GPA/AR/1  
 
29 November 2018  
(18-7516) Page: 1/19 
   
 
REPORT (2018 ) OF THE COMMITTEE O N GOVERNMENT PROCURE MENT  
1  INTRODUCTION  
This report covers the period since the Committee's previous A nnual Report1, namely mid-
November 201 7 through end-November  2018. It is issued pursuant to Article  XXI:3 of the 
Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) as amended by the Protocol Amending the 
Agreement on Government Procurement, done at Geneva on 30  March  2012 (the "revised 
Agreement" or "revised GPA") and Article  XXIV:7(a) of the 1994 Agreement on Government 
Procurement ("the 1994 Agreement" or "the GPA 1994").2 This reflects the entry into force of the 
revised Agreement on 6  April 2014 and the fact that one Party continues to be bound only by the 
1994 Agreement.3 
The Committee has had an active and productive year. Since the date of circulation of its last 
Annual Report ( 16 November  2017), it has held four formal meetings in Geneva: on 14 March  2018; 
on 27 June 2018; on 17  October  2018 and on 27 November  2018.4 The meetings in March and June 
were chaired by Mr  John Newham (Ireland) ; the meeting s in October  and in November were  chaired 
by Mr  Carlos  Vanderloo  (Canada) .5 The Committee has also held a series of informal meetings, also 
chaired by Mr  Newham  and subsequently by Mr Vanderloo , focusing on the implementation  of the 
revised Agreement; accessions to the Agreement; the Committee's agreed Work Programmes; and 
other matters, in the weeks beginning 12 March  2018; 25 June 201 8; and 1 5 October  2018, 
respectively.  A further  informal discussion , on the accession of the United  Kingdom to the GPA in its 
own right , was held on 27  November  2018, just prior to the Committee's end of year formal meeting . 
Among other highlights, the Committee note s the progress achieved with respect to work on 
accession to the Agreement by several WTO Members  not currently Parties to it , in particular the 
successful conclusion of the negotiations on Australia's accession and the adoption of a Committee 
Decision invi ting Australia to the Agreement in October 2018 .6 In addition, a request  for observer 
status from Belarus  was received and approved by the Committee . Significant work was also done 
with respect to the Committee's agreed Work Programmes, notably those deali ng with: 
(i) Sustainable Procurement ; (ii) the Collection and Reporting of Statistical D ata; and (iii) Small and 
Medium -sized E nterprises  (SMEs) .7 
The following 47 WTO Members are currently covered by the Agreement: Armenia; Canada; 
the European Union, wit h its 28 member States (normally counted as a single Party) ; 
Hong Kong,  China; Iceland; Israel; Japan; the Republic of  Korea ("Korea"); Liechtenstein; 
the Republic of Moldova; Montenegro; the Kingdom of the Netherlands with respect to Aruba; 
New Zealand; Norway; Singapore; Switzerland (the GPA 1994 only) ; 
the Separate  Customs  Territory  of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu ("Chinese Taipei"); Ukraine 
and the United States  of America .  
Thirty -two WTO Members/Observers have observer status in the Comm ittee on Government 
Procurement: Afghanistan, Albania, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Belarus, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, 
                                                
1 GPA/145, dated 16  November 2017 and GPA/145/Corr.1, dated 17 November 2017.  
2 The 1994 Agreement and the revised Agreement are hereafter referred to together as the "Agreement 
on Government Procurement" or "GPA" or "Agreement".  
3 See, for relevant details, Part 2 below.  
4 GPA/M/71, dated 25 May 2018; GPA/M/72, dated 5 October 2018 ; and GPA/M/73, to be issued.  
5 At its formal meeting of 27 June 2018, the Committee elected Mr Vanderloo as Chairman for the 
remainder of 2018 (GPA/M/72, dated 5 October 2018, paragraph  1.5). 
6 See, for relevant details, Part 3 below.  
7 See, for relevant details, Part 4 below.  GPA/AR/1  
 
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  China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz  Republic, 
Malaysia, Mongolia, Oman, Pakistan, Pan ama, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, 
Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, and Viet Nam. 
The observership  of Belarus was  approved, at its request, during the reporting period, and was  
warmly w elcomed by the Committee.8 Four intergovernmental organizations, namely the 
International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Intern ational Trade Centre (ITC), the Organization  for 
Economic Co -operation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Conference on Trad e and 
Development (UNCTAD), also have observer status.  
The Committee consider s the GPA – particularly the revised Agreement which came into force 
in 2014 – to be an important tool of trade and development in the twenty -first century, contributing 
not only to market access for Parties ' goods, services and suppliers, based on principles of reciprocity 
and to the extent determined by Parties, but also to the transparency of Parties' procurement 
systems and to good governance. It is pleased with the progress ma de during the year  on accessions 
to the Agreement , including the adoption of the Decision inviting Australia to accede  to the GPA  on 
the basis of the terms negotiated by the Parties ; and on the Committee's Work Programmes . It 
encourages interest in the Agreement on the part of WTO Me mbers not currently Parties or O bservers 
to it, and invites them to consider the potential advantages of associa tion, whether as Parties or as 
Observers.  
The remaining sections of this Report deal with the work done by the Co mmittee during the 
year, with particular reference to: (i)  the implementation of the Agreement , including its entry into 
force; (ii) accessions to the Ag reement; (iii) the Committee's a greed Work Programmes; and 
(iv) notifications made pursuant to the Agre ement.  
2  THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TH E AGREEMENT  
2.1  Entry into force of the revised Agreement  
As recounted in the Committee's four previous Annual Reports9, the revised Agreement entered 
into force on 6  April 2014, 30 days after the submission of formal acceptance s of the "Protocol 
Amending the Agreement on Government Procurement" by two thirds of the Agreement's Parties. 
As a result of additional acceptances received and accessions that have taken place, the revised 
Agreement is in force for all Parties except Swi tzerland.10 The latter has continued to provid e regular 
updates to the Committee on related developments and has assured the Committee that it will 
provide its acceptance as soon as possible, taking account of relevant internal requirements and 
legislative procedures.11 These are now at an advanced stage.  
2.2  Continuing development of the "e -GPA" system  
As noted in previous Annual Reports, the aim of the e -GPA system is to provide a single entry 
point for market access and related information under the revised A greement, to serve as an 
information resource for governments, businesses and other interested parties.12 In prior periods, 
an initial  version of the system (e -GPA 2.0) was completed and made publicly accessible via the 
WTO's website ( https://e -gpa.wto.org/ ) ("Phase II"). During the reporting period, further progress 
was made in the development of the next phase ("Phase III"). Completion of Phase III is expected 
to further improve the visibility, tra nsparency and accessibility to information on the market access 
and related information, as well as to facilitate the efficient administration of the Agreement by 
Parties and the Secretariat.  
                                                
8 GPA/M/72, dated 5 October 2018, paragraph 2.2. Observership to the Agreement is open to all WTO 
Members and Observers.  
9 See GPA/145, dated 16 November 2017, section 2.1, GPA/141, dated 29 November 2016, section 2.1, 
GPA/134, dated  16 November 2015, section 2.1, and GPA/126, dated 26 November 2014, section 2.  
10 A list of the instrument of acceptances and accessions is provided in GPA/141, dated 
29 November  2016, paragraphs 2.1 and 2.2; and GPA/126, dated 26 November 2014, paragraph 2.3. 
11 As the delegation of Switzerland has made clear, the delay in submission of its instrument of acceptance 
is not due to any substantive reservations regarding the content of the revised Agreement; rather, it reflects a 
need for completion of on -going  internal legislative procedures to harmonize Swiss procurement legislation at 
the federal and cantonal levels.  
12 See, GPA/145, dated 16 November 2017, section 2.3, GPA/141, dated 29 November 2016, section 2.3, 
GPA/134, dated 16 November 2015, section  2.2, and GPA/126, dated 26 November 2014, section 4.6.  GPA/AR/1  
 
