RESTRICTED  
  
GPA/M/55  
 
14 May 2014  
(14-2976)  Page: 1/3  
Committee on Government Procurement   
 
 MINUTES OF THE MINISTERIAL-LEVEL MEETING OF 12 MARCH 2014 
CHAIRMAN: MR BRUCE CHRISTIE (CANADA) 
The Chairman said that, in preparation for the meeting, delegations had received an Airgram 
(WTO/AIR/4258 of 4 March 2014) setting out the proposed agenda. This had followed on a fax 
that had been circulated to all delegations at the end of January 2014. Subsequently, it had become clear that the threshold to bring the revise d GPA into force had been reached. Accordingly, 
a revised version of the Airgram had been circulated (WTO/AIR/4258/Rev.1 of 10 March 2014). 
The proposed agenda, as set out in the revised Airgram, was as follows:  
1. Chairmanship of the Committee for 2014; 
2. The coming into force of the revised Agreement on Government Procurement; and 
3. Other business, if any. 
The Chairman said that no items ha d been proposed for other business. 
 
The Committee adopted the agenda as proposed. 
 
1  CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE IN 2014 
1.1.  The Chairman said that, pursuant to a fax circulated by the Secretariat dated 6 March 2014, 
it was his understanding that a consensus existed in favour of his re-election as the Chairman of 
the Committee until the summer break – that is, through the end of July 2014.  
1.2.  The Committee re-elected the Chairman, Mr Br uce Christie of Canada, for a further term until 
the end of the summer break (31 July 2014). 
1.3.  The Chairman thanked the Committee for the confidence reposed in him, and said that he 
would do his best to justify this confidence. 1.4.  With regard to the election of his succe ssor, the Chairman said that it was again his 
understanding that a consensus existed fo r the election of Mr Krzysztof Trepczy ński of Poland to 
serve as Chairman following the end of his (Mr Christie's) tenure of office. Mr Trepczy ński would 
take up the Chairmanship from 1 August and serve through to the end of the year, with the possibility of being re-elected in 2015, subject to his availability and if Parties so desired.  
1.5.  The Committee elected Mr Trepczy ński of Poland as Chairman for the period of 1 August to 
the end of 2014. Mr Trepczy ński also thanked delegations for his election and for the confidence 
reposed in him. He said that he would make a substantive statement only when his term as Chairman had commenced. 
2  THE COMING INTO FO RCE OF THE REVISED GPA 
2.1.  The Chairman said that on Friday, 7 Ma rch 2014, Israel had deposited its instrument of 
acceptance of the Protocol Amending the Agreemen t on Government Procurement. As noted in his 
fax to delegations on that day, the deposit by Isra el of its instrument of acceptance brought to ten 
the total number of such instruments that had been deposited by that day. It was his GPA/M/55 
 
