RESTRICTED  
  
GPA/W/334/Rev.1  
 
9 November 2015  
(15-5915)  Page: 1/18  
Committee on Government Procurement    
 
 DRAFT REPORT (2015) OF THE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 
Revision 
Attached for the attention of delegations is a revised and updated draft of the Committee's 
Annual Report to the General Council for 2015 (circulated initially on 2 November 2015) . 
All additions/changes are shown in track changes and may be found in paragraphs 1.1.; 1.3.; 3.2.; 3.26.; 3.28.; 3.31.; 4.4.; and 4.5. and in footnotes 4; 13; 20; 21-25; 78; and 100. 
 
The revised draft is for consideration and adoption at the formal meeting  of the Committee which 
is scheduled for Wednesday, 11 November, beginning at 4.30 p.m.  
 
For the further assistance of delegations, the ab ove-referenced changes include all of the points 
received from Parties/observers. Where relevant, th e proposed changes are attributed to individual 
delegations (Secretariat-initiated changes are shown with the attribution [SEC]). All attributions 
will, of course, be deleted in the final version. 
 The final version of the Report is to be provided to the WTO's General Council no later than 
Thursday, 19 November 2015. 
  
_______________ 
 GPA/W/334/Rev.1 
 
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  DRAFT REPORT (2015) OF THE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 
1  INTRODUCTION 1.1.  This report covers the period since the Committee's previous ÈAnnual Report
[SEC] 1, namely 
December 2014 through mid-November 2015. It is issued pursuant to Article XXIV:7(a) of the 
1994 Agreement on Government Procurement ("the 1994 Agreement" or "the GPA 1994") and 
Article XXI:3 of the Agreement as amended by  the Protocol Amending the Agreement on 
Government Procurement, done at Geneva on 30 March 2012 (the "revised Agreement").2 This 
reflects the entry into force of the revised Ag reement on 6 April 2014. The revised Agreement is 
now in force for all but two of the Agreement's Parties.3 
1.2.  The Committee has had an active and productive year. Since the date of circulation of its last 
Annual Report (26 November 2014), it has he ld [five] formal meetings in Geneva: on 
11 February 2015, on 27 April 2015, on 3 June 2015, on 16 September 2015 [and on 
11 November 2015].4 The meetings were chaired initially by Mr Krzysztof Trepczy ński (Poland)5 
and, beginning on 1 March 2015 and continuing thro ugh the rest of the year, by Mr John Newham 
(Ireland).6 The Committee has also held a series of informal meetings, also chaired by 
Mr Trepczy ński and, subsequently, by Mr Newham, focusi ng on the entry into force of the revised 
Agreement; accessions to the Agreement; and other matters, in the weeks beginning 
9 February 2015, 1 June 2015 and 14 September 2015, respectively. 
1.3.  Among other highlights, the Committee is pleased to note that Montenegro and New Zealand 
completed all relevant formalities and became Parties to the Agreement during the year.7 In 
addition, during the year, Moldova [and Ukraine] were invited to accede to the Agreement. They 
will become Parties to the Agreement  u p o n  3 0  d a y s  a f t e r[CAN] submission of instruments of 
accession incorporating the terms that have been agreed.8 Australia and Tajikistan commenced 
negotiations to join the Agreement. Work was initiated on various agreed new Work Programmes 
which are intended, inter-alia, to enhance transparency with respect to Parties' approaches to 
issues such as the collection of statistics, the pr omotion of sustainability in Parties' procurement 
processes and access to government procurement activities by small and medium sized 
enterprises. 
1.4.  The following WTO Members are now covered by the Agreement (the revised and/or the 1994 
version): Armenia; Canada; the European Union, including its 28 member States; Hong Kong, China; Iceland; Israel; Japan; Korea; Liechtenstein; Montenegro; the Kingdom of the Netherlands 
with respect to Aruba; New Zealand; Norway; Singapore; Switzerland; the Separate Customs 
Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu ("Chinese Taipei"); and the United States.  
1.5.  Thirty WTO Members have observer status in the Committee on Government Procurement: 
Albania, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Ca meroon, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica
9, Georgia, 
                                               
1 GPA/126, dated 26 November 2014 and GPA/126/Corr.1, dated 3 December 2014. 
2 The 1994 Agreement and the revised Agreement are hereafter referred to together as the "Agreement 
on Government Procur ement" or "GPA". 
3 See, for relevant details, Part 2 below.  
4 GPA/M/59, dated 4 May 2015; GPA/M/60, dated 9 July 2015; GPA/M/61, dated 2 September 2015; 
GPA/M/62,  to be issued dated 4 November 2015[SEC]; and GPA/M/63, to be issued. 
5 At its meeting of 12 March 2014, the Committee elected Mr Krzysztof Trepczy ński as Chairman 
(GPA/M/55, dated 14 May 2014, paragraph 1.5.) for th e period 1 August 2014 to the end of 2014. It 
subsequently extended his term of office until the end of February 2015 (GPA/M/59, dated 4 May 2015, paragraph 3.3). 
6 At its meeting of 11 February 2015, the Committee elected Mr John Newham as Chairman (GPA/M/59, 
dated 4 May 2015, paragraph 3.3) for the pe riod 1 March 2015 till the end of the year. 
7 Montenegro deposited its instrument of accession on 15 June 2015 and therefore became a Party to 
the Agreement on Government Procurement on 15 Ju ly 2015. New Zealand deposited its instrument of 
accession on 13 July 2015 and therefore became a Party to the Agreement on Government Procurement on 12 August 2015. 
8 See, Decision of the Committee of 16 September 2015 (GPA/131, dated 21 September 2015) in 
respect of Moldova and Decision of the Committee of 11 November 2015 (GPA/133, to be issued) in respect of 
Ukraine. 
9 GPA/W/331, dated 12 February 2015. GPA/W/334/Rev.1 
 
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  India, Indonesia, Jordan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia, Moldova, Mongolia, Oman, Pakistan10, 
Panama, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles11, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand12, the 
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey , Ukraine and Viet Nam. The observerships of 
Costa Rica, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Thailand were approved, on request by those delegations, 
during the reporting period, and were warmly welcomed by the Committee.13 Four 
intergovernmental organizations, namely the International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Trade Centre (ITC), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the 
United Nations Conference on Trade and Develo pment (UNCTAD), also have observer status. 
1.6.  Overall, the Committee considers the Agreement on Government Procurement to be an 
important tool of trade and development in the tw enty-first century, contributing not only to 
market access for Parties' goods, services and supp liers but also to the transparency of Parties' 
procurement systems and to good governance. It is pleased, particularly, with the progress made 
on accessions to the Agreement during the year under review. It encourages interest in the Agreement on the part of WTO Members not currently  Parties or observers to it and invites them 
to consider the potential advantages of association, whether as Parties or as observers. 
1.7.  The remaining sections of this Report deal  with the work done by the Committee during the 
year, with particular reference to: (i) the entry into force of the revised Agreement on Government 
Procurement; (ii) accessions to the Agreement; (iii) work of the Committee in progress; and 
(iv) the implementation of the Agreement. 
2  ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE REVISED AGREEMENT ON GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 
(GPA), AND RELATED WORK ON THE "E-GPA PROJECT" 
2.1  Entry into force of the revised Agreement 
2.1.  As recounted in the Committee's previous Annual Report, the revised Agreement on 
Government Procurement entered into force on 6 April 2014, 30 days after the submission of 
formal acceptances of the "Protocol Amending the Agreement on Government Procurement" by 
two thirds of the Parties to the Agreement. Subs equently, two additional Parties submitted their 
respective instruments of acceptance. In th e period under review, Armenia submitted its 
instrument of acceptance on 7 May 2015 and the revised Agreement on Government Procurement 
entered into force for Armenia on 6 June 2015.
14 The Agreement also entered into force for two 
newly acceded Parties 30 days after the submission of their respective instruments of accession to the Agreement, i.e. for Montenegro on 15 July 2015
15 and for New Zealand on 12 August 2015.16 
2.2.  As a result of these additional acceptance s and accessions, the revised Agreement is now in 
force for Armenia; Canada; the European Union, including its 28 member States; Hong Kong, China; Iceland; Israel; Japan; Liechtenstein; Montenegro; the Kingdom of the 
Netherlands with respect to Aruba; New Zealan d; Norway; Singapore; the Separate Customs 
Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu (" Chinese Taipei"); and the United States. Korea 
and Switzerland have still to provide their acceptances of the revised Agreement. In both cases, 
they have provided regular updates to the Committ ee on developments in their capitals and have 
affirmed that they will provide their respective acceptances as soon as possible. 
2.2  The "e-GPA project" to provide enha nced access to information concerning the 
Agreement 
2.3.  At its informal sessions in February
17 and September 201518, the Secretariat provided brief 
updates to the Committee on the "e-GPA project". This new online information resource is 
                                               