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The Committee looks forward to further improvements to the e-GPA system, including the 
development by the Secretariat of tools to facilitate the circulation of Parties' statistical reports and 
other notifications under the Agreement, to be undertaken in consultation  with delegations.  
2.3  Decision items considered by the C ommittee  during the year  
During the Committee's informal sessions held in March, June and October 2018, the 
Committee's attention was drawn to several  decision items that are built into the revised Agreement 
and/or the various related decisions that were adopted at the time the negotiations were 
concluded.13 In the course of the Committee's end -of-year formal meeting held on 
27 November  2018, the Committ ee discussed these items and agreed to proceed  as follows:  
• The Committee's mandate pursuant to paragraph 6 of the Decision on notification 
requirements under Articles XIX and XXII of the Agreement  (GPA/113, Annex A, 
Appendix  2, pp 436 -437) to review, withi n four years of the Decision's adoption, the 
operation and effectiveness of the Decision, and to make any necessary adjustments. The 
Committee noted that in the light of the on -going peri od of co -existence between 
the 1994 GPA and the revised Agreement, on ly one Party, Canada, has, to date, made use 
of the simplified notification procedures that are permitted under the Committee's 
Decision. In the light of this , the Committee decided to defer a discussion on this item to 
a point in time in which the revised  Agreement is in force for all GPA Parties and more 
Parties have expe rience using the new procedures ; 
• The requirement , in Article XXII:10 of the revised GPA , that " Not later than the end of the 
fifth year from the date of entry into force of the Protocol Amending the Agreement on 
Government Procurement, the Committee shall examine the applicability of 
Article  XX:2(b) " concerning non -violation complaints. The Committe e will consider what 
action, if any, may be appropriate in relation to this item, in the course of 2019 ; and 
• The requirement, in Article V:10 of the revised Agreement, that the Committee " shall 
review the operation and effectiveness of [Article V on Develo ping Countries ] every five 
years."  The Committee  will consider what action, if any, may be appropriate  in relation to 
this item , in the course of 2019 . 
2.4  Procedures for the c irculation, derestriction and translation of GPA -related 
documents  
In October 2018, the Secretariat circulated a Note setting out information on procedures 
currently in use for the circulation, derestriction and translation of GPA -related documents.14 The 
purpose of the Note was to clarify the handling of the relevant procedures and facilitate their review , 
if desired,  by the Committee, with the overall objective s of facilitating the administration of the 
Agreement and ensuring an appropriate  level of transparency for WTO M embers and the general 
public . In the course of the Committee 's informal discussions in October 2018, the Secretariat 
introduced the Note and the Committee agreed to revert to this topic during its meetings in 
February  2019.  
2.5  Future work mandated by  Article s XXII:7 and XIX:8 of the revised GPA  
With respect to  the pro vision in Article XXII:7 that " Not later than the end of three years from 
the date of entry into force of the Protocol Amending the Agreement on Government Procurement, 
adopted on 30  March  2012, and periodically thereafter, the Parties shall undertake furt her 
negotiations, with a view to improving this Agreement, progressively  reducing and eliminating 
discriminatory measures, and achieving the greatest possible extension of its coverage among all 
Parties on the basis of mutual reciprocity, taking into consi deration th e needs of developing 
countries, " the Committee will take this up as and when it is considered useful and timely to do so, 
in the light, inter alia , of progre ss achieved in the Committee's Work P rogrammes.  
                                                
13 RD/GPA/62, dated 18 June 2018, paragraphs 2.1 -2.2; and RD/GPA/67, dated 5 October 2018, 
paragraphs 2.1.  
14 RD/GPA/68, dated 11 October 2018.  GPA/AR/1  
 
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Likewise, the mandate in Article XIX:8 calling  for the adoption, by the Committee, of decisions 
on indicative criteria and criteria for determining  the level of compensatory adjustment to 
complement the decision that has been adopted regarding arbitration procedures ,15 will be taken up 
as and wh en it is conside red useful and timely to do so.  
2.6  Notifications  
Information concerning notifications pursuant to the Agreement is set out in Part 5 of this 
Report.  
3  ACCESSIONS TO THE AG REEMENT  
The Committee continues to attach 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. Significant progress was 
made on this aspect of the Committee's work during the review period. Relevant developments 
included: (i)  the successful conclusion of the negotiations on Australia's accession  and the a doption 
of a related Committee D ecision ; (ii) the initiation of the accession of the United Kingdom  to the 
Agreement  in its own right; and (iii) further deliberations on the accessions of China, 
the Russian  Federation, the  former Yugoslav  Republic of Macedonia, the Kyrgyz Republic  and 
Tajikistan. The following provides additional details regarding these particular accessions and other 
developments . 
3.1  Successful conclusion of the negotiations on Australia's accession  and related 
Committee Decision  
Australia applied for accession to the GPA on 2  June 2015.16 Subsequently, in 2015, 2016 and 
2017, dedicated disc ussions on Australia's accession took place in the Committee on multiple 
occasions based on: (i) its initial market access offer circulated on 8  September 2015;17 (ii) its 
replies to the Checklist of Issues circulated on 24  September  2015;18 (iii) its first revised market 
access offer circulated on 30  September  2016;19 and (iv) its second revised market access offer 
circulated on 2  June 2017.20 In the course of those discussions, Parties confirmed that they 
consider ed Australia's second revised offer to be a st rong one. Several Parties, nonetheless, noted 
outstanding concerns that they hoped to see addressed. Written exchanges  on Australia's second 
revised offer were conducted intersessionally.21  
Australia's final market access offer was circulated on 7  March  201822, and was the subject of 
discussion s at the Committee's  meetings held on 14  March  2018 and on 27  June 2018. In the course 
of those discussions, Australia indicated that its final offer was a very comprehensive one and went 
beyond the coverage reflected in any of its bilatera l or regional trade agreements.  
Subsequently, a draft decision on Australia's accession was circ ulated by the Secretariat on 
16 July 2018.23 On 28  Septemb er 2018, an updated version of the decision was circulated to reflect 
the consequential changes introduced by several Parties to their own schedules in response to 
Australia's accession.24 At the Committee's formal meeting held on 17  October  2018, the Commi ttee 
adopted the revised draft decision. The Committee's formal Decision inviting Australia to accede to 
the Agreement on the terms agreed , within a period of twelve mon ths from the date on which the 
Decision was adopted,  was circulated on 23  October  2018.25  
                                                
15 GPA/139, dated 23 June 2016.  
16 GPA/129, dated 2 June 2015.  
17 GPA/ACC/AUS/1, dated 8 September 2015 and GPA/ACC/AUS/1/Add.1, dated 9 September 2015.  
18 GPA/ACC/AUS/2, dated 24 September 2015.  
19 GPA/ACC/AUS/17, dated 30 September 2016; and GPA/ACC/AUS/17/Corr.1, dated 14 October 2016.  
20 GPA/ACC/AUS/ 29, dated 2 June 2017.  
21 Ukraine - GPA/ACC/AUS/34, dated 5 July 2017; and the European Union - GPA/ACC/AUS/35, dated 
17 July 2017. Replies from Australia to the questions from Ukraine: GPA/ACC/AUS/37, dated 7 March 2018; and 
to the questions from the European Union - GPA/ACC/AUS/38, dated 8 March 2018.  
22 GPA/ACC/AUS/36, dated 7 March 2018.  
23 GPA/ACC/AUS/39, dated 16 July 2018.  
24 GPA/ACC/AUS/39/Rev.1, dated 28 September 2018.  
25 GPA/CD/1, dated 23 October 2018.  GPA/AR/1  
 
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The Committee considers Australia's accession to the GPA to be a matter of considerable 
importance for the Agreement , as: (i) it adds very significantly to the total value of market access 
commitments under the Agreement; (ii) it strengthens the Committee and the Agreement by the 
addition of a very important and dynamic economy, Australia, with deep experience in and a strong 
commitment to open and transparent government procurement and to the mult ilateral system; 
(iii) it sends a clear and very p ositive signal about the relevance of the Agreement to other actual 
and potential accession candidates; and (iv) it further illustrates and manifests the can -do approach 
of the Committee and the Parties' commitment to the Agreement.  The Committee, therefor e, 
encourages Australia to complete its internal ratification procedures and to submit its instrument of 
accession as soon as possible.  
3.2  The initiation of the United Kingdom 's accession to the Agreement  in its own right , 
and related progress achieved  
The Un ited Kingdom applied for accession to the GPA in its own right, through a communication 
by the European Union, on 1  June 2018.26 Its initial market access offer and its replies to the 
Checklist of Issues were submitted by the European Union on the same day.27 A preliminary 
discussion on this accession was held at the Committee's informal session of  27 June 2018. In the 
course of that discussion , taking the floor following the introduction by the European Union,  
the United Kingdom expressed its strong desire to continue to participate in the GPA, without 
interruption , following its withdrawal from the European Union , and expressed the hope  that its 
accession process could be concluded swiftly. Numerous Parties indicat ed their support for the 
United  Kingdom's c ontinu ing participation in the Agreement following its withdrawal from 
the European Union . At that time, a number of Parties indicated that  they needed more time to 
review the United Kingdom's offer and its replies to the Checklist of Issues. Some requeste d 
the United Kingdom  to fully update its  proposed market access schedules. The question of the 
relationship of the UK's GPA accession to  any transition agreement between the United Kingdom and 
the European Union was also flagged as an issue of interest to delegations. Subsequently, written 
exchanges on the initial market access offer and the replies to the Checklist of Issues were conducted 
between a number of Parties and the United Kingdom intersessionally.28 
On 2 October  2018, the United Kingdom circulated, via the European Union, a final market 
access offer.29 A further discussion was held during the Committee's meeting of 17  October  2018. 
In the course of that discussion, taking the floor fo llowing the introduction by the  European  Union, 
the United Kingdom introduced its final offer and stated its willingness to update its proposed 
schedules within three months of completing its proposed accession and its schedules coming into 
force, using the procedures set out in Article  XIX of the Agreement. Parties took note of this, and a 
number of them indicated  that they were already in a positio n to approve, in principle, 
the United Kingdom 's accession. Other Parties said that the U nited Kingdom  would need to 
undertake further steps  to provide the necessary degree of clarity with respect to its eventual 
coverage and/or to address other  outstanding  concerns, before work on its accession could be 
successfully concluded.  
A further discussion on this accession was held i n an informal meeting  just prior to the 
Committee's end-of-year formal m eeting on 27  November  2018. In the course of this informal 
discussion, the Committee:  
                                                
