GPA/146  
 
5 June 2018 
(18-3430) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Government Procurement  Original: English  
 
 
APPLICATION FOR ACCE SSION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM TO THE AGREE MENT ON 
GOVERNMENT PROCUREME NT IN ITS OWN RIGHT  
The following communication, dated 1 June 2018, is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of the European Union . 
 
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As outlined in the European Union –United Kingdom joint letter addressed to the World Trade 
Organization membership on 11 October 2017, following the withdrawal of the United Kingdom 
from the European Union, the European Union of 27 Member States will remain Party to the 
Government Procurement  Agreement . The United Kingdom and European Union agreed to work 
together towards the United Kingdom's objective of remaining, in its own right, subject to the 
rights and obligations it currently has under the Government Procurement Agreement as a Member 
State of the European Union on the basis of the commitments which are currently contained in the 
European Union schedule.  
 
In this context, the European Union is transmitting a letter from the United Kingdom's Permanent 
Representative to the World Trade Organization that communicates the United Kingdom's interest 
in becoming a Party to the Government Procurement Agreement in its own right and attaches 
relevant supporting documentation. The United Kingdom is entirely respons ible for that 
documentation, which includes its draft market access offer and Checklist of Issues, and will 
address any queries that Government Procurement Agreement Parties may have in that respect.  
 
At this stage, the European Union reserves its position  on the terms of the United Kingdom's final 
market access offer.  
 
Sincerely,  
 
 
H.E. Mr MARC VANHEUKELEN  
Ambassador  
Permanent Representative of the European Union to the WTO  
 
 
 
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 GPA/146  
 
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  UK Letter  
I have the honour to communicate the United Kingdom's interest in acceding to the Government 
Procurement Agreement (GPA) to become a Party in its own right.  
 
The United Kingdom currently participates in the Government Procurement Agreement by virtue of 
its membership of the European Union. The United Kingdom has implemented Government 
Procurement Agreement rules in domestic law for over twenty years, and its government 
procurement market is one of the most open in the world.  
 
The United Kingdom has notifi ed its intention to withdraw from the European Union pursuant to 
Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. The United Kingdom and the European Union agreed 
to work together towards the United Kingdom's objective of remaining, in its own right, subject to  
the rights and obligations it currently has under the Government Procurement Agreement as an 
European Union Member State on the basis of the commitments which are currently contained in 
the European Union's schedule.  
 
In this context, please find attache d the draft market access offer and Checklist of Issues to be 
circulated to the Committee on Government Procurement. Further material to aid your review of 
the draft offer is available from the United Kingdom Permanent Mission.  
 
I invite you to bring to my  attention or that of my staff (lauren.boag@fco.gov.uk) any issues you 
or GPA Parties wish to raise outside the formal meeting structure in order to make swift progress 
on this initiative.  
 
Sincerely,  
 
 
H.E. Mr JULIAN BRAITHWAITE  
Ambassador  
Permanent Rep resentative of the United Kingdom to the WTO  
 
 
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