. /. RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION  
ORGANISATION MONDIALE DU COMMERCE  
ORGANIZACIÓN MUNDIAL DEL COMERCIO  GPA/O/NOR/1/Add.1 
22 December 2005 
 (05-6225) 
Committee on Government Procurement Original: English/ 
               anglais/ 
               inglés 
 
 
NEGOTIATIONS ON EXTENSION OF COVERAGE AND ELIMINATION OF  
DISCRIMINATORY MEASURES AND PRACTICES PURSUANT TO  
ARTICLE XXIV:7(b) AND (c) OF THE AGREEMENT  
ON GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 
 
Communication from Norway1 
 
Addendum  
 
 The following communication, dated 20 December  2005, is being circulated at the request of 
the Delegation of Norway. 
 
 
Comité des marchés publics  
 
NÉGOCIATIONS SUR L'EXTENSION DE LA PORTÉE DE L'ACCORD ET 
L'ÉLIMINATION DES MESURES ET PRATIQUES DISCRIMINATOIRES  
AU TITRE DE L'ARTICLE XXIV:7  b) ET c) DE L'ACCORD  
SUR LES MARCHÉS PUBLICS 
 
Communication de la Norvège1 
 
Addendum  
 
 La communication ci-après, datée du 20 décem bre 2005, est distribuée à la demande de la 
délégation de la Norvège. 
 
 
Comité de Contratación Pública 
 
AMPLIACIÓN DEL ÁMBITO DE APLICACIÓN Y LA ELIMINACIÓN DE  
LAS MEDIDAS Y PRÁCTICAS DISCRIMINATORIAS EN CONFORMIDAD  
CON EL PÁRRAFO 7(b) Y (c) DEL ARTÍCULO XXIV DEL ACUERDO  
SOBRE CONTRATACIÓN PÚBLICA  
 
Comunicación de Noruega1 
 
Addendum  
 
 La siguiente comunicación, de fecha de 20 diciembre de 2005, se distribuye a petición de la 
delegación de Noruega. 
                                                      
1 In English only./En anglais seulement./En inglés solamente. GPA/O/NOR/1/Add.1 
Page 2  
 
 
ADDITIONAL REQUEST FROM NORWAY TO THE UNITED STATES 
  
 
1. Norway's initial request to all Parties to the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) 
contains a general request for extensive coverage of Annex 3 entities. 
2. The initial Annex 3 request covers all public  authorities (State/Federal, regional, local 
bodies), which have as one of their activities any of those referred to in the request. 
3. The listing of activities in the initial request did not specifically cover projects such as 
telecommunications
 projects under the Rural Utilities Services of the United States, which is covered 
by this additional request.2 
4. Annex 3 of the United States3 lists Rural Utilities Service Financing in the following manner: 
Rural Utilities Service Financing: 
 (1) waiver of Buy American restriction on  financing for all power generation projects 
(restrictions on financing for telecommunication projects are excluded from the 
Agreement); 
 
 (2) application of Code-equivalent procurem ent procedures and national treatment to 
funded projects exceeding the thresholds specified above. 
 
5. Norway understands that Rural Utilities Servi ces and the Rural Telephone Bank procures 
under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (the "R E Act") of 1936 as amended.  The Uruguay Round 
Agreements Act of 1994 amended the "Buy American" provision4 of the RE Act.  Under the 
amendment, the USTR is authorized to determine el igible countries that have their products receive 
the same treatment as manufactured and unmanufac tured products produced in the United States. 
6. According to the Federal Register notice5, Norway is eligible for electric program borrowers.  
For telecommunications program borrowers, only Ca nada, Israel and Mexico are listed as "eligible 
countries".  Norwegian suppliers have thus had di fficulties delivering under the broadband loan and 
grant programs. 
7. In view of the interest of Norwegian suppliers in participating in contracts under the 
telecommunications program, Norway hereby requests  that the United States extends its coverage in 
Annex 3 to include all RUS telecommunications programs and consequently waives the "Buy American" provision for these programs in respect of Norway. 
__________ 
                                                     
 
2 This additional request covers only one aspect of the market access interests of Norway in the current 
GPA negotiations, and is without prejudice to other additional requests that may be presented later in the 
negotiations to the United States or to any other Party to the GPA. 
3 In the latest version reproduced in document WT/Let/482/Rev.1 of 1 October 2004. 
4 7 U.S.C 903 note. 
5 Vol. 66, No. 222 of 16 November 2001 at 57702.