26 GPA/146, dated 5 June 2018.  
27 GPA/ACC/GBR/1, dated 5 June 2018; see also GPA/ACC/GBR/1/Rev.1, dated 14 June 2018; and 
GPA/ACC/GBR/2, dated 5 June 2018.  
28 Comments from Ukraine - GPA/ACC/GBR/3, dated 22 June 2018; from Moldova - GPA/ACC/GBR/4, 
dated 27 June 2018; from the United States  - GPA/ACC/GBR/8, dated 19 July 2018, GPA/ACC/GBR/13, dated 
10 September 2018 and GPA/ACC/GBR/14, dated 10 September 2018; from Chinese Taipei - GPA/ACC/GBR/11, 
dated 8 August 2018; and from New Zealand - GPA/ACC/GBR/12, dated 4 September 2018. Replies fro m 
the United Kingdom to comments from Ukraine - GPA/ACC/GBR/5, dated 19 July 2018; to Moldova - 
GPA/ACC/GBR/7, dated 19 July 2018; to the United States - GPA/ACC/GBR/9, dated 3 August 2018, 
GPA/ACC/GBR/10, dated 3 August 2018, GPA/ACC/GBR/17, dated 5 Octob er 2018, and GPA/ACC/GBR/18, dated 
5 October 2018; to Chinese Taipei - GPA/ACC/GBR/15, dated 13 September 2018; and to New Zealand - 
GPA/ACC/GBR/19, dated 8 October 2018.  
29 GPA/ACC/GBR/16, dated 2 October 2018.  GPA/AR/1  
 
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  • Noted that there is clear support by the GPA Parties for the U nited Kingdom ’s accession 
to the GPA in its own ri ght, on the basis of its final ma rket access offer submitted on 
2 October 2018;  
• Took note of the European Union's  statement referri ng to the joint position of 
the European Union and the U nited Kingdom  that, under the draft Withdrawal 
Agreement , the U nited Kingdom  would accede to the GPA in its own right at the end 
of the transition period. Until the date of expiry of such transition period during which 
the GPA applies to  the United Kingdom, the United  Kingdom would be  treated as a 
member State of the Europe an Union;  
• Welcomed the informal circulation of the positions of t he GPA Parties as expressed in 
the course of the informal meeting  in order to facilitate further discussions and the 
drafting of the decision; and  
• Agreed to return to the issue at a further m eeting  to be scheduled  in the coming weeks.  
3.3  Further deliberations on the accessions of China,  the Russian Federation, the former  
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Kyrgyz Republic  and Tajikistan  
3.3.1   China  
China applied for accession to the GPA on 28  December 200730, honouring its commitment to 
initiate GPA accession negotiations made in the course of its accession to the WTO in 2001.31 Its 
initial market access offer was circulated to the Commit tee in January  2008.32 Since then, five further 
offers have been circ ulated by China.33 Discussions dedicated to China's accession have taken place 
on multiple occasions over the last 10 years.34  
During  the reporting period,  continuing dialogue took place on next steps regarding this 
accession  during the Committee's meetings  held in  March, June and October  2018. In the course of 
those discussions, Parties, while welcoming China's continued engagement, encouraged China to 
speed up its accession process by submitting the expected new offer as soon as possible, taking 
account of  the outstanding requests for improvement . China reaffirmed its plan to circulate a further 
revised and high -quality offer, at a time to be determined, with comprehensive improvements, in 
particular concerning the coverage of sub -central government entitie s and state-owned enterprises 
(SOEs).35 It indicated that efforts were being made at home to prepare the next revised offer, to 
                                                
30 GPA/93, dated 14  January 2008.  
31 WT/ACC/CH N/49, dated 1 October 2001 and WT/MIN(01)/3, dated 10 November 2001, paras. 340 and 
341: "The representative of China [responded] that China would become an observer to the GPA upon accession 
to the WTO Agreement and initiate negotiations for membership in  the GPA by tabling an Appendix 1 offer as 
soon as possible. The Working Party took note of these commitments."  
32 GPA/ACC/CHN/1, dated 7  January 2008.  
33 The first revised offer - GPA/ACC/CHN/16, dated 9 July 2010; the second revised offer - 
GPA/ACC/CHN/30,  dated 30 November 2011; the third revised offer - GPA/ACC/CHN/41, dated 
29 November  2012; the fourth revised offer - GPA/ACC/CHN/44, dated 6 January 2014; and the fifth revised 
offer - GPA/ACC/CHN/47, dated 7 December 2015.  
34 See Report (2008) of the Comm ittee on Government Procurement to the General 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 Procurement 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); Report (2013) of the Committee on 
Government Procurement to the General Council (GPA/121, dated 24 October 2013, paragraphs 3.9. -3.13.);  
Report (2014) of the Committee on Government Procurement to the General Council (GPA/126, dated 
26 November 2014, paragraphs 3.14. -3.18.); Report (2015) of the Committee on Government Procurement to 
the General Council (GPA/134, dated 16 November 2015, pa ragraphs 3.28. -3.32.); Report (2016) of the 
Committee on Government Procurement to the General Council (GPA/141, dated 29 November 2016, 
paragraphs  3.18.-3.30.); and Report (2017) of the Committee on Government Procurement to the 
General  Council (GPA/145, dated 16 November 2017, paragraphs 3.16. -3.18.).  
35 See details contained in the Summary of the Informal Plurilateral Discussion on Accessions to the 
Agreement on Government Procurement, 27 June 2018, as contained in RD/GPA/66, dated 21 September 2018, 
section 3.  GPA/AR/1  
 
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  draft its updated replies to the Checklist of Issues and to deepen its ongoing procurement reforms 
and capacity to implement the Agreement. It also reported on intersessional bilateral consultations 
with relevant GPA Parties.  
The Committee notes and is encouraged by President Xi's announcement, made on 
10 April 2018, that China will accelerate the process of its accession to the GP A.36 It remains of the 
view that China's GPA accession, on mutually agreeable and appropriate terms, is a matter of 
significance for the Agreement, for the WTO, and for the world economy; and an important signal 
for other emerging economies. It hopes that a  further revised offer responding to Parties' 
outstanding requests will be circulated by C hina as soon as possible  and that further progress on 
this accession will follow.  
3.3.2   Russian Federation  
The Russian  Federation applied for accession to the GPA in  August 201637, honouring its 
commitment to initiate GPA accession negotiations made in the course of its accession to the WTO 
in 2012.38 Its initial market access offer was circulated on 7  June 2017 and its rep lies to the Checklist 
of Issues together with its government procurement law were circulated on 22  January  2018.39  
Dedicated discussions on the Russian Federation 's accession , based on the above documents, 
were held during the Committee's meetings held in 2017 and in March and June  2018. In the course 
of those discussions, Parties, while warmly welcoming the Russian Federation's initial efforts, pointed 
out a number of perceived shortcomings of the offer and req uested a number of improvements , 
including the  removal of Crimea and Sevastopol from the list of entities at the sub -central level of 
government in the delegation's replies to the Checklist of Issues.  Written exchanges on the initial 
market access offer and the replies to the Checklist were conducted between  the Parties and the 
Russian Federation intersessionally.40   
On 25  September  2018, an edited initial market access offer and edited replies to the 
Checklist of Issues were circulated by the Russian Federation.41 A further discussion on this access ion 
was held during the Committee's meetings of 17  October  2018. In the course of that discussion, 
the Russian  Federation reported on work that was taking place internally to enlist the participation 
of sub -central government entities and to further update th e Russian Federation's procurement 
legislation. Parties welcomed the active engagement shown by the Russian Federation in submitting 
                                                