10 GPA/W/330, dated 20 January 2015. 
11 GPA/W/333, dated 25 August 2015. 
12 GPA/W/332, dated 28 May 2015. 
13 See for Pakistan, GPA/M/59, dated 4 May 2015, paragrap hs 1.1 et seq.; for Costa Rica and Thailand, 
GPA/M/61, dated 2 September 2015, paragraphs 1.1 et seq.; and for Seychelles, GPA/M/62,  to  be i ssue d 
dated 4 November 2015[SEC]. 
14 WT/Let/1039, dated 11 May 2015. 
15 WT/Let/1046, dated 2 July 2015. 
16 WT/Let/1049, dated 20 July 2015. 
17 RD/GPA/22, dated 12 February 2015, para. 1.8. 
18 RD/GPA/27, dated 18 September 2015, para. 1.9. GPA/W/334/Rev.1 
 
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  intended to provide enhanced access to Parties' market access schedules and other information 
that Parties provide, pursuant to the Agreement. It synergizes importantly with particular elements of the revised GPA text that are aimed at promoting the use of electronic tools. In November 2014, an initial version of the tool ("Phase I") was completed and made publicly accessible.
19 This 
version, which transformed the GPA coverage data into an interactive online database format, 
allows a full online browse of the data, introduces a search facility, and permits the generation of reports both on-screen and in a variety of file  formats, such as Word, Excel, XML and PDF. 
2.4.  In early 2015, Phase II of the project wa s launched. This phase incorporates further 
enhancements such as: (i) a system to facilitate the integration of the coverage commitments of new acceding members, as well as the management and tracking of changes to the Parties' coverage commitments arising from modifications to coverage pursuant to Article XIX of the 
revised GPA; (ii) a greatly improved search facility; and (iii) a more user-friendly access to the 
publication media notified by the Parties pursuant to Article VI of the revised GPA. Significant progress has been made and it is envisaged that, following successful testing, the Phase II product 
will be made publicly accessible in 2016. 
2.5.  The Committee considers the e-GPA system to be an important innovation to ensure a more 
efficient administration of the revised Agreement,  enhancing the transparency and accessibility of 
information on coverage under it, and ultimately to realizing the full potential benefits that the 
Agreement offers, and facilitating accessions to it. It looks forward to its further enhancement, over time. 
2.3  Other developments 
2.6.  In the course of its formal meeting he ld on 16 September, the Committee approved the 
sending by Chairman Newham to the Chairman of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body, Mr Harald Neple, of a letter notifying the Dispute Settlem ent Body of the special rules and procedures 
regarding dispute settlement that have come into effect in the revised GPA.
20 
2.7.  Other work of the Committee in progress related to the entry into force of the revised 
Agreement, specifically concerning notifications, is reported in Part 4 of this report. 
3  ACCESSIONS TO THE AGREEMENT 
3.1.  The Committee attaches great importance to its work on currently pending and future 
accessions to the Agreement, which it expects to further enhance both the extent of market access commitments under, and the systemic relevance of, the Agreement, over time. Significant 
progress was made on this aspect of the Commi ttee's work during the review period. Relevant 
milestones included: (i) formal completion of the accessions of Montenegro and New Zealand; (ii) the conclusion of negotiations on the accessions of Moldova [and Ukraine]; and (iii) the 
initiation of work on the accessions of Tajikistan and Australia. Constructive discussions also took 
place on the accession of China. 
3.2.  Apart from the above-mentioned seven acce ssions, five other WTO Members have formally 
initiated work on their respective accessions to the Agreement: Albania
21, Georgia22, Jordan23, the 
                                               
19 The site is accessible from the governme nt procurement gateway of the WTO website 
(https://www.wto.org/gpa ) or via the WTO's Integrated Trad e Intelligence Portal (i-TIP): 
https://www.wto.org/ english/res_e/stat is_e/itip_e.htm . 
20 See GPA/M/62,  to be issued dated 4 November 2015[SEC]. 
21 Albania submitted its application for GPA accession on 2 October 2001 (GPA/57). In a 
letter addressed to the Chairman of the Committee, dated 27 July 2015, Albania indicated that the 
majority of its public administration capacities are dedicate d to the process of harmonizing its 
national legislation with the EU acquis (Albania is a candidate co untry for EU accession). In this 
context, Albania indicated that, due to administrative capacity constraints, it is not yet in a position 
to engage in the GPA accession process. It nonetheless remains committed to consider GPA 
accession at a later stage. 
22 Georgia submitted its application for GPA accession on 17 October 2002 (GPA/71). No 
developments have occurred since 2004. 
23 Jordan submitted its application for GPA ac cession on 19 July 2000 (GPA/38). Active work 
took place on its accession in the Committee from 2000 to 2011, with multiple informal offers being 
considered. Subsequently, no developments have occurred since 2011.  GPA/W/334/Rev.1 
 
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  Kyrgyz Republic24, and Oman.25 [SEC, following suggestion of the EU] A further five WTO Members have 
provisions regarding accession to the Agreement in  their respective Protocols of Accession to the 
WTO: Mongolia26, the Russian Federation27, Saudi Arabia28, Seychelles29, and the former Yugoslav 
Republic of Macedonia.30 The Committee notes that some of these commitments have been 
outstanding for a considerable period, and hopes to see an acceleration of work toward their 
fulfilment in 2016. Technical assistance to support such work is available, where appropriate, from 
individual GPA Parties, the WTO Secretariat, regional donors and other sources. 
3.3.  The following provides additional details regarding particular WTO Members whose accessions 
were the subject of substantive discussions during the year, and related developments. 
3.1  Completion of the accessions of Montenegro and New Zealand 3.1.1  Montenegro 
3.4.  Montenegro submitted its application for acce ssion and its replies to the Checklist of Issues, 
together with additional documentation on its legislative framework, on 4 October 2013.
31 
Following multiple discussions in informal session and the review of relevant documentation, at its 
formal meeting on 29 October 2014, the Comm ittee adopted a decision on the terms of 
Montenegro's accession to the Agreement and the negotiation was thus concluded.32 The decision 
called for Montenegro to deposit its instrument of accession within six months after the date of the 
adoption of the decision, i.e. by 29 April 2015.  
                                               
24 The Kyrgyz Republic submitted its application for GPA accession on 19 May 1999 
(GPA/SPEC/4). In the course of discussions on ac cessions at the Committee's meetings in February 
and June 2015, the Kyrgyz Republic reconfirmed its interest in GPA accession and its intention to 
table an initial market offer in the coming months. 
25 Oman initiated its accession to the GPA on 12 July 2001 (date of its replies to the Checklist 
of Issues – GPA/W/141). During Oman's TPR held on 22 and 24 April 2014, the delegation of Oman 
said that it was conscious of its commitment regarding GPA accession and was initiating related 
preparatory work. In a letter addressed to the Chairman of the GPA Committee, dated 2 July 2014, 
Oman indicated its interest in obtaining technical assistance from the Secretariat to facilitate its 
accession to the Agreement. The Secretariat has b een in contact with the delegation of Oman to 
pursue this request.  
26 WT/ACC/MNG/9, dated 27 June 1996, paragraph 59: "T he representative of Mongolia confirmed that 
his Government would seek observer status in the Co mmittee for the Agreement on Government Procurement 
at the time of its accession with a view to initiating negotiations for membership thereafter. The Working Party 
took note of this commitment." 
27 WT/ACC/RUS/70, dated 17 November 2011, paragraph 1143: "The representative of the Russian 
Federation confirmed the intention of the Russian Federation to join the WTO Agreement on Government 
Procurement and to notify the Committee on Government Procurement to this effect at the time of accession of 
the Russian Federation to the WTO and to ensure that from the date of accession, its government agencies would award contracts in a transparent manner accordin g to published laws, regulations and guidelines. He 
also confirmed that the Russian Federation would request observership in the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement at the time of its accession to the WTO an d would initiate negotiations for membership in the 
WTO Agreement on Government Procurement by tabling an Appendix 1 offer within four years of accession. He 
confirmed that, if the results of the negotiations were satisfactory to the interests of the Russian Federation and the other Members of the Agreement, the Russian Federation would accede to that Agreement. The Working Party took note of these commitments." 
28 WT/ACC/SAU/61, dated 1 November 2005, paragraph 231: "The representative of Saudi Arabia 
confirmed that, upon accession to the WTO, Saudi Arabia  would initiate negotiations for membership in the 
Agreement on Government Procurement by tabling an entity offer. He also confirmed that, if the results of the negotiations were satisfactory to the interests of Saudi Arabia and the other parties to the Agreement, Saudi Arabia would complete negotiations for membership in the Agreement within a year of accession. The Working 
Party took note of these commitments." 
29 WT/ACC/SYC/64, dated 5 November 2014, paragr aph 322: "The representative of Seychelles 
confirmed that, within one year from the date of accession, Seychelles would initiate negotiations to accede to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement. The Working Party took note of this commitment." 
30 WT/ACC/807/27, dated 26 September 2002, paragraph 177: "The representative of FYROM confirmed 
that, upon accession to the WTO, the Government of FYROM would initiate negotiations for membership in the Agreement on Government Procurement by tabling an entity offer. He also confirmed that, if the results of the negotiations were satisfactory to the interests of FYROM and the other members of the Agreement, FYROM would complete negotiations for membership in the Agreement within two years of accession. The Working 
Party took note of these commitments." 
31 GPA/120, dated 4 October 2013; and GPA/ACC/MNE/1, dated 7 October 2013. 
32 GPA/124, dated 3 November 2014. GPA/W/334/Rev.1 
 