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  understanding that, in light of the acceptance by Israel, the condition set out in paragraph 3 of the 
Protocol had been fulfilled, and the Protocol would accordingly enter into force on 
6 April 2014 . 
2.2.  The Committee took note of this development. 
2.3.  The Chairman said that the ten Parties th at had deposited their respective instruments of 
acceptance, in the order in which they had deposited them, were: Liechtenstein; Norway; Canada; 
Chinese Taipei; the United States; Hong Kong, China; the European Union; Iceland; Singapore and 
Israel. He offered his sincere thanks and congratulations to those Parties and also to those other 
delegations that were working hard to provide their own instruments of acceptance and that 
looked forward to providing these in the relatively near future. 
2.4.  Continuing, the Chairman said that the timely coming into force of the revised Agreement 
demonstrated Parties' firm commitment to it and augured well for the future of the Agreement as 
an increasingly important element of the framewor k for global trade. It was a clear fulfilment of 
the call that GPA Ministers had issued at Bali and another successful outcome for Parties to 
celebrate. At the same time, it would represen t a new beginning rather than an end. As the 
Director-General, Mr Azevêdo, had noted in his statement at the GPA Ministerial-level meeting at Bali, the GPA was in the process of becoming a pillar of the global economy, responding directly to 
key challenges that WTO Members faced with respect to both the maintenance of open markets 
and the promotion of good governance. 
2.5.  A great deal of important work lay ahead, including with respect to both the implementation 
of the revised Agreement and the related agreed Work Programmes that would commence in the 
foreseeable future, together with work on pending and future accessions of new Parties. In this 
regard, it was vital that Parties took up this work with energy and focus, and that they pursued the work on accessions with the maximum possible flexibility and pragmatism that was consistent with 
their legitimate negotiating interests. Parties also needed to bear in mind the potential strategic 
significance of individual accessions and the sign al that the treatment of particular acceding 
Members would send to others contemplating accession. The WTO's wider membership was 
watching developments in the Committee, and this should not be overlooked. 
2.6.  The representatives of the European Union; the United States; Canada; Japan; Korea; 
Chinese Taipei; Switzerland; Singapore; Hong Kong, China; Norway; Liechtenstein and Iceland 
congratulated the Chairman, Mr Christie, on his re-election and welcomed the election of 
Mr Trepczy ński as Mr Christie's successor. They looked  forward to the entry into force of the 
revised GPA on 6 April 2014 and thanked the Chairman for his leadership of the Committee and for having helped to achieve this important milestone. In a similar vein, they looked forward to 
working under the leadership of the incoming Chairman, Mr Trepczy ński, upon his assumption of 
office in August. 
2.7.  Continuing, the representatives of Canada; Is rael; Norway and Liechtenstein, said that their 
respective delegations looked forward to the de posit of the instruments of acceptance by the 
remaining Parties. Canada further looked forward to expanding the Agreement to include new Parties, in the near future. 
2.8.  The representatives of Japan and Israel also thanked the Chairman for his initiative and role 
in the successful organisation of a Ministerial meeting in Bali in December 2013.  2.9.  The representative of Korea said that the ra tification of the revised Agreement in his capital 
had encountered an unexpected delay as a result of questions and objections raised by some 
legislators regarding the domestic procedure for the ratification. The matter was now pending 
before the Constitutional Court for a determination. Korea looked forward to the timely resolution of the matter, hopefully enabling it to deposit its instrument of acceptance in the course of the first 
half of 2014. 
2.10.  The representative of Chinese Taipei said th at the total additional market access likely to be 
gained from the GPA renegotiation, according to analysis by the Secretariat, was estimated at 
between US$80-100 billion per year. This represente d a significant contribution to the global 
economy. In the view of Chinese Taipei, the GPA was now playing a more central role in GPA/M/55 
 
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  stimulating the global economy and supporting social  development. In addition there was a greater 
understanding of the role of good governance in  the effective management of public resources. 
This was an essential element in ensuring transp arency in the procurement process. Furthermore, 
the achievement demonstrated the ability of the WTO, through persistence, hard work and the 
spirit of collaboration, to reach an agreement that strengthened and clarified the rules and 
provided expanded market access opportunities. 
2.11.  The representative of Hong Kong, China expressed his delegation's appreciation to the 
Secretariat for its extensive efforts in facilitating the ratification process. 2.12.  The Chairman, Mr Christie, thanked all the delegations for their kind words and support. It 
was an honour and a privilege to serve the dele gations as Chairman of the Committee, and he 
looked forward to continuing in that capacity until his departure from Geneva in August. He also 
had no doubt that, upon assuming the Chair, Mr Trepczy ński would provide very effective 
leadership to the Committee. In recognition of the extensive demands on and competing priorities of capital-based officials, he was particularly grat eful for the efforts that delegations had made in 
securing the ratification of the revised GPA, enabling its imminent coming into force. The 
contribution of GPA Parties' Ministers through their efforts and declaration at the Bali GPA Ministerial Meeting in December 2013, setting a clear deadline for the entry into force of the 
revised Agreement, had also been very important an d instrumental in this respect. He hoped that 
the Committee would continue the tradition that had now been established, of holding its own Ministerial-level meeting on the margins or in the course of wider WTO Ministerials, whenever this was helpful to the carrying forward of its work. He looked forward to receiving the remaining five 
instruments of acceptance in the foreseeable fu ture in order that the revised Agreement would 
enter into force for all Parties, and that the Committee could get on with its agreed Work Programmes which would be another significant challenge. 
3  OTHER BUSINESS (IF ANY) 
3.1.  There were no items of other business.  
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