36 See RD/GPA/66, dated 21 September 2018, paragraph 3.2.  
37 GPA/140, dated 22 August 2016.  
38 WT/ACC/RUS/70, dated 17  November 2011, paragraph 1143: "The representative of the Russian 
Federation confirmed the intention of the Russian Federation to jo in 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 according 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 and 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 Rus sian Federation and 
the other Members of the Agreement, the Russian Federation would accede to that Agreement. The Working 
Party took note of these commitments."  
39 GPA/ACC/RUS/1, dated 7 June 2017; and GPA/ACC/RUS/8, dated 22 January 2018.  
40 Comments from Chinese Taipei on the initial market access  offer - GPA/ACC/RUS/2, dated 8 August 
2017; from Hong Kong, China - GPA/ACC/RUS/3, dated 6 September 2017; from the European Union - 
GPA/ACC/RUS/4, dated 27 September 2017; from New Zealand - GPA/ACC/RUS/5, dated  10 October 2017; from 
the EFTA countries - GPA/ACC/RUS/6, dated 12 October 2017; from Ukraine - GPA/ACC/RUS/7, dated 9  January 
2018; from Israel - GPA/ACC/RUS/9, dated 2 February 2018; from the United States - GPA/ACC/RUS/10, dated 
14 May 2018; and from K orea - GPA/ACC/RUS/12, dated 18 May 2018. The  Russian  Federation's replies to the 
comments from Chinese Taipei - GPA/ACC/RUS/13, dated 22 June 2018; to Hong Kong, China - 
GPA/ACC/RUS/14, dated 22 June 2018; to the European Union - GPA/ACC/RUS/15, dated 25 June 2018; to 
New Zealand - GPA/ACC/RUS/16, dated 25 June 2018; to the EFTA countries - GPA/ACC/RUS/17, dated 
25 June 2018; to Israel - GPA/ACC/RUS/18, dated 25 June 2018; to Ukraine - GPA/ACC/RUS/19, dated 
12 October 2018; to the United States - GPA/ACC/R US/20, dated 12 October 2018; and to Korea - 
GPA/ACC/RUS/21, dated 15 October 2018. Comments from the United States on the replies to the Checklist - 
GPA/ACC/RUS/11, dated 14 May 2018. The Russian Federation's replies to the United States' comments - 
GPA/A CC/RUS/22, dated 15 October 2018.  
41 GPA/ACC/RUS/1/Rev.1, dated 25 September 2018; and GPA/ACC/RUS/8/Rev.1, dated 
25 September  2018.  GPA/AR/1  
 
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  edited documents and responding to questions and comments. They stressed the need for significant 
further improvements in t he Russian Federation's proposed coverage, and encouraged it to submit 
an ambitious revised offer as soon as possible, as a basis for further constructive  discussion . 
The Committee considers  that the Russian Federation's accession, when it occurs  and on 
mutually agreeable and  appropriate terms , will be a very significant addition to the GPA and will 
benefit the Russian Federation, the GPA  Committee and the multilateral trading system. It hopes 
that a revised market access offer responding to the Parties' requests will be circulated as soon as 
possible , and that good progress will be made on the Russian Federation's accession to the GPA in 
2019.  
3.3.3   The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia  
Pursuant to a commitment it undertook in the course of its WTO accessio n in 200242, the 
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia applied for GPA accession in March  2017.43 Its draft 
procurement law and replies to the Checklist of Issues were circulated on 31  March  2017.44 
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's initial market a ccess offer was circulated on 
28 February  201845, and was the subject of discussion at the Committee's meetings held in  March, 
June and October  2018.  
In the course of those discussions, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia highlighted 
that its initial coverage offer was very comprehensive , offering a very wide coverage of its public 
procurement market to all GPA Parties. In terms of its government procurement regime,  
the former  Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia indicated that it was preparing a new law on public 
procurement in order to comply fully with the GPA provisions as well as to bring its procurement 
system substantially in line with the EU proc urement regulations, a requirement deriving from its 
status as a candidate country for the EU membership. The country also reported on progress that 
had been made in the implementation of the full -scale electronic procurement system and the 
changes of cert ain aspects of procurement procedures to level the play ing field for all suppliers.  
Bearing these developments in mind, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia expressed 
its hope to conclude its accession  negotiation with all due speed .46 While strong sup port was 
expressed for the country's accession to the Agreement, some Parties also expressed concerns 
regarding certain country -specific restrictions on coverage  contained in the initial market access 
offer and the approach to be followed regarding  this ac cession. Written exchanges on the initial 
market access offer and the replies to the Checklist of Issues were also conducted between the 
Parties and the  former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia intersessionally.47  
The Committee welcomes the engagement of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia  
regarding its GPA accession , encourages the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and those 
Parties with particular concerns  regarding its proposed terms of accession  to work together to resolve 
these concerns , and hopes that this accession can be concluded  in 2019.  
                                                
42 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 ot her 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."  
43 GPA/143, dated 17 March 2017.  
44 GPA/ACC/MKD/1, dated 31 March 2017.  
45 GPA/AC C/MKD/4, dated 28 February 2018.  
46 See details contained in the Summary of the Informal Plurilateral Discussion on Accessions to the 
Agreement on Government Procurement, 14 March 2018, as contained in RD/GPA/61, dated 23 May 2018; and 
the Summary of the In formal Plurilateral Discussion on Accessions to the Agreement on Government 
Procurement, 27 June 2018, as contained in RD/GPA/66, dated 21 September 2018.  
47 Comments from the European Union on the initial market access offer - GPA/ACC/MKD/5, dated 
7 May 2018; from the United States - GPA/ACC/MKD/6, dated 18 June 2018; and from Ukraine - 
GPA/ACC/MKD/7, dated 22 June 2018. Replies from the former Yugoslav Repub lic of Macedonia to the comments 
from the United States - GPA/ACC/MKD/8, dated 17 September 2018; and to Ukraine - GPA/ACC/MKD/9, dated 
17 September 2018. Comments from the United States on the draft Law and the replies to the Checklist of Issues 
- GPA/ACC /MKD/2, dated 6 June 2017. Replies to these comments - GPA/ACC/MKD/3, dated 27 July 2017.  GPA/AR/1  
 
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  3.3.4   Kyrgyz Republic  
The Kyrgyz Republic applied for accession to the GPA in May  199948, honouring its 
commitment to initiate GPA accession negotiations, made in the course of its accession to the WTO 
in 1998.49 Following a period of minimal activity, work on this accession was resumed in 
January  2016 with the circulation of the Kyrgyz Republic's Law on Public Procurement and a revised 
and updated coverage offer.50 Dedicated discussions on the accession of t he Kyrgyz Republic took 
place in 2016, 2017 and early  2018, based on: (i) the above -mentioned first revised market access 
offer; (ii)  its second revised offer circulated on 26  May 2016;51 (iii) its third revised market access 
offer circulated on 4  October  2016;52 (iv) its draft Amendments to the Law on Public Procurement 
circulated on 6  October  2016;53 and (v) its revised replies to the Checklist of Issues were circulated 
on 14   June 2017.54  
In the course of those discussions, Parties, for the most part, expr essed the view that the 
third revised market access offer was a relatively strong one and that the delegation's accession 
process could be brought to a conclusion fairly swiftly, if some specific outstanding  concerns were 
resolved. Written exchanges on the  third revised offer and on the draft law were conducted between 
the Parties and the Kyrgyz  Republic intersessionally.55  
The Kyrgyz Republic's fourth revised offer was circulated on 21  June 2018.56 The fourth 
revised offer was the subject of discussion at the Committee's meetings held on 27  June 2018 and 
on 17  October  2018. In the course of those discussions, the Kyrgyz Republic outlined its efforts 
under way toward concluding its accession negotiat ions as soon as possible on the basis of its 
comprehensive offer and the on -going reform of its legislation. Parties, while welcoming the 
engagement and continued interest of the Kyrgyz Republic in joining the Agreement, reiterated that 
specific  remaining concerns would need to be resolved. Written comments on this offer were 
circulated by Hong Kong, China on 2  July 2018.57 Replies to these comment s were circulated by the 
Kyrgyz  Republic on 8  October  2018.58 
The Committee encourages the Kyrgyz Republic  to add ress Parties' outstanding concerns as 
quickly as possible. To facilitate this, Parties are encouraged to submit  any outstanding written 
comments and questions as soon as possible. The Committee  hopes that this accession can be 
concluded in 2019, subject to  mutually satisfactory outcomes.  
                                                
48 GPA/SPEC/4, dated 19 May 1999.  
49 WT/ACC/KGZ/26, dated 31 July 1998, paragraph 120: "The representative of the Kyrgyz Republic stated 
that the Kyrgyz Republic would initiate negotiations for membership in the Government Procurement Agreement 
upon accession by tabling an entity offer at that time. He also confirmed that, if the results of the negotiations 
were satisfactory to the Kyrgyz Republic and the signatories of the Agreement, the Kyrgyz Republic would 
complete negotiations for membership in the Agreement by 31  December  1999. The Working Party took note of 
this commitment."  
50 GPA/ACC/KGZ/2, dated 7 January 2016; and GPA/ACC/KGZ/3, dated 19 January 2016.  
51 GPA/ACC/ KGZ/6, dated 26 May 2016.  
52 GPA/ACC/KGZ/12, dated 4 October 2016.  
53 GPA/ACC/KGZ/13, dated 6 October 2016.  
54 GPA/ACC/KGZ/26, dated 14 June 2017.  
55 Comments from the European Union regarding the third revised market access offer - GPA/ACC/KGZ/20, 
dated 21 De cember 2016; from Ukraine - GPA/ACC/KGZ/21, dated 12 January 2017; and from the United States 
- GPA/ACC/KGZ/23, dated 9 February 2017. Replies from the Kyrgyz Republic to the questions from 
the United  States - GPA/ACC/KGZ/24, dated 2 June 2017; and to the questions from Ukraine - GPA/ACC/KGZ/25, 
dated 8 June 2017. Comments from the European Union regarding the draft law - GPA/ACC/KGZ/20, dated 
21 December 2016; from Ukraine – GPA/ACC/KGZ/22, dated 12 January 2017; and from the United States - 
GPA/ACC/KGZ/23 , dated 9 February 2017. Replies from the Kyrgyz Republic to the  United  States - 
GPA/ACC/KGZ/24, dated 2 June 2017; and to Ukraine - GPA/ACC/KGZ/25, dated 8  June 2017.  
56 GPA/ACC/KGZ/27, dated 21 June 2018.  
57 GPA/ACC/KGZ/28, dated 2 July 2018.  
58 GPA/ACC/KGZ /29, dated 8 October 2018.  GPA/AR/1  
 