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  3.5.  In April 2015, for reasons related to its Pa rliamentary review process, Montenegro requested 
an extension of the previously-agreed period for re ceipt of its instrument of accession. An official 
letter from the Montenegrin Government regarding this request was circulated on 24 April 2015.33 
On 27 April 2015, the Committee adopted a draft decision to extend the time-frame for two 
months, i.e. until 29 June 2015.34 The formal decision was circulated the same day.35  
3.6.  On 15 June, Montenegro deposited with the Director-General of the WTO its instrument of 
accession.36 Subsequently, the Agreement entered into force for Montenegro on 15 July 2015.  
3.1.2  New Zealand 
3.7.  New Zealand applied for accession to the Agreement on 28 September 2012.37 Following 
various discussions in informal session and the review of relevant documentation, on 29 October 2014, the Committee adopted a decision on the terms of New Zealand's accession to 
the Agreement and the negotiation was thus concluded.
38 According to the decision, New Zealand 
was authorised to submit its instrument of accession within nine months after the date of the adoption of the decision, i.e. by 29 August 2015. 
3.8.  On 13 July 2015, New Zealand deposited with the Director-General of the WTO its instrument 
of accession.
39 Subsequently, the Agreement entered into force for New Zealand on 
12 August 2015.  
3.9.  The Committee, again, warmly welcomes Montenegro and New Zealand as Parties to the 
Agreement. 
3.2  Conclusion of negotiations on the acce ssions of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine 
3.2.1  Moldova, Republic of 
3.10.  The Republic of Moldova initially applied for accession to the GPA on 7 January 2002.40 
Following a period in which work was in abeyance, since 2012, discussions on Moldova's accession were pursued intensively on the basis of: (i) its second revised replies to the Checklist of Issues 
and first revised coverage offer circulated on 13 September 2012
41; (ii) its second revised 
coverage offer circulated on 16 January 201442; and (iii) its third revised coverage offer circulated 
on 24 June 2014.43 Comments and requests on those offers were circulated by various Parties.44 
Moldova's final coverage offer was circulated on 30 January 2015 and was the subject of 
discussion in the Committee on 11 February 2015.45 
3.11.  Regarding its relevant legislation, on 17 March 2014, Moldova circulated its draft 
amendment to its Law on Public Procurement which was intended to bring the law into line with 
the revised GPA.46 Initial questions regarding Moldova's draft law were circulated by the 
United States on 23 April 2014.47 Moldova's replies to those questions were circulated on 
                                               
33 GPA/ACC/MNE/13, dated 24 April 2015. 
34 GPA/ACC/MNE/12, dated 22 April 2015. 
35 GPA/124/Add.1, dated 27 April 2015. 
36 WT/Let/1046, dated 2 July 2015. 
37 GPA/115, dated 1 October 2012. 
38 GPA/125, dated 3 November 2014. 
39 WT/Let/1049, dated 20 July 2015. 
40 GPA/63, dated 8 January 2002. 
41 GPA/ACC/MDA/5 and GPA/ACC/MDA/6, dated 13 September 2012. 
42 GPA/ACC/MDA/14, dated 16 January 2014. 
43 GPA/ACC/MDA/17, dated 24 June 2014. 
44 Chinese Taipei - GPA/ACC/MDA/7, dated 11 December 2012; the United States - GPA/ACC/MDA/8, 
dated 20 December 2012; Canada - GPA/ACC/MDA/9 and GPA/ACC/MDA/10, dated 24 January 2013; Japan - GPA/ACC/MDA/11, dated 28 January 2013; Switzerlan d - GPA/ACC/MDA/12, dated 30 January 2013; and 
Singapore - GPA/ACC/MDA/13, dated 30 November 20 13; Japan - GPA/ACC/MDA/19, dated 20 August 2014; 
the European Union - GPA/ACC/MDA/20, dated 10 Octo ber 2014; and the United States – GPA/ACC/MDA/21, 
dated 21 October 2014. 
45 GPA/ACC/MDA/23, dated 30 January 2015. 
46 GPA/ACC/MDA/15, dated 17 March 2014. 
47 GPA/ACC/MDA/16, dated 23 April 2014. GPA/W/334/Rev.1 
 
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  2425[SEC] June 2014.48 Subsequently, further comments and questions on the draft law were 
circulated by the United States on 1 December 2014.49 An updated draft Law on Public 
Procurement was circulated by Moldova on 4 February 201550 and replies to the United States' 
questions were circulated on 5 February 2015.51 
3.12.  In the course of the Committee's discussion s on 11 February 2015, the majority of Parties 
expressed their satisfaction with Moldova's final offer and indicated their readiness to accept Moldova as a full GPA Party as soon as possible, su bject to the adoption, by Moldova, of legislation 
considered to be fully GPA compliant. Chinese Taipei indicated doubts concerning some elements 
of the offer and expressed its readiness to engage in bilateral talks with the Moldovan delegation to solve the issues quickly. Following that di scussion, a draft decision of the Committee on the 
accession of Moldova was circulated on 19 February 2015 to crystalize the progress made and 
extent of agreement reached.
52  
3.13.  On 28 May 2015, a revised version of the draft decision was circulated to clarify some 
elements in Moldova's final offer based on the agreement between Moldova and Chinese Taipei.53 
In the course of the Committee's informal session  on accessions held on 3 June 2015, provisional 
agreement was given by all Parties to Moldova's proposed market access terms. On 27 July 2015, Moldova circulated its new Law on Public Procurement that had been adopted by the Parliament of 
the Republic of Moldova on 3 July 2015.
54 Subsequently, an updated version of the draft decision 
on Moldova's accession was circulated on 31 July 2015.55  
3.14.  At its meeting of 16 September 2015, th e Committee adopted the draft decision on the 
terms of Moldova's accession to the Agreement, and the negotiation was thereby concluded. The 
Committee's formal decision was circulated on 21 September 2015.56 According to this decision, 
Moldova shall submit its instrument of accession within six months of the date of the decision, i.e. by 21 March 2016. The Committee is pleased with this result and congratulates Moldova for its 
perseverance and success. It looks forward to the timely submission of Moldova's instrument of 
accession, in due course. 
3.2.2  Ukraine 
3.15.  Ukraine submitted its application for GPA accession on 8 February 2011.
57 Its replies to the 
Checklist of Issues and initial offer were circulated on 2 August 2011 and 13 December 2012, respectively.
58 Based on discussions held in 2013, Ukraine circulated its first revised offer on 
7 March 2014.59 This revised offer was discussed at the Committee's meetings on 12 March 2014 
and on 25 June 2014. Related comments on the offer were circulated by the United States and 
Chinese Taipei on 12 June 2014, and by Japan on 21 July 2014.60 On 28 October 2014, Ukraine 
circulated its second revised offer.61 The offer was preliminarily discussed at the Committee's 
meeting the following day and written comments on that offer were circulated by Singapore; 
Japan; Canada; the United States; and jointl y by Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and 
Switzerland.62  
                                               
48 GPA/ACC/MDA/18, dated 25 June 2014. 
49 GPA/ACC/MDA/22, dated 1 December 2014. 
50 GPA/ACC/MDA/24, dated 4 February 2015. 
51 GPA/ACC/MDA/25, dated 5 February 2015. 
52 GPA/ACC/MDA/26, dated 19 February 2015. 
53 GPA/ACC/MDA/26/Rev.1, dated 28 May 2015. 
54 GPA/ACC/MDA/27, dated 27 July 2015. 
55 GPA/ACC/MDA/26/Rev.2, dated 31 July 2015. 
56 GPA/131, dated 21 September 2015. 
57 GPA/ACC/UKR/1 and GPA/107, both dated 9 February 2011. 
58 GPA/ACC/UKR/2, dated 2 August 2011; an d GPA/ACC/UKR/3, dated 13 December 2012. 
59 GPA/ACC/UKR/9, dated 7 March 2014. 
60 The United States - GPA/ACC/UK R/10, dated 12 June 2014; Chinese Taipei - GPA/ACC/UKR/11, dated 
12 June 2014; and Japan - GPA/ACC/UKR/12, dated 21 July 2014. 
61 GPA/ACC/UKR/13, dated 28 October 2014. 
62 Singapore - GPA/ACC/UKR/14, dated 8 Dece mber 2014; Japan - GPA/ACC/UKR/15, dated 
22 December 2014; Canada - GPA/ACC/UKR/16, dated 12 January 2015; the United States - 
GPA/ACC/UKR/17, dated 21 January 2015; and Icel and, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland - 
GPA/ACC/UKR/18, dated 3 February 2015. GPA/W/334/Rev.1 
 
