparency and 
ensuring value  for money in government procurement processes. Norway recognized the 
significant efforts that Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova had put into their respective accession 
processes, and wished to thank the delegations for their excellent cooperation that c ontributed to 
a swift and succes sful conclusion to the related negotiations . 
2.29.   The representative of the European Union  said that the EU had had – and continued to 
have – very close relations with both countries. It had been conducting very productive exchan ges 
with both countries in the framework of the negotiations for the EU-Moldova Association 
Agreement and the Deep and Comp rehensive Free Trade Agreement with Ukraine  which had 
recently been concluded. The respective accession negotiations had been conduct ed in an efficient, 
expeditious, open and transparent manner, and could serve as an example for future GPA 
accession negotiations. The European Union also warmly welcomed the legislative and non -
legislative developments in the two countries  that had been o utlined by the various 
representatives . The recent measures that had been introduced in Ukraine and in the Republic of 
Moldova were impressive. The two countries had also maintained close bilateral relations which 
was a positive development. The European U nion looked forward to Ukraine and the Republic of 
Moldova undertaking an active role in the future work of the Committee . 
2.30.   The representative of the United States of America  said that his delegation had strongly 
supported the respective accessions of Ukrai ne and the Republic of Moldova. It was pleased to see 
a swift conclusion to the two accession processes , reflecting strong engagement by all participants . 
His delegation looked forward to, and would be supportive of, a similarly active engagement by 
both P arties in the work of the Committee . Both new Parties would find GPA participation to be 
highly beneficial.  
2.31.   The representative of Canada  said that the detailed and informative comments that Ukraine 
and the Republic of Moldova had provided were indicative o f the seriousness with which the two 
delegations took their respective accession processes. They had backed up their words by deeds in 
terms of domestic legislation and reform. At a recent bilateral meeting, the delegation of Ukraine 
had demonstrated its interest in taking both the Agreement and its  role as a Party very seriously. 
Canada encouraged Ukraine and offered its support in this regard. Canada trusted that the 
Republic of Moldova would be similarly active and engaged  in matters regarding the Agreem ent 
going forward . 
2.32.   The representative of  the Republic of Korea  said that , in the view of his delegation, 
membership in the Agreement would provide a good momentum for Ukraine and the Republic of 
Moldova to improve and modernize domestic regulation and rela ted government procurement 
systems. This would contribute to the overall economic development of the two new Parties as well 
as of other Parties through increased access to the respective government procurement market s. 
Korea looked forward to support ing the smooth implementation of the Agreement by the two new 
Parties . 
2.33.   The representative of Hong Kong, China  said that his delegation held a strong and principled 
stance in support of the expansion of the membership of the Agreement, and particularly  with 
respect to the accession of  developing country WTO Members. In this regard, it was delighted to 
see the successful conclusion of these two most recent accession s. 
2.34.   The representative of the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu  
expresse d his delegation's appreciation to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova for their hard work 
and effort during the accession process . 
2.35.   The representative of Singapore  said that her  delegation had been constructively engaged 
throughout the two accession proces ses. In addition to the two new Parties, Singapore extended 
its appreciation to the past and current Chair men for guiding the respective accession processes to 
a successful conclusion, and to the Secretariat for its supportive role.  
2.36.   The representative of Japan expressed his appreciation to Ukraine and the Republic of 
Moldova for their constructive engagement and effort throughout their respective accession GPA/M/65  
 
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  processes . Japan looked  forward to building on the cooperation enjoyed during  the negotiating 
process es in the future activities of the  Committee . 
2.37.   The representative s of Montenegro  and New Zealand  echoed the other Parties in 
congratulating Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, and looked forward to fruitful cooperation 
with them in the Committee.  
3  OTHER BUSI NESS  
3.1.  The Chairman  said that, as previously advised, the Committee's next meetings would  take 
place in the week beginning 17 October, with the plurilater als scheduled for 
Wednesday,  19 October  2016. T he Committee's end -of-year housekeeping meeting, at which  
participation by Geneva -based officials only would be expected, would be sc heduled for late 
November . 
 
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