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  3.3.5   Tajikistan  
Tajikistan applied for accession to the GPA in  February  201559, to honour its commitment to 
initiate GPA accession negotiations, made in the course of its accession to the WTO in  March  2013.60 
Dedicated discussions  on Tajikistan's accession were held on multiple occasions in the course of the 
Committee's meetings held in 2015 and 2016, based on: (i)  its initial market access offer circulated 
on 16 February 2015, (ii)  its first revised offer circulated on 10  February  2016; (iii)  its second 
revised offer circulated on 20  June 2016; and (iv)  its third revised offer circulated on 
18 October  2016.61 Written exchanges also too k place between the Parties and Tajikistan.  
Tajikistan's fourth revised offer was circulated on 20 February  201762 and was discussed at 
the Committee's meetings held in 2017 and in 2018. In the course of those discussions, some Parties 
expressed continuing concerns mainly regarding a price preference programme in Annex 7. In 
response, Tajikistan indic ated that it would reconsider the issue of its proposed price preference in 
a positive manner. Written comments on Tajikistan's fourth revised offer were circulated by the 
United States on 13  March  2017 and by the  European  Union on 8  June 2017.63 During the  
Committee's meeting held on 17  October  2018, Tajikistan indicated that the work on approval of a 
further revised offer was under way in Dushanbe  and hoped to submit it shortly.  
With regard to its relevant legislation and the government procurement system,  Tajikistan's 
draft Law on Public Procurement was circulated on 15  September  2015 and its replies to the 
Checklist of Issues on 12  November  2015.64 Subsequently, written exchanges on the draft law and 
the replies to the Checklist of issues were conducted be tween Parties and Tajikistan.65 At the 
Committee's meetings held in 2017 and in 2018, Tajikistan indicated that the new law was at the 
final stage of adoption.  
The Committee encourages Tajikistan to  complete the remaining steps needed to bring its  
accession  process to a successful conclusion, by addressing  the few remaining issues that must be 
resolved before its accession can be approved. It hopes the accession process can be concluded, on 
a mutually satisfactory basis, in 2019.  
3.4  Other Pending Accessions  
During the reporting period, the Committee also kept under review the status of other pending 
GPA accessions and accession commitments. Apart from the above -mentioned seven accessions, 
four other WTO Members have formally initiated work on their respective ac cessions to the 
Agreement: Albania, Georgia, Jordan and Oman. A further five WTO Members have provisions  
regarding accession to the Agreement in their respective Protocols of Accession to the WTO: 
                                                
59 GPA/127, dated 12  February 2015.  
60 WT/ACC/TJK/30, dated 6 November 2012, paragraph 244: "The representative of Tajikistan confirmed 
Tajikistan's willingness to accede to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement. Tajikistan would become 
an observer to the Agreement upon accession, and submit an application for membership with a coverage offer 
within one year after accession to the WTO. The Working Party took note of these commitments."  
61 The initial market access offer - GPA/ACC/TJK/1, dated 16 February 2015; the first revised offer - 
GPA/ACC/TJK/9, dated 10 February 2016; the second revised offer - GPA/ACC/TJK/23, dated 20 June 2016; and 
the third revised GPA/ACC/TJK/30, dated 18 October  2016.  
62 GPA/ACC/TJK/41, dated 20 February 2017.  
63 Comments from the United States - GPA/ACC/TJK/46, dated 13 March 2017; and from 
the European  Union - GPA/ACC/TJK/47, dated 8 June 2017.  
64 GPA/ACC/TJK/7, dated 15 September 2015, and GPA/ACC/TJK/8, dated 12  November 2015.  
65 Comments from the European Union - GPA/ACC/TJK/25, dated 25 July 2016 and GPA/ACC/TJK/38, 
dated 22 December 2016; from Ukraine – GPA/ACC/TJK/39, dated 12 January 2017; and from the United States 
- GPA/ACC/TJK/28, dated 5 August 2016. Repl ies to the European Union - GPA/ACC/TJK/32, dated 
18 October  2016 and GPA/ACC/TJK/42, dated 21 February 2017; to Ukraine - GPA/ACC/TJK/35, dated 
20 October 2016; and to the United States - GPA/ACC/TJK/37, dated 21  October 2016.  GPA/AR/1  
 
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  Afghanistan66, Kazakhstan67, Mongolia68, Saudi Arabia69 and Sey chelles .70 Several of these WTO 
Members have requested related technical assistance (see Part 3.5, below).  
The Committee notes that some of the commitments mentioned have been outstanding for a 
considerable period, and hopes to see an acceleration of work t oward their fulfilment  (or, where 
appropriate, a commencement of work)  in 2019. Technical assistance to support such work is 
available, where appropriate, from the WTO Secretariat, individual GPA Parties, regional donors and 
other sources. Relevant Members are invited and encouraged to seek such assistance.  
3.5  Secretariat techn ical assistance and other activities relevant to GPA accessions  
Pursuant to a standing request by the Committee71, the Secretariat, in the course of the 
Committee's m eetings held in March, June and October  2018, provided brief reports on its ongoing 
technic al assistance (TA) activities relevant to GPA accessions. During the reporting period , the 
Secretariat administered a growing portfolio of technical assistance activities. These comprised three 
global workshops held in Geneva; two regional workshops; seven  national seminars;  and a number 
of other activities. The Secretariat also continued to deepen its collaboration with other organisations 
active in this area, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), 
the Commercial Law Develop ment Programme of the US Department of Commerce (CLDP) and 
the World  Bank.  
In Geneva , the Secretariat presented a new, 5 -day, Advanced Workshop on 
Government  Procurement for the first time in November  2017, and subseq uently also in 
September  2018. In addi tion to providing practical exposure to GPA disciplines and the latest policy 
and related developments in the sphere of government procurement, this new Secretariat TA offering  
addresses the linkages between trade, government procurement and development in  an integrated  
and coordinated way, also highlighting positive linkages with the UN Sustainable Development Goals 
(SDGs). Separately, in November  2018, the Secretariat organised another Advanced Workshop  
focused on government procurement governance issues , including the prevention of corruption and 
supplier collusion, and the role of domestic review . Where relevant , these activities were delivered 
with substantive input by a number of organisations active in this field, including EBRD and the 
World Bank , in addition to leading academic authorities .  
                                                
66 WT/ACC/AFG/36, dated 13 No vember 2015, paragraph 199: "The representative of Afghanistan 
confirmed Afghanistan's willingness to accede to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement. Afghanistan 
would become an observer to the Agreement upon accession, and submit an application for  membership with a 
coverage offer after accession to the WTO. He indicated that Afghanistan would consider initiation of negotiations 
on joining the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement within one year from the date of accession to the 
WTO. The Working Party took note of these commitments."  
67 WT/ACC/KAZ/93, dated 23 June 2015, paragraph 949: "The representative of Kazakhstan confirmed 
the intention of Kazakhstan to join the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement and to notify the 
WTO Committee on Govern ment Procurement to this effect at the time of accession of Kazakhstan to the WTO 
and to ensure that from the date of accession, its Government agencies would award contracts in a transparent 
manner according to published laws, regulations and guidelines. She also confirmed that Kazakhstan would 
request the status of an "observer" in the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement at the time of its 
accession to the WTO and would initiate negotiations for membership in the WTO Agreement on Government 
Procuremen t by tabling an Appendix 1 offer within four years after accession. She confirmed that, if the results 
of the negotiations were satisfactory to the interests of Kazakhstan and the other Members of the Agreement, 
Kazakhstan would accede to that Agreement. T he Working Party t ook note of these commitments."  
68 WT/ACC/MNG/9, dated 27  June 1996, paragraph 59: "The representative of Mongolia confirmed that 
his Government would seek observer status in the Committee 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."  
69 WT/ACC/SAU/61, dated 1  November 2005, paragraph 231: "The representative of Saudi Arabia 
confirmed that, upon access ion 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."  
70 WT/ACC/SYC/64, dated 5 November 2014, paragraph 322: "The represe ntative 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."  
71 GPA/106, dated 9  December 2010, paragraph 30.  GPA/AR/1  
 