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  3.16.  Concerning its relevant legislation, Ukraine informed the Committee at its meeting on 
25 June 2014 that it had brought into force a new public procurement law which took into account the rules of relevant EU directives and the GP A requirements. Ukraine considered its public 
procurement legislation to be open, transparent, non-discriminatory and fully compliant with the 
GPA. At the discussions on 29 October 2014, Ukraine was asked to provide, as soon as possible, 
an English translation of its relevant legislation and, if possible, updated responses to the Checklist of Issues. 
3.17.  In the course of the Committee's meeting w eek beginning 9 February 2015, in addition to 
further discussions on its second revised offer, Ukraine informally introduced to the Parties elements of its draft third revised offer. Parties appreciated Ukraine's active engagement and its intention to further improve the coverage offer. Wh ile asking for a few additional changes, several 
Parties expressed the hope that Ukraine's accessio n could be concluded in an expeditious manner. 
Subsequently, on 26 February 2015, a joint request from the Small Group (i.e. Canada; Hong Kong, China; Japan; Republic of Korea and Singapore) was circulated.
63 On 27 April 2015, 
Ukraine circulated its third revised offer.64 On 26 May 2015, Canada circulated its further request 
for improvements in Ukraine's third revised offer.65 Subsequently, Ukraine circulated the English 
version of its new law on public procurement law on 19 May 2015, and its draft final coverage offer 
on 26 May 2015.66  
3.18.  In the course of discussions at the Commi ttee's meeting on 3 June 2015, Ukraine made a 
strong statement emphasizing that it had now complied with all outstanding requests concerning its market access offer and that it considered its legislation to be in full conformity with the GPA's 
requirements. In response, Parties affirmed their readiness to agree to Ukraine's accession on the 
basis of the terms included in the draft final offe r, subject to the fulfilment of required internal 
consultation procedures. No concerns were raised by GPA Parties about Ukraine's new law on 
public procurement. Parties made clear their intere st in seeing an expeditious conclusion to work 
on Ukraine's accession.
67 
3.19.  On 29 June 2015, Ukraine circulated its final offer which was identical in substance to its 
draft final offer.68 Subsequently, at the request of the Chairman, a draft decision of the Committee 
on the accession of Ukraine was circulated on 9 July 2015 for adoption by the Committee as soon as Parties had completed their necessary internal procedures.
69 
3.20.  At the Committee's meeting on 16 September 2015, the representative of Ukraine 
reiterated that Ukraine's prompt accession to the GPA was highly important for the country and 
was one of the priorities of the Ukrainian Government. Ukraine's Government and business/public governance communities were fully aware of the obligations and benefits related to GPA 
membership. Participation in the Agreement would help Ukraine strengthen good governance in 
the area of public procurement; assist in its figh t against corruption; increase the transparency of 
government procurement practices and modernize its system through greater use of e-
procurement methods. No Party expressed any rese rvation with regard to the terms of Ukraine's 
accession as reflected in the draft decision circulat ed on 9 July 2015. A couple of Parties noted that 
                                               
63 GPA/ACC/UKR/19, dated 26 February 2015. 
64 GPA/ACC/UKR/20, dated 27 April 2015. 
65 GPA/ACC/UKR/22, dated 26 May 2015. 
66 GPA/ACC/UKR/21, dated 19 May 2015; and GPA/ACC/UKR/23, dated 27 May 2015. 
67 Subsequently, on 18 June 2015, the Russian Federati on, an observer to the Agreement, circulated a 
communication concerning entities covered under Annexes 2 and 3 of Ukraine's draft final offer 
(GPA/ACC/UKR/24, dated 18 June 2015), in which the Russ ian Federation asserted that "the Crimea Federal 
District and the Federal city of Sevastopol are integral parts of the Russian Federation. Any entity or enterprise, established in the Russian Federation, including in that District or City, cannot be subject to GPA commitment 
of any other Member, except the Russian Federation."  On 3 July 2015, Canada, responding to Russia's 
communication, circulated a statement (GPA/ACC/UKR/26) in which it said that "[it] does not recognize the Russian Federation's claim in this regard and views the Russian Federation's annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol as illegal under international law." Canada's communication referenced Resolution A/RES/68/262 of the United Nations General Assembly and pointed out that "as the Russian Federation is not a Party to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement, the Russian Federation has no role in determining the terms on which any WT O Member may accede to the Agreement on Government 
Procurement." 
68 GPA/ACC/UKR/25, dated 29 June 2015. 
69 GPA/ACC/UKR/27, dated 9 July 2015. GPA/W/334/Rev.1 
 
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  a bit more time would be needed to complete internal procedures necessary to allow them to 
express their formal consent. 
3.21.  On the foregoing basis, the Chairman, su mmarizing the discussion, observed that no Party 
had expressed any reservation regarding Ukraine's proposed terms of accession; on the contrary, 
its offer had been enthusiastically supported by all Parties that had spoken. Accordingly, the 
negotiation on Ukraine's terms of accession was now closed. All that remained was for a couple of Parties to complete their necessary internal cons ultations, as they had indicated. On 9 October 
2015, a revised draft decision of the GPA Committee on Ukraine's accession was circulated which 
was identical to the previous version with respect to the terms of Ukraine's accession, but included relevant changes to the schedules of the European Union.
70 
3.22.  [On 11 November 2015, the above-referenced revised draft decision on the accession of 
Ukraine was adopted by the Committee.71 According to the decision, Ukraine shall submit its 
instrument of accession within six months of the date of the decision, i.e. by 11 May 2016. Ukraine 
expressed its appreciation to the Committee and the Secretariat; and Parties warmly congratulated 
Ukraine on the important step it was taking to strengthen governance and enhance its 
participation in the WTO system. The Committee looks forward to the timely submission of Ukraine's instrument of accession to the Agreement.] 
3.3  The initiation of work on the accessions of Tajikistan and Australia 
3.3.1  Tajikistan 3.23.  To honour its commitment to initiate GPA accession negotiations, made in the course of its 
accession to the WTO on 2 March 2013
72, Tajikistan applied for accession to the GPA on 
10 February 2015 and its initial coverage offer was circulated on 16 February 2015.73 Written 
comments on the initial offer of Tajikistan were circulated by Chinese Taipei; the Small Group (i.e. Canada; Hong Kong, China; Japan; Republic of Korea and Singapore); the United States; the 
European Union; and the EFTA countries (i.e. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland).
74 
On 15 September 2015, Tajikistan circulated its draft Law on Public Procurement.75 
3.24.  The offer was the subject of a prelimin ary discussion at the Committee's meeting on 
3 June 2015 and was further discussed at its meeting on 16 September 2015. In the course of 
those discussions, Parties warmly welcomed Tajikistan's initial offer which they believed to constitute an excellent basis for discussion, and appreciated Tajikistan's active engagement with Parties. Parties requested that Tajikistan provide clarification on some covered entities and reduce 
relevant thresholds to the GPA standard level. They asked Tajikistan to provide its responses to 
the Checklist of Issues as well as to the qu estions and comments that had been provided by 
various Parties. They urged Tajikistan to submit a revised offer which would respond to Parties' 
requests and concerns. Overall, the Committee is encouraged by the commitment shown by 
Tajikistan to its GPA accession process. It looks forward to further progress/the conclusion of work, 
if possible, on this accession in 2016. 
3.3.2  Australia 
3.25.  Australia applied for accession to the GPA on 2 June 2015.
76 Its initial market access offer 
and replies to the Checklist of Issues were circulated on 8 September 2015 and 23 September 2015, respectively.
77  
                                               
70 GPA/ACC/UKR/27/Rev.1, dated 9 October 2015. 
71 GPA/133, to be issued. 
72 See WT/ACC/TJK/30 of 6 November 2012, paragraph 244. 
73 GPA/127, dated 12 February 2015; and GPA/ACC/TJK/1, dated 16 February 2015. 
74 Chinese Taipei - GPA/ACC/TJK/2, dated 21 April 2015;  jointly by Canada; Hong Kong, China; Japan; 
Republic of Korea and Singapore - GPA/ACC/TJK/3, da ted 13 May 2015; the United States - GPA/ACC/TJK/4, 
dated 20 May 2015; the European Unio n - GPA/ACC/TJK/5, dated 16 June 2015; and jointly by Iceland, 
Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerlan d - GPA/ACC/TJK/6, dated 26 August 2015.  
75 GPA/ACC/TJK/7, dated 15 September 2015. 
76 GPA/129, dated 2 June 2015. 
77 GPA/ACC/AUS/1, 8 September 2015; and GPA/ACC/AUS/2, 24 September 2015. GPA/W/334/Rev.1 
 
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  3.26.  In the Committee's meeting on 16 September 2015, Australia introduced its initial offer and 
provided background on its public procurement syst em. It set out an ambitious goal of completing 
its accession in 2016, for the benefit of the multilateral trading system and in order to contribute to its G20 growth targets. Parties, making preliminary comments, warmly welcomed Australia's 
initial market access offer and its expressed high level of ambition. They pledged their support for 
Australia's goal to accede to the Agreement quickly and indicated that they would submit their written comments/requests for improvement as soon  as possible, after a more thorough review. 
Subsequently, comments on Australia's initial o ffer were circulated by Hong Kong, China on 
25 September 2015  and;  Chinese Taipei on 28 October 2015 ; and jointly by Iceland, 
Liechtenstein, Norway and Sw itzerland on 4 November 2015[NOR].78 Additional comments 
are expected.  Australia's replies to Hong Kong, China's questions were circulated on 
6 November 2015.79[AUS] The Committee is pleased at Australia's ambition with respect to the 
rapid completion of its accession and looks forward to important progress on related negotiations 
in the first half of 2016. 
3.4  China's Accession to the Agreement 
3.27.  China applied for accession to the GPA on 28 December 2007 and its initial offer was 
circulated to Parties on 7 January 2008.80 Since then, five further offers have been circulated by 
China, and discussions dedicated to China's accession have taken place on multiple occasions.81 
The Parties to the Agreement have repeatedly stressed the great importance that they attach to China's accession to the Agreement, while also af firming that negotiations can only be concluded 
on the basis of coverage by China that is commensurate with that provided by other Parties to the 
Agreement. The importance of parallel work on the reform of China's relevant legislation has also 
been repeatedly emphasized. 
3.28.  With regard to developments during the reporting period, China's fifth revised coverage 
offer was circulated to Parties on 5 January 2015.
82 Substantive discussions of this offer were held 
on 11 February 2015, on 3 June 2015 and on 16 Se ptember 2015. In the course of discussions on 
11 February 2015, Parties, while acknowledging th e significant improvements contained in this 
offer as compared with the previous one, pointed out that some significant gaps remained between 
the offer and their expectations. China, for its part, informed the Committee that the fifth revised offer included all of the substantive concessions that it was authorized to make  under the 
current conditions[EU] but indicated that it was open to clarify the proposed exceptions to its 
coverage as Parties had requested.  
3.29.  At the Committee's meeting held on 3 June 2015, China made three related points: 
(i) China's intention to accede to the GPA as soon as possible remains firm. China's early accession 
is to everyone's benefit; (ii) China is willing to continue communicating with the Parties on its 
accession to the GPA, and will seek to find solutions; and (iii) China hopes that GPA Parties will take a pragmatic attitude towards its offer in order to accelerate its accession process. 
Constructive suggestions and encouragement were offered by Parties regarding the importance of 
continued engagement on all sides. Subsequently, on 19 June 2015, Canada circulated specific comments on the fifth revised offer.
83  
                                               
78 Hong Kong, China - GPA/ACC/AUS/3, dated 25 September 2015; Chinese Taipei – GPA/ACC/AUS/4, 
dated 28 October 2015 ; and jointly by Iceland, Liechten stein, Norway and Switzerland – 
GPA/ACC/AUS/5, dated 4 November 2015[SEC]. 
79 GPA/ACC/AUS/6, dated 6 November 2015.[SEC] 
80 GPA/93, dated 14 January 2008; and GPA/ACC/CHN/1, dated 7 January 2008. 
81 See Report (2008) of the Committee on Government  Procurement to the Ge neral Council (GPA/95, 
dated 9 December 2008, paragraph 13); Report (2009) of the Committee on Government Procurement to the General Council (GPA/103, dated 12 November 2009, paragraphs 15-17); Report (2010) of the Committee on Government Procurement to the General Council (GPA/106, dated 9 December 2010, paragraphs 21-25); Report (2011) of the Committee on Government Pr ocurement to the General Council (GPA/110, dated 
16 November 2011, paragraphs 10-13); Report (2012) of the Committee on Government Procurement to the General Council (GPA/116, dated 6 December 2012, paragraphs 16-19); and Report (2013) of the Committee on Government Procurement to the General Council (GPA/121, dated 24 October 2013, paragraphs 3.9.-3.13.); and Report (2014) of the Committee on Govern ment Procurement to the General Council (GPA/126, 
dated 26 November 2014, paragraphs 3.14.-3.18.). 
82 GPA/ACC/CHN/45, dated 5 January 2015. 
83 GPA/ACC/CHN/46, dated 19 June 2015. GPA/W/334/Rev.1 
 
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  3.30.  In the course of the Committee's informal  discussions held on 16 September 2015, China, 
while reiterating its commitment to its GPA accession and its desire to keep open the dialogue with Parties, indicated that any further expansion of coverage would rely on future reforms the date of which could not currently be foreseen. It asked Parties whether it might be the best choice for 
them at present to accept China's fifth revised offer and let China accede to the GPA in the near 
future, with the understanding that China's covera ge would be further improved, over time. Parties 
appreciated China's continuing engagement, while making clear that further significant concessions 
would still be needed before work on China's a ccession to the Agreement could be concluded. A 
number of Parties urged China to submit its sixth revised market access offer in 2016. 
3.31.  As noted also in its 2014 Annual Report, the Committee remains of the view that China's 
GPA accession, on the appropriate terms, is a matte r of great significance for the Agreement, for 
the WTO, and for the world economy; and a very important signal for other emerging economies. 
It hopes for  rapid and
[EU] significant  further[EU] progress on this accession in  the coming 
year2016[EU]. 
3.5  Other Pending Accessions 
3.32.  During the reporting period, the Committee also kept under review the situation regarding 
other pending GPA accessions and accession commitments. The Kyrgyz Republic reported in 
various meetings that, with the assistance of the World Bank and the European Bank for 
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), it has commenced preparations for carrying forward its GPA accession process. Relevant efforts include ongoing amendment process of its law on government procurement and high level consultations on its initial coverage offer, which is 
expected to be circulated in the near future. 
3.6  Updating of the Checklist of Issues 3.33.  In addition to the work on individual a ccessions, in the course of the year, the Committee 
updated its Checklist of Issues for Provision of Information Relating to Accession to the Agreement 
on Government Procurement, to take account of the new provisions of the revised Agreement.
84 
The Checklist is an important tool to assist the Committee in the assessment of acceding WTO 
Members' procurement legislation and practices. In addition to other improvements, the updated 
Checklist includes specific new elements relating  to the revised Agreement's new provisions on: 
(i) the avoidance of conflicts of interest and prev ention of corrupt practices; and (ii) the use of 
technical specifications to promote the conservation of national resources or protect the 
environment. 
3.7  Secretariat technical assistance and ot her activities relevant to GPA accessions 
3.34.  Pursuant to a standing request by the Committee85, the Secretariat, in the course of the 
Committee's meetings held in February, June and September 2015, provided brief reports on its 
ongoing technical assistance activities relevant to GPA accessions. These consisted of regional workshops, national seminars, and Geneva-based and other related activities. The regional 
workshops comprised two 3-day activities, respectively for the benefit of: (i) Asian economies, 
held in Bangkok, Thailand in January 2015 in cooperation with the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP); and (ii) Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia 
and the Caucasus countries, held in October 2015 in Vienna, Austria, in cooperation with the Joint 
Vienna Institute (JVI). As regards national seminars, three were organised during the reporting 
period, respectively for and at the request of: (i) Gabon, in December 2014; (ii) Ukraine, in July 2015 in cooperation with the United States Department of Commerce and its Commercial Law 
Development Programme (CLDP); and (iii) Armenia, held in Yerevan in October 2015.  
3.35.  The Secretariat also organised two Capacity-Building Workshops in Geneva, focused on GPA 
implementation issues, for GPA acceding Members and other observers, respectively in February 
and September 2015. The February activity was or ganised in cooperation with the EBRD under the 
EBRD's GPA Technical Cooperation Facility. As reported in the last Annual Report, this Facility was set up by EBRD in early 2014.
86 In addition to the above, the Secretariat organised, also in 
                                               