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GPA regional workshops were organised, respectively, for the benefit of: (i)  Asia-Pacific 
economies, held in Thailand in January  2018; and (ii) Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and 
the Caucasus (CEECAC) c ountries, held in the Republic of Moldova in October  2018. The latter 
activity was organised in cooperation with EBRD, the United Nations Development Programme 
(UNDP) and the Government of the Republic of Moldova.  
GPA national seminars were organised , respectively , for and at the request of: (i)  Seychelles, 
held in April  2018; (ii) the Philippines, held in Manila also in April 2018; (iii) Brazil, held in Brasilia 
in May  2018; (iv) Afghanistan, held for administrative convenience in Colombo, Sri Lanka a lso in 
May 2018; (v) Kazakhstan, held in Astana in  June 2018; (vi) Belarus, held in Minsk in 
September  2018; and (vii) the Republic of Moldova, held in Chisinau in October  2018. The activities 
for Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Belarus and the Republic of Moldov a were organised in cooperation 
with EBRD, and that for Afghanistan additionally with CLDP.  
Further, the Secretariat participated as a cooperating partner in three separate Capacity -
Building Workshops organised in Geneva by the EBRD under the latter's GPA Technical Cooperation 
Facility72, for the benefit of GPA a cceding Members and O bservers from the EBRD's area of 
operations. These activities were organised during the Committee's meeting w eeks in March, June 
and October  2018, in order to assist officials pa rticipating, on behalf of their governments, in GPA 
accession /potential accession  negotiations and/or to provide practical exposure to the Committee 
meetings. Significantly this year, these activities were also organ ised in cooperation with CLDP. 
Meanwhile , the Secretariat continued to pursue background conversations with the World Bank with 
the aim to further enhance cooperation between the two institutions in the area of government 
procurement, including with regard to technical assistance.  
Beyond the foregoing activities, Secretariat experts also participated, by invitation, in a 
number of relevant activities organised by national authorities or other international organizations.73  
The Committee notes the importance of the Secretariat's technical assis tance activities in 
promoting a better understanding of the GPA among WTO Members that are not yet Parties to the 
Agreement, and in facilitating accessions to and post -accession implementation of the Agreement. 
It appreciates the role that EBRD has played in supporting work on GPA accession by countries within 
its area of operations. It welcomes, also, the growing cooperation between the Secretariat and other 
donor organizations . It encourages the Secretariat to intensify its work in this area , while deepen ing 
its existing partnerships and exploring avenues for further cooperation with other agencies where 
possible and appropriate.  
4  THE COMMITTEE'S AGRE ED WORK PROGRAMMES  
Significant work was done by the Committee during the review period in relation to its ag reed 
Work Programmes.74 The Work Programmes are intended, broadly, to: (i) promote transparency 
with respect to Parties' implementation of the Agreement; (ii) facilitate, where relevant, 
improvements in the administration of the Agreement; and (iii) contrib ute, where appropriate, to 
preparations for the future negotiations that are called for in Article XXII:7 of the revised GPA. 
                                                
72 A facility set up by EBRD to provided support for capacity building for countries in its area of operations 
contemplating, preparing for or acceding to the Agreement – see GPA/126, dated 26 November 2014 and 
GPA/126/Corr.1, dated 3  December 2014, para. 3.31.  
73 These included: (i) an International Workshop on e -Procurement and Cross -border Participation in 
Procurement, organised by Korea Public Procurement Service, Seoul, Korea, 25 -27 April 2018; (ii) a Workshop 
on Enhancing the Partici pation of Women Entrepreneurs and Traders in Government Procurement, under the 
Buenos Aires Declaration on Trade and Women's Economic Empowerment, organised jointly by the Republic of 
Moldova, WTO, EBRD, ITC and International Gender Champions, in Geneva, 2 5 June 2018; (iii) an International 
Convention on Sustainable Trade and Standards (ICSTS), on the theme 'Leveraging Trade, Global Value Chains, 
and Standards as Engines of Sustainable Development', organized by the India National Platform on Private 
Sustai nability Standards (India PSS Platform) and convened by the Quality Council of India, in collaboration with 
UNFSS,  New Delhi, India, 17 -18 September 2018; (iv) a Conference on 'Changes to the FIDIC Forms of Contract' 
- Red and Yellow Books, organised by EB RD in London, UK on 27 September 2018; ( v) a Conference on Digital 
Transformation of Public Procurement, organised by DG GROW, the European Commission, in Lisbon, Portugal 
on 18 October 2018; (v i) a Forum on Public Procurement for SMEs, organised by OECD i n Paris, France, on 
26 October 2018; and (vi i) a Workshop and related Meetings on Strategic Public Procurement, also organised by 
OECD in Paris, France, on 29 -30 October 2018.  
74 See 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 (GPA/113, dated 2 April 2012).  GPA/AR/1  
 
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  During the year,  further activity focused  on the Work Programmes on: (i) Sustainable Procurement; 
(ii) the Collection and Reportin g of Statistical Data; and (iii) SMEs. In each case, progress was 
facilitated by discussions held in informal small groups, the results of which were subsequently 
reported to the Committee as a whole.  
4.1  Work Programme on Sustainable Procurement  
Regarding  the Work Programme on Sustainable Procurement, Paragraph 2 of the relevant 
Decision75 mandates the Committee to examine topics that include: (i) the objectives of sustainable 
procurement; (ii) the ways in which the concept of sustainable procurement is int egrated into 
national and sub -national procurement policies; and (iii) how sustainable procurement can be 
practised in a manner consistent with the principle of "best value for money", and with the Parties' 
international trade obligations. Paragraph 3 of t he Decision provides that the Committee shall 
"identify measures and policies that it considers to be sustainable procurement practiced in a manner 
consistent with the principle of 'best value for money' and with Parties' international trade obligations 
and prepare a report that lists the best practices of the measures and policies".  
Since the initiation of this Work Programme in April  2014, significant work has been done by 
the Committee. Contributions  describing relevant policies, objectives and legislati on have been 
provided by eight Parties. A compilation of all submissions received was c irculated by the Secretariat 
in October  2016. In February  2017, the Secretariat, on request by the Committee, organis ed a 
Symposium on Sustainable Procurement for the be nefit of GPA Parties and Observers.76 
Subsequently, at the Committee's request, the Secretariat prepared a report on "Key Take -aways" 
from the Symposium  that was circulated in May  2017.77 In the course of a follow -up discussion in 
June 2017, the Secretariat was asked to prepare and circulate a list of measures and policies relevant 
to sustainable public procurement that are mentioned in Parties' submissions and/or in the 
Secretariat's Repo rt on the Symposium on Sustainable Procurement. The requested List was 
circulated by the Secretariat in September  2017.78  
Carrying forward the work under this Work Programme  during the period under review , in 
March  2018, the Committee asked the Secretariat  to prepare a draft report, based on directions 
provided by the Committee.79 The requested draft report was circulated on 1  October  2018.80 In the 
course of the Committee's discussion in October  2018,  some delegations noted questions concerning 
the eventual status of the draft report and related matters. Parties agreed to submit comments on 
the draft report, with a view to having  an updated draft by the end of January  2019.  A further 
discussion on the topic is expected to take place in February  2019.  
4.2  Work Pro gramme on Collection and Reporting of Statistical Data  
Regarding the Work Programme on Collection and Reporting of Statistical Data, Paragraph 1 
of the relevant Decision81 calls for the Committee to: (i) review the collection and reporting of 
statistical da ta by the Parties; (ii) consider the potential of harmonizing them; and (iii) prepare a 
report of the results. Contributions on statistical data commenting on/responding to the topics 
identified in Paragraph 2 of the Decision have been initially received f rom 13 Parties .82 In accordance 
with Paragraph 3 of the Decision, a  compilation of the inputs was circulated by the Secretariat in 
February  2016 and an updated version was circulated in  July 2017.  
                                                
75 See GPA/113, Annex E of Appendix 2, page 444.  
76 The Symposium featured contributions from diverse non -governmental experts in addition to national 
experts and representatives of other international organizations. The programme, presentations and bios of the 
speakers of the Symposium on Sustainable Procurement are available at: 
https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/gproc_e/gp_symp_22feb17_e.htm . 
77 See GPA/W/341, dated 30 May 2017 (the Report from the Symposium is publicly available at 
https://docs.wto.org ). 
78 GPA/WPS/SP/11, dated 13 September 2017.  
79 See, RD/GPA/60, dated 18 May 2018, paragraphs 1.2 – 1.3.  
80 GPA/WPS/SP/13, dated 1 October 2018.  
81 See GPA/113, Annex D of Appendix 2, 442 -443. 
82 Inputs were received from the following th irteen Parties (i) Canada; (ii)  the European Union; 
(iii) Hong Kong,  China; (iv) Japan; (v)  Korea; (vi)  Liechtenstein; (vii)  New Zealand; (viii)  Norway; 
(ix) Singapore; (x) Switzerland; (xi) Chinese  Taipei; (xii) Ukraine; and (xiii) the United States.  GPA/AR/1  
 