84 See GPA/132, dated 14 October 2015. 
85 GPA/106, dated 9 December 2010, paragraph 30. 
86 GPA/126 and GPA/126/Corr.1, dated 26 November 2014, para. 3.31. GPA/W/334/Rev.1 
 
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  September 2015, a Symposium on the GPA, under the theme: "the revised WTO Agreement on 
Government Procurement (GPA): an emerging pillar of global economic integration and good governance". Over 120 participants attended this Symposium.  
3.36.  Beyond the foregoing activities organized or co-organized by the Secretariat, staff 
representatives also participated, by invitation, in a number of relevant activities organised by 
national authorities or other organisations or institutions. These activities also provided valuable opportunities for the Secretariat to inform participants on the GPA and relevant developments of 
interest. They included: (i) a national seminar in China, held in Beijing in December 2014; (ii) a 
Public Procurement Conference in Singapore in March 2015; (iii) an EBRD Capacity Building Session for Kazakhstan in March 2015; (iv) an International Forum on the WTO in Kaliningrad, Russia, also in March 2015; (v) an International Symposium on Public Procurement in Ankara, 
Turkey, in May 2015; (vi) the 11
th Public Procurement Knowledge Exchange Platform in Batumi, 
Georgia in June 2015; (vii) an International Public  Procurement Conference in Nottingham, UK in 
June 2015; and (viii) an Inaugural Conference  on e-Government Procurement in Manila, 
Philippines in October 2015 organised by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), in which the 
Secretariat's presentation focused on the e-GPA tool.  
3.37.  With regard to cooperation with other international organisations, in the course of the 
Committee's informal sessions in September 2015, the Secretariat updated the Committee on its 
ongoing discussions with the Worl d Bank, aimed at achieving greate r synergies in the work of the 
WTO and the World Bank on government procur ement issues. A new procurement framework was 
approved by the Bank's Executive Board in July  2015. The new framework refers to GPA accession 
as a path by which the World Bank's client countries can put into place legislation that the World 
Bank may deem to be acceptable for its own purposes at least in some respects, and subject to appropriate safeguards. This is expected to improve coherence and yield important new synergies 
with the GPA. 
3.38.  As well, and as has been noted several times in the Committee's proceedings, the 
Secretariat's informal cooperation arrangement with  the EBRD has proven to be extremely useful 
in leveraging the Secretariat's limited resources in support of its capacity building efforts, and in 
facilitating progress on GPA accessions in the EBRD's catchment area. 
3.39.  The Committee notes the importance of the Secretariat's technical assistance activities in 
promoting a better understanding of the GPA among WTO Members that are not yet Parties to the 
Agreement and, where appropriate, in facilitatin g accessions to it. It acknowledges, also, the 
synergies deriving from the Secretariat's e nhanced cooperation with other international 
organisations active in the area of government pr ocurement. Recognizing this, and consistent with 
the mandate provided by Ministers in the Committee's recent Ministerial sessions
87, the Committee 
encourages the Secretariat to continue and intensify such work to the full extent possible. 
4  OTHER ONGOING WORK OF THE COMMITTEE 
4.1  The Committee's draft decisions on arbitr ation procedures and indicative criteria 
4.1.  In the course of the meetings held on 11 February 2015, 3 June 2015, and 
16 September 2015, Parties sought to advance their work on the draft decisions on arbitration procedures and on indicative criteria relating to the elimination of government control over listed 
entities which are called for in the revised Agreement. Significant progress was achieved on the 
draft decision on arbitration procedures an d the text is now close to finalization. 
4.2.  With regard to the draft decision on indicative criteria which was also foreseen at the time of 
the conclusion of the GPA's renegotiation in 2012, work on this issue in plurilateral format has 
been deferred for the time being, while bilate ral consultations are continuing. Work on the 
Committee's mandate to develop for adoption a separate draft decision on criteria for 
compensatory adjustment will be taken up at a later stage. 
                                               
87 GPA/112, dated 16 December 2011, paragraph 8; GPA/122, dated 3 December 2013, paragraph 5. GPA/W/334/Rev.1 
 
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  4.2  The Committee's Agreed Work Programmes 
4.3.  Discussions dedicated to the Committee's Agreed Work Programmes relating to the 
administration and possible further evolution of the Agreement, set out in Annexes C, D, E, F and G of Appendix 2 of the Committee's Decision of 30 March 2012 on the Outcomes of the 
Negotiations
88, took place in the course of the Committee's meetings held in February, June and 
September 2015. Exchanges were held on a number of  aspects, with particular emphasis on the 
Work Programme on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the Work Programme on 
Sustainability in International Procurement, the Work Programme on the Collection and Reporting 
of Statistical Data, and the Work Programme on Excl usions and Restrictions in Parties' Annexes.  
4.4.  Further to the above, Parties have provided numerous submissions to the various work 
programmes  (see, for related details, Annex 1)[SEC]. At the time of this report, the Committee 
has received the following inputs:  
 In regard to the Work Programme on SMEs,  in the course of the meeting of 
3 June 2015, the Committee agreed that the revised draft questionnaire 
circulated by the European Union in Ma rch 2015 could be used as the basis for 
the survey referred to in Paragraph 2 of the Decision on the Work Programme 
on SMEs, and set a time-frame for circ ulation of Parties' responses. The 
Committee has received[EU] nine replies to the Questionnaire seeking information 
regarding measures and policies used to assist, promote, encourage, or facilitate 
participation by SMEs in government procurement (the European Union; Hong Kong, China; Japan; Liechtenstein; Norway; Singap ore; Switzerland; Chinese Taipei; and the 
United States). In addition, one Party (Canada) has separately provided information on 
specific provisions on SMEs, including set-asides, that are maintained in Parties' Appendix I Annexes as per para. 3.1 of the Committee's Decision. 
 As regards the Work Programme on sustainability in international procurement, a 
proposal by Canada on the scope and timeline of this Work Programme and two written inputs on domestic procurement frameworks (Canada and Japan). 
 Regarding the Work Programme on collection and reporting of statistical data, nine 
Parties have provided information with respect to statistical data on procurement covered by the GPA (Canada; the European Union; Hong Kong, China; Japan; Norway; Singapore; Switzerland; Chinese Taipei; and the United States). 
 Concerning the Work Programme on exclusions and restrictions in Parties' Annexes, nine 
ten [SEC]Parties have provided lists of country-specific and other exclusions or 
restrictions in their Annexes (Canada; the European Union; Hong Kong, China; Japan; 
Liechtenstein; Norway; Singapore;  Switzerland;[SEC] Chinese Taipei; and the United 
States). 
4.5.  The Committee considers that the submission s noted above and the additional ones that are 
expected to follow have opened up rich scope for discussion / and[CAN] enhancement of 
transparency with respect to policy issues of current interest. The Work Programmes are, 
accordingly, expected to  give rise to substantive disc ussions based on the submissions 
from Parties and[CAN]  be an important focus for the Committee in 2016. Other Work Programmes 
foreseen at the conclusion of the GPA renegoti ation in 2012, for example on Safety Standards, 
Public-Private Partnerships, Common Nomenclatu re for Goods and Services, and Standardized 
Notices89, will be taken up as and when the Committee considers this to be useful and timely. 
5  IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AGREEMENT AND NOTIFICATIONS 
5.1.  This part of the report considers issues related to the implementation of the Agreement on 
Government Procurement, including: (i) notification  requirements during the period of co-existence 
of the revised and unamended Agreements; (ii) the thresholds; (iii) the notification and review of 
                                               
88 See GPA/113, dated 2 April 2012, beginning on page 3. 
89 See GPA/113, Annex G, and GPA/113, Annex B, respectively. GPA/W/334/Rev.1 
 
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  national implementing legislation; (iv) statistical reporting; (v) consultations and dispute 
settlement; and (vi) modifications to  the Appendices to the Agreement. 
5.1  Issues concerning notification procedures  during the period of co-existence of the 
revised and unamended Agreements 
5.2.  During the informal sessions held in Fe bruary, June and September 2015, Parties discussed 
notification requirements during the period of co-existence of the revised and unamended 
Agreements on the basis of an informal room document circulated by the Secretariat in June 
2014.90 With respect to notifications concerning statistics and concerning changes in laws and 
regulations, a consensus emerged in the Committee that those Parties for whom the revised Agreement has come into effect can already take  advantage of the flexibilities in the revised 
Agreement and, when practical, need not make  parallel notifications under the 1994 Agreement. 
This is similar to the practice that the Secretariat has already implemented with regard to the 
circulation of a single notification for relevant Parties of thresholds in national currencies, except where different threshold values apply under th e GPA 1994 and the revised Agreement. The above 
understanding also does not apply with respect to modifications to coverage, which remain subject 
to formal notification requirements under both the 1994 and to the revised GPA. 
5.2  Thresholds 
5.3.  In accordance with the Decision on Moda lities for Notifying Threshold Figures in National 
Currencies
91, since the last Annual Report, Korea has provided information on its respective 
threshold figures expressed in national currencies for 2015-2016.92 
5.3  Notification and review of national implementing legislation 
5.4.  Pursuant to Article XXIV:5(b) of the 1994 Agreement and Article XXII:5 of the revised 
Agreement on Government Procurement, no tifications were received from Canada93 and Japan.94 
5.5.  In the course of the Committee's formal meeting held on 11 February 2015, Parties discussed 
recent developments with regard to the domestic legislation of the United States. The delegations 
of Canada; Japan; the European Union; Hong Kong, China; Israel; Switzerland; and Singapore took the floor to express concerns regarding apparent "buy national" or "forced localization" 
requirements introduced or contemplated by such legislation.
95 Issues were raised regarding 
compliance with Article XXII:6 of the revised Agreement. The United States responded that it takes its GPA obligations seriously and is confident that any measures implemented will respect those obligations. 
5.4  Statistical reporting 
5.6.  Article XIX:5 of the 1994 Agreement and Arti cle XVI:4 of the revised GPA require Parties to 
collect and provide, on an annual basis, statistics on their procurements covered by the 
Agreement. During the period under review, Canada provided its reports for 2010, 2011 and 
2012
96; Hong Kong, China provided its report for 201497; Japan provided its report for 201398; 
                                               
90 Room document (gpa14-8), dated 24 June 2014. 
91 GPA/1, dated 5 March 1996, Annex 3. 
92 GPA/W/325/Add.11, dated 9 March 2015. 
93 GPA/128, dated 5 May 2015. 
94 GPA/37/Add.12, dated 9 April 2015. 
95 See, for relevant details, GPA/M/59 of 4 May 2015, paragraphs 2.2 to 2.17. 
96 GPA/108/Add.8, dated 19 October 2015 - Statistics for 2010 reported under Article XIX:5 of the 1994 
Agreement on Government Procurement; GPA/114/Add.6, dated 19 October 2015 - Statistics for 2011 reported under Article XIX:5 of the 1994 Agreement on Government Procurement; and GPA/119/Add.4, dated 19 October 2015 - Statistics for 2012 reported under Article XIX:5 of the 1994 Agreement on Government Procurement. 
97 GPA/130/Add.2, dated 8 October 2015 - Statistics for 2014 reported under Article XVI:4 of the 
revised Agreement on Government Procurement. 
98 GPA/123/Add.4, dated 21 April 2015 - Statistics for 2013 reported under Article XIX:5 of the 1994 
Agreement on Government Procurement. GPA/W/334/Rev.1 
 
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  Liechtenstein provided its report for 201499; Switzerland provided its reports for 2013 and 2014100; 
and Chinese Taipei provided its report for 2014.101 
5.5  Consultations and dispute settlement 5.7.  No matters were raised during the report ing period under Article XXII of the Agreement on 
Government Procurement (Consultations and Dispute Settlement). 
5.6  Notifications relating to the Appendices to the Agreement
102 
5.6.1  Modifications to Appendix I that have been certified since the Committee's 
meeting of 25 November 2014 
5.8.  During the reporting period, the following proposed modifications have been certified: 
a. Modifications by Armenia: 
 GPA/MOD/ARM/1103, effective as of 17 August 2015104, given that no objections were 
made within 45 days (the period of objections specified in the revised Agreement). 
b. Modifications by the European Union: 
 GPA/125105, effective as of 12 August 2015106, given that this is the date of accession 
of New Zealand to the revised Agreement. 
 GPA/124107, effective as of 15 July 2015108, given that this is the date of accession of 
Montenegro to the revised Agreement. 
c. Modifications by Japan: 
 GPA/MOD/JPN/75109, effective as of 26 June 2015110, given that no objections were 
made within 30 days. 
d. Modifications by New Zealand: 
                                               
99 GPA/130/Add.3, dated 8 October 2015 - Statistics for 2014 reported under Article XVI:4 of the 
revised Agreement on Government Procurement. 
100 GPA/123/Add.3, dated 22 December 2014 - Statistics for 2013 reported under Article XIX:5 of the 
1994 Agreement on Government Procurement; and GPA/130/Add.1, dated 25 September 2015 - Statistics for 2014 reported under  Article XVI:4 of the revised Agreement on Government Procurement Article 
XIX:5 of the 1994 Agreement on Government Procurement[SEC]. 
101 GPA/130, dated 10 June 2015 - Statistics for 2014 reported under Article XVI:4 of the revised 
Agreement on Government Procurement. 
102 See also GPA/W/326, dated 19 March 2014 - Committee on Government Procurement - Approval and 
issuance of updated loose-leaf schedules to the revised Agreement on Government Procurement - Note from the Secretariat; and GPA/W/327, dated 11 April 2014 - Co mmittee on Government Procurement - Certification 
of updated loose-leaf schedules to the revised Agreemen t on Government Procurement - Appendices II - IV - 
Note from the Secretariat. 
103 Proposed modifications to Appendix I of Armeni a pursuant to Article XIX:1 of the revised GPA 
(modifications to create Armenia's loose-leaf schedules under the revised Agreement), dated 3 July 2015. 
104 WT/Let/1067, dated 3 September 2015. 
105 Decision of 29 October 2014 of the Committee on Government Procurement regarding New Zealand's 
accession to the GPA, including the European Union terms of New Zealand's accession, dated 
3 November 2014. 
106 WT/Let/1066, dated 3 September 2015. 
107 Decision of 29 October 2014 of the Committee on Government Procurement regarding Montenegro's 
accession to the GPA, including the European Union terms of Montenegro's accession, dated 3 November 2014. 
108 WT/Let/1050, dated 27 July 2015. 
109 Proposed modification to Appendix I of Japa n under Article XXIV:6(a) of the 1994 GPA, dated 
27 May 2015. 
110 WT/Let/1047, dated 9 July 2015. GPA/W/334/Rev.1 
 
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   GPA/MOD/NZL/1111, effective as of 26 September 2015112, given that no objections 
were made within 45 days (the period of objections specified in the revised Agreement). 
e. Modifications by Norway: 
 GPA/MOD/NOR/5113, effective as of 18 December 2014114, given that no objections 
were made within 45 days (the period of objections specified in the revised Agreement). 
5.6.2  Proposed modifications to A ppendix I that remain outstanding 
5.9.  As to outstanding proposed modifications, the following are the developments, if any, that 
have taken place during the reporting period: 
a. Notification by Canada
115: 
 There were no developments during the reporting period.116 
b. Notifications by the European Union concerning proposed modifications relating to the 
Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Ir eland, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Spain 
and Sweden: 
 In April and July 2010, the EU submitted communications117 containing proposed 
modifications to its Schedules with regard to Spain and Ireland pursuant to 
Article XXIV:6(a) of the Agreement. Canada objected to both of these proposed 
modifications.118 There have been no new developments during this reporting period; 
 In November 2010, the EU submitted communications119 containing proposed 
modifications to its Schedules with regard to the Czech Republic, Finland, France, 
Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Sweden pursuant to Article XXIV:6(a) of the 
Agreement on Government Procurement. Canada objected to the proposed 
                                               