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In the course of the Committee's meetings in June  2017, the  Committee agreed, in a small 
group format, to further exchanges of information and interested delegations had been invited to 
provide submissions in regard to the following six issues: (i) classification systems;  (ii) the 
determination of country of origi n; (iii) p rocurement excluded from the GPA;  (iv) m ulti-year 
contracts; (v) sub-central procurement covered by the Agreement; and (vi) s tatistical information 
made available online.83 Responses to some or all of these issues have been received from ten 
Parties.84 In the course of the Committee's meetings held in June 2018, the Committee asked the 
Secretariat to prepare and circulate a compilation of all responses. The requested compilation was 
circulated by the Secretariat in Octobe r 2018.85 In the course of the Committee's discussion in 
October  2018, the delegation  of the European Union  indicated  that it had circulated a paper 
identifying possibilities for further progress.  A further discussion on the topic is expected to take 
place in Febru ary 2019.  
4.3  Work Programme on SMEs  
Concerning  the Work Programme on SMEs, Paragraph 1 of the relevant Decision86 provides 
that the Committee shall review measures and policies for SMEs that the Parties use to assist, 
promote, encourage, or facilitate particip ation by SMEs in government procurement and prepare a 
report of the results of the review. Since the initiation of this Work Programme in April  2014, 
significant work has been done by the Committee.  
Paragraph 3.2(a) of the relevant Decision87 provides that the Committee shall survey the 
Parties, through the use of a Questionnaire seeking information regarding the measures and policies 
used to assist, promote, encourage, or facilitate participation by SMEs in government procurement. 
The terms of the questionn aire were agreed in 2015. Altogether, replies to the SME question naire 
have been received from sixteen  Parties.88 In accordance with Paragraph 3.2(b) of the Decision, a 
compilation of replies was circulated by the Secretariat in February  2016. 
In February  2016, Parties agreed to carry out an initial exchange of follow -up questions and 
answers on the basis of the Secretariat's compilation of Parties' responses to the SME questionnaire. 
Subsequently, written questions were circulated by three Parties89 and writ ten answers provided by 
eleven  Parties. A compilation of the questions and answers received was circulated by the Secretariat 
in October  2016 and an updated version was circulated in July  2017. At the request of the 
Committee, a short paper identifying possible SME -related issues for discussion by Parties in an 
informal, small group format, was circulate d by the Secretariat in October  2016. At the Committee's 
meetings in October  2016, Parties were invited to provide contributions on commonalities in thei r 
approaches for promoting and facilitating the participation of SMEs of the Parties in government 
procurement.90 Throughout the Committee's meetings in  2017, Parties worked toward the objective 
of identifying the measures and policies considered to be good  or best practices, based on the 
practices identified in the Parties' non -papers expressing their views on the issue.  
Carrying forward the work on this Work Programme during the period under review, in 
March  2018, two delegations indicated  that they would  prepare a document listing the policies and 
measures that had been identified by the Parties as "best practices", to circulate it in advance of the 
Committee's June meetings. In the course of the June meetings, the two delegations indicated that 
they woul d initiate the process of preparing a draft final report, as mandated by Paragraph 4.1 of 
the relevant Decision. The draft final report was circulated informally to interested delegations in 
                                                
83 The relevant questions can be found in documents GPA/WPS/STAT/14, dated 28 April 2017; and 
GPA/WPS/STAT/24, dated 24 September 2017.  
84 Responses have been received from the following ten Parties: (i) Canada; (ii) the European Union; 
(iii) Hong Kon g, China; ( iv) Japan; (v) Korea ; (vi) New Zealand; (vii) Switzerland; (viii)  Chinese  Taipei; (ix) 
Ukraine; and (x) the United States.  
85 GPA/WPS/STAT/29, dated 5 October 2018 and GPA/WPS/STAT/29/Rev.1, dated 5 November  2018.  
86 See GPA/113, Annex C of Appendix 2, 439 -441.  
87 See GPA/113, Annex C of Appendix 2, 439 -441.  
88 Inputs were received from the following sixteen Parties: (i) Armenia; (ii)  Canada; 
(iii) the European  Union; (iv) Hong Kong, China; (v) Japan; (vi)  Liechtenstein; (vii)  Montenegro; 
(viii) New Zealand; (ix) Norway; (x)  Singapore; (xi)  Switzerland; (xii) Chinese  Taipei; (xiii)  the United  States; 
(xiv) Israel; (xv) Ukraine; and (xvi) Korea.  
89 Questions concerning 16 GPA Parties have been circulated by Canada, the European Union and 
the United States.  
90 Subsequently, such a contribution was provided by  a Party.  GPA/AR/1  
 
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  September  2018. At the Committee's October  2018 meetings, delegat ions agreed to continue work 
on the basis of the draft final report. A further discussion on the topic is expected to take place in 
February  2019.  
4.4  Other Work Programmes  
Paragraph  1 of the Decision establishing the Work Programme on Exclusions and Restricti ons 
in Parties' Annexes provides that the Committee shall initiate a Work Programme with the overall 
objectives of: (i) enhancing transparency with respect to the scope and effect of exclusions and 
restrictions specified in Parties Annexes; and (ii) provid ing information relating to exclusions and 
restrictions to facilitate negotiations provided for in Article XXII:7 of the revised GPA. Since the 
initiation of the Work Programme on Exclusions and Restrictions in Parties' Annexes in April 2014, 
significant w ork has been done by the Committee. Fourteen  Parties have provided lists of country -
specific and other exclusions or restrictions in their Annexes, as mandated by Paragraph 2 of the 
Decision. In accordance with Paragraph 3 of the Decision, a compilation of  replies was circulated by 
the Secretariat in January 2016 and an updated version was circulated in February  2017.91 
Regarding the review called for in paragraph 6 of the Decision establishing the Work Programme on 
Exclusions and Restrictions in Parties' An nexes92, and as noted also in the 2016 and 2017 Annual 
Reports93, the Committee considers that the exchange of information already conducted pursuant 
to this  Work Programme has been useful.  Parties that have not yet provided their relevant inputs to 
the Work  Programme, including recently acceded Parties, are cordially requested to do so. Parties 
desiring additional information concerning any Parties' exclusions and restrictions may so request 
under the terms of paragraph 4 of the same Decision, or pursuant to  their general rights as Parties 
to the Agreement.  
More generally, with respect to all of the Work Programmes discussed above, the Committee 
considers that its work has been useful in enhancing transparency and as a contribution to 
preparations for the eve ntual further review of the Agreement which is called for in Article XXII:7 of 
the revised Agreement. It looks forward to further engagement, w here appropriate, on these 
Work Programmes in 2019. Other Work Programmes foreseen at the conclusion of the GPA 
renegotiation in 2012, for example on Safety Standards in International Procurement; Review of the 
Use, Transparency and the Legal Frameworks of Public -Private Partnerships, and their Relationship 
to Covered Procurement; the Advantages and Disadvantages of Developing Common Nomenclature 
for Goods and Services; and the Advantages and Disadvantages of Developing Standardized 
Notices94, will be taken up as and when the Committee considers this to be useful and timely.  
Similarly , regarding the possibility, pursua nt to paragraph 3 of the Decision on adoption of 
Work P rogrammes (GPA/113, Annex B, Appendix 2, pp. 438), to periodically review the list of Work 
Programmes and make appropriate adjustments , this possibility will be activated  only as and when 
it is considered by the Committee to be useful and timely.  
In the course of the Committee's informal meeting in October  2017, the former Chairman 
(John Newham (Ireland)) invited delegations to consider whether the Committee might wish to 
undertake an explorat ion of ongoing technological developments in the world of government 
procurement and their implications for the Committee's work. In the course of the Committee's 
meetings in March 2018, two delegations supported the idea of holding a symposium dedicated t o 
the issue.95 Another delegation suggested that the Committee should also take into account relevant 
work done in other international organizations and bodies in this subject -area.96 In June 2018, a 
Party submitted97, for the Committee's consideration, a num ber of concrete suggestions of topics 
that could be considered in a possible symposium.  
                                                
91 The original compilation contained the inputs that had been received from eleven Parties by that time: 
(i) Armenia; (ii) Canada; (iii) the  European Union; (iv) Hong Kong, China; (v)  Japan; (vi) Liec htenstein; (vii) 
Norway; (viii)  Singapore; (ix) Switzerland; (x) Chinese Taipei; and (xi) the United States. The revision of the 
compilation contains the additional inputs that have been circulated by Korea, New Zealand  and Israel.  
92 See GPA/113, Annex F o f Appendix 2, 445 -446. 
93 See GPA/141, dated 29 November 2016, paragraph 4.4. and GPA/145, dated 16 November 2017, 
paragraph 4.3.  
94 See GPA/113, Annex G, and GPA/113, Annex B, respectively.  
95 Ukraine and the European Union, see RD/GPA/60, dated 18 M ay 2018,  paragraphs 3.5 – 3.6. 
96 The United States, see RD/GPA/60, dated 18 May 2018, paragraph 3.7.  
97 Ukraine, see RD/GPA/65, dated 20 August 2018, paragraph 3.3.  GPA/AR/1  
 