111 Proposed modifications to Appendix I of New Zeal and pursuant to Article XIX:1 of the revised GPA 
(modifications to create New Zealand's loose-le af schedules under the revised Agreement), dated 
12 August 2015. 
112 WT/Let/1085, dated 7 October 2015. 
113 Proposed modifications to Appendix I of Norway  pursuant to Article XIX:1 of the revised GPA 
(modifications to create Norway's loose-leaf schedules under the revised Agreement), dated 3 November 2014. 
114 WT/Let/1026, dated 7 January 2015. 
115 Originally submitted in December 2006 (GPA/MOD/CAN/1, dated 19 December 2006). 
116 For the last reported update regarding this proposed modification, see GPA/103, dated 
12 November 2009, paragraph 11(i). 
117 Spain - GPA/MOD/EEC/3, dated 29 April 2010 - Proposed modifications to Appendix I of the 
European Union pursuant to Article XXIV:6(a) of  the 1994 GPA; and Ireland - GPA/MOD/EEC/5, dated 
8 July 2010 - Proposed modifications to Appendix I of th e European Union pursuant to  Article XXIV:6(a) of the 
1994 GPA. 
118 Spain - GPA/MOD/EEC/4, dated 27 May 2010 – Communication from Canada concerning the 
European Union's proposed modifications to its Appendix I; and Ireland - GPA/MOD/EEC/6, dated 
2 August 2010 - Communication from Cana da concerning the European Union's proposed modifications to its 
Appendix I. 
119 Sweden - GPA/MOD/EEC/10, dated 24 November 2010 - Proposed modifications to Appendix I of the 
European Union pursuant to Article XXIV:6(a) of the 1994 GPA; France - GPA/MOD/EEC/11, dated 7 December 2010 - Proposed modifications to Appendix I of the European Union pursuant to Article XXIV:6(a) of the 1994 GPA; Poland – GPA/MOD/EEC/12, dated 7 December 2010, and GPA/MOD/EEC/12/Corr.1, dated 10 December 2010 - Proposed modifications to Appendix I of the European Union pursuant to Article XXIV:6(a) of the 1994 GPA; the Czech Republic – GPA/MOD/EEC/13, dated 7 December 2010 - Proposed modifications to Appendix I of the European Union pursuant to  Article XXIV:6(a) of the 1994 GPA; Romania – 
GPA/MOD/EEC/14, dated 9 December 2010 - Proposed modifications to Appendix I of the European Union pursuant to Article XXIV:6(a) of the 1994 GPA; Fi nland – GPA/MOD/EEC/15, dated 10 December 2010 - 
Proposed modifications to Appendix I of the European Union pursuant to Article XXIV:6(a) of the 1994 GPA; 
and Lithuania – GPA/MOD/EEC/16, dated 10 December 2010 - Proposed modifications to Appendix I of the European Union pursuant to Article XXIV:6(a) of the 1994 GPA. GPA/W/334/Rev.1 
 
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  modifications to Sweden, France, Poland, Romania and Finland120; and the 
United States objected to each of these proposed modifications.121 There have been 
no new developments during this reporting period; and 
 In March 2011, the EU submitted a communication122 containing proposed 
modifications to its Schedules with regard to Hungary pursuant to Article XXIV:6(a) 
of the Agreement on Government Procurement. The United States objected to these proposed modifications.
123 There have been no new developments during this 
reporting period. 
c. Notifications by Japan: 
 In May 2015, Japan submitted proposed modifications to its Annex 3 of Appendix I 
pursuant to Article XIX:1(b) under the revised Agreement on Government 
Procurement.124 The United States submitted objections to these proposed 
modifications.125 
 Railway Construction Public Corporation and Corporation for Advanced Transport and 
Technology126: 
No developments during the reporting period.127 
 National Aerospace Laboratory128: 
No developments during the reporting period.129 
 Japan Small and Medium Enterprise Corporation, Japan Regional Development 
Corporation, Urban Development Corporation130: 
No developments during the reporting period.131 
                                               
120 Sweden - GPA/MOD/EEC/18, dated 6 January 2011 - Communication from Canada concerning the 
European Union's proposed modifications to its Appendix I; France - GPA/MOD/EEC/19, dated 6 January 2011 - Communication from Canada concerning  the European Union's proposed mo difications to its Appendix I; 
Poland - GPA/MOD/EEC/20, dated 6 January 2011 - Communication from Canada concerning the 
European Union's proposed modifications to it s Appendix I; Romania - GPA/MOD/EEC/21, dated 
10 January 2011 - Communication from Canada concerning the European Union's proposed modifications to its Appendix I; and Finland - GPA/MOD/EEC/22, dated 10 January 2011 - Communication from Canada concerning the European Union's proposed mo difications to its Appendix I. 
121 GPA/MOD/EEC/17, dated 20 December 2010. 
122 Hungary - GPA/MOD/EEC/23, dated 24 March 2011 - Proposed modifications to Appendix I of the 
European Union pursuant to Article XXIV:6(a) of the 1994 GPA. 
123 GPA/MOD/EEC/24, dated 5 April 2011. 
124 GPA/MOD/JPN/76, dated 27 May 2015 - Proposed modifications to Annex 3 of Appendix I of Japan 
pursuant to Article XIX:1 of the revised GPA. 
125 GPA/MOD/JPN/77, dated 16 June 2015; and GPA/MOD/JPN/77/Corr.1, dated 19 June 2015. 
126 GPA/W/272 and GPA/W/272/Rev.1, dated 23 September and 8 October 2003, respectively - 
Proposed modifications to Appendix I of Japan pursua nt to Article XXIV:6(a) of the 1994 GPA. A revised 
notification was distributed in document s GPA/MOD/JPN/55, dated 7 September 2010 and 
GPA/MOD/JPN/55/Corr.1, dated 19 November 2010 – Revision of Japan's proposed modifications to Appendix I. 
127 For the last reported updates rega rding this proposed modification, see GPA/106, dated 
9 December 2010, paragraph 14(iii); and GPA/110, dated 16 November 2011, paragraph 29(iii). 
128 GPA/W/275, dated 23 September 2003. 
129 For the last reported update rega rding this proposed modification, see GPA/106, dated 
9 December 2010, paragraph 14(iii). 
130 GPA/MOD/JPN/7, dated 26 July 2004 - Proposed modifications to Appendix I of Japan pursuant to 
Article XXIV:6(a) of the 1994 GPA. 
131 For the last reported update regarding this proposed modification, see GPA/95, dated 
9 December 2008, paragraph 11(ii). GPA/W/334/Rev.1 
 
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  d. Notifications by Montenegro: 
 In October 2015, Montenegro submitted proposed modifications to its Appendix I 
pursuant to Article XIX:1(b) under the revised Agreement on Government Procurement.
132 The end of the objection period will be on 13 December 2015. 
e. Notifications by Norway: 
 In January 2011, Norway sent a communicati on with proposed modifications to its 
Annex 1 of Appendix I pursuant to Article XXIV:6(a) of the Agreement on 
Government Procurement.133 Canada and the United States submitted objections to 
these proposed modifications.134 In February 2013, Canada withdrew its objection.135 
No developments during the reporting period.136 
f. Notifications by the United States: 
 In September 2001, the US notified proposed modifications to reflect changes in the 
administrative structure of the Federal Government137, as regards the Uranium 
Enrichment Corporation. 
No developments during the reporting period.138 
 In November 2010, the US notified proposed modifications to Annex 2 of 
Appendix I.139 The EU and Canada submitted objections to these proposed 
modifications.140 In February 2013, Canada withdrew its objection.141 
No developments during the reporting period.142 
5.6.3  Notifications of Appendices II to IV of the Agreement 5.10. During the reporting period, the Kingdom of the Netherlands with respect to Aruba and 
Armenia notified their Appendices II to IV.
143 These were certified respectively on 23 January 2015 
and 3 July 2015 and are effective as of 22 December 2014 and 6 June 2015.144 
 
__________  
                                               
132 GPA/MOD/MNE/1, dated 29 October 2015 - Proposed modifications to Appendix I of Montenegro 
pursuant to Article XIX:1 of the revised GPA. 
133 GPA/MOD/NOR/1, dated 6 January 2011 - Proposed modifications to Appendix I of Norway pursuant 
to Article XXIV:6(a) of the 1994 GPA. 
134 GPA/MOD/NOR/2, dated 13 January 2011 - Objection of the United States to Norway's proposed 
modifications to Appendix I of the GPA; and GPA/MOD/NOR/3, dated 4 February 2011 – Objection of Canada to Norway's proposed modifications to Appendix I of the GPA. 
135 GPA/MOD/NOR/4, dated 26 February 2013. 
136 For the last reported update rega rding this proposed modification, see GPA/121, dated 
24 October 2013, paragraph 4.7.d. 
137 GPA/W/153, dated 25 September 2001 - Proposed modifications to Appendix I of the United States 
pursuant to Article XXIV:6(a) of the 1994 GPA. 
138 For the last reported update regarding this proposed modification, see GPA/89, dated 
11 December 2006, paragraph 13(ii). 
139 GPA/MOD/USA/9, dated 22 November 2010 - Proposed modifications to Appendix I of the 
United States pursuant to Article XXIV:6(a) of the 1994 GPA. 
140 GPA/MOD/USA/10, dated 30 November 2010 - Commu nication from the European Union concerning 
the United States' proposed modifications to its Appendix I; and GPA/MOD/USA/11, dated 20 December 2010 - Communication from Canada concerning  the United States' proposed mo difications to its Appendix I. 
141 GPA/MOD/USA/13, dated 26 February 2013 - Communication from Canada concerning the United 
States' proposed modifications to its Appendix I. 
142 For the last reported update rega rding this proposed modification, see GPA/121, dated 
24 October 2013, paragraph 4.7.e. 
143 The Kingdom of the Netherlands with respect to Aruba - GPA/W/324/Add.11, dated 
23 December 2014; and Armenia - GPA/W/324/Add.12, dated 9 June 2015. 
144 The Kingdom of the Netherlands with respect to Aruba - WT/Let/1027, dated 23 January 2015; and 
Armenia – WT/Let/1045, dated 3 July 2015.