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Carrying the discussion forward, in the course of the Committee's informal meeting s in 
October  2018,  the Chairman undertook to circulate some thoughts as to how discus sions regarding 
possibilities for exploring additional subjects of interest t o Parties might be structured. The European 
Union  also agreed to brief the Committee in February 2019 on the discussions on digitalization and 
related issues that took place at th e Conference on related topics hel d in Lisbon on 18  October  2018 
to which GPA Parties were also invited and some of them participated.  
5  NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE AGREEMENT  
This part of the report summarizes information relating  to the notifications under the 
Agreement, including with respect to: (i) the thresholds applicable under the Agreement; (ii) the 
notification of national implementing legislation; (iii) statistical reporting; (iv)  consultations and 
dispute settlement; and (v) modifications to the Agreem ent's Appendices.  
The Committee takes note of the notifications made in the course of the reporting period and 
encourages delegations that have not yet provided re levant notifications to do so.  
5.1  Thresholds  
In accordance with the Decision on Modalities for N otifying Threshold Figures in National 
Currencies98, since the last Annual Report, thirteen  Parties ( Armenia; Canada ; the European Union; 
Hong Kong,  China; Israel; Japan; Liechtenstein; Montenegro; Norway; Singapore; Switzerland; 
Ukraine and the  United States  of America ) have provided information on their respective threshold 
figures expressed in national currencies ( see Table 1 below).  
Table 1: The Thresholds in Appendix I of the Agreement as Expressed in National 
Currencies  
Party  Symbol  Date  Period of validity  
Armenia  GPA/THR/ARM/1  24/07/2018  From 01/01/2018 to 31/12/2019  
Canada  GPA/THR/CAN/1  15/01/2018  From 01/01/201 8 to 31/12/2019  
European Union  GPA/THR/EU/1  17/04/2018  From 01/01/2018 to 31/12/2019  
Hong Kong, China  GPA/THR/HKG/1  20/12 /2017  From 01/01/2018 to 31/12/2019  
Israel  GPA/THR/ISR/1  17/01/2018  From 01/01/2018 to 31/12/2019  
Japan  GPA/THR/JPN/1  07/02/2018  From 01/01/2018 to 31/12/2019  
GPA/THR/JPN/1/Add.1  07/02/2018  From 01/01/2018 to 31/12/2019  
Liechtenstein  GPA/THR/LIE/1  15/02/2018  From 01/01/2018 to 31/12/2019  
GPA/THR/LIE/1/Rev.1  19/02/2018  From 01/01/2018 to 31/12/2019  
Montenegro  GPA/W/366/Add.15  To be circulated  From 01/01/2015 to 31/12/2017  
Norway  GPA/W/336/Add.14  19/06/2018  From 01/01/2016 to 31/12/2017  
GPA/THR/NOR/1  19/06/2018  From 01/01/2018 to 31/12/2019  
Singapore  GPA/THR/SGP/1  15/01/2018  From 01/01/2018 to 31/12/2019  
Switzerland  GPA/THR/CHE/1  09/01/2018  From 01/01/2018 to 31/12/2019  
Ukraine  GPA/THR/UKR/1  26/06/2018  From 01/01/2018 to 31/12/2019  
United States  GPA/THR/USA/1  20/12/2017  From 01/01/2018 to 31/12/2019  
 
5.2  Notification of national implementing legislation  
Pursuant to Article  XXIV:5(b) of the 1994 Agreement and Article XXII:5 of the revised 
Agreement, notifications were received from three  Parties  (Armenia, Japan  and Liechtenstein ) (see 
Table 2 below).  
                                                
98 GPA/1, dated 5  March  1996, Annex  3. GPA/AR/1  
 
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  Table 2: National Implementing Legislation  
Party  Symbol  Date  
Armenia  GPA/LEGIS/ARM/1  21/09/2018  
GPA/LEGIS/ARM/2  21/09/2018  
Japan  GPA/37/Add.15  03/04/2018  
GPA/99/Add. 6 03/04/2018  
Liechtenstein  GPA/LEGIS/LIE/1  24/07/2018  
 
5.3  Statistical reporting  
Article  XIX:5 of the 1994 Agreement and Article 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, ten Parties (Hong Kong, China; I celand; Japan ; Liechtenstein ; 
Montenegro; Norway; Singapore; Switzerland; Chinese Taipei and  the United States ) have  provided 
statistical reports (s ee Table 3 below).  
Table 3: Statistics on Procurements Covered by the Agreement  
Party  Symbol  Date  Legal Basis  Period 
covered  
Hong Kong, China  GPA/STAT(17)/HKG/1  28/05/2018  Art. XVI:4 revised 
GPA 2017 
Iceland  GPA/STAT (17)/ISL/1  26/04/2018  Art. XVI:4 revised 
GPA 2017 
Japan  GPA/142/Add.9  03/04/2018  Art. XVI:4 revised 
GPA 2016 
Liechtenstein  GPA/STAT(17)/LIE/1  24/10/2018  Art. XVI:4 revised 
GPA 2017 
Montenegro  GPA/137/Add.10  02/03/2018  Art. XVI:4 revised 
GPA 2015 
GPA/142/Add.7  02/03/2018  Art. XVI:4 revised 
GPA 2016 
Norway  GPA/130/Add.9  13/03/2018  Art. XVI:4 revised 
GPA 2014 
GPA/137/Add.11  13/03/2018  Art. XVI:4 revised 
GPA 2015 
GPA/142/Add.8  13/03/2018  Art. XVI:4 revised 
GPA 2016 
Singapore  GPA/137/Add.9  12/01/2018  Art. XVI:4 revised 
GPA 2015 
Switzerland  GPA/STAT(17)/CHE/1  To be circulated  Art. XIX:5 1994  GPA 2017 
Chinese Taipei  GPA/STAT(17)/TPKM/1  15/06/2018  Art. XVI:4 revised 
GPA 2017 
United States  GPA/114/Add.8  21/11/2017  Art. XIX:5 1994  GPA 2011 
GPA/119/Add.7  30/10/2018  Art. XIX:5 1994  GPA  2012 
GPA/137/Add.8  28/11/2017  Art. XVI:4 revised 
GPA 2015 
GPA/142/Add.10  30/10/2018  Art. XVI:4 revised 
GPA 2016 
 
5.4  Consultations and dispute settlement  
No matters were raised during the reporting period under Article  XXII of the 1994 Agreement 
or Article XX of the revised Agreement (Consultations and Dispute Settlement).  GPA/AR/1  
 
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  5.5  Notifications relating to the Appendices to the Agreement99 
5.5.1   Notifications relat ing to App endices I of the Agreement  
Since the last A nnual Report, three  Parties (Japan, New Zealand and Singapore ) have notified 
proposed modifications to Appendix I of the revised Agreement  pursuant to Article XIX:1 of the 
revised GPA  (see Table 4 below). In addition, two Parties (Japan and Singapore) have notified 
proposed modification s to Appendix I of the 1994 GPA  pursuant to Article XXIV:6(a) of the 1994 
Agreement  (see Table 5 below).  
5.5.2   Notifications relat ing to Appendices II to IV of the Agreement  
During the reporting period, there has been no notification  relating to Appendices I I to IV of 
the Agreement . 
                                                
99 See also GPA/W/326, dated 19  March 2014 - Committee on Gove rnment Procurement - Approval and 
issuance of updated loose -leaf schedules to the revised Agreement - Note from the Secretariat; and GPA/W/327, 
dated 11  April 2014 - Committee on Government Procurement - Certification of updated loose -leaf schedules to 
the revised Agreement - Appendices II -IV - Note from the Secretariat.   
  GPA/AR/1  
 
- 19 - Table 4: Modifications to Appendix I that have been notified under Article XIX:1 of the revised GPA  
Party proposing 
modifications  Proposed Modifications  Certification  Status and  
Remarks  
 Doc Symbol  Date  Effective Date  Symbol   
Japan  GPA/MOD/JPN/101  25/09/2018  09/11/2018  WT/Let/ 1419  The proposed modification has become effective, 
as no objection was received within 45 days.  
New Zealand  GPA/MOD/NZL/5  29/11/2017  13/01/2018  WT/Let/1331  The proposed modification has become effective, 
as no objection was received within 45 days.  
GPA/MOD/NZL/6  26/02/2018  12/04/2018  WT/Let/1351  The proposed modification has become effective, 
as no objection was received within 45 days.  
GPA/MOD/NZL/7  23/04/2018  07/06/2018  WT/Let/1356  The proposed modification has become effective, 
as no objection was received within 45 days.  
Singapore  GPA/MOD/SGP/7  07/06/2018  22/07/2018  WT/Let/1382  The proposed modification has become effective, 
as no objection was received within 45 days.  
 
Table 5: Modifications to Appendix I that have been notified under Article XXIV:6(a) of the 1994 Agreement 100 
Party proposing 
modifications  Proposed Modification  Certification  Status and Remarks  
 Doc Symbol  Date  Effective Date  LET Document Symbol  Remarks  
Japan  GPA/MOD/JPN/100  25/09/2018  25/10/2018  WT/Let/1415  The proposed modification has become effective, 
as no objection was received within 30 days.  
Singapore  GPA/MOD/SGP/6  07/06/2018  07/07/2018  WT/Let/ 1381 The proposed modification has become effective, 
as no objection was received within 30 days.  
 
__________  
                                                
100 A list of outstanding proposed modifications to Appendix I under the 1994 Agreement from 2015 and previous years is provided in GPA/134, dated 16 November 2015, 
paragraph 5.9.