News

On 3 December, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Rolandas Kriščiūnas took part at a ministerial meeting during the WTO’s Ninth Ministerial Conference in Bali, Indonesia. At the meeting, the ministers affirmed their commitment to have the Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) enter into force during the first quarter of 2014.

Gains in market access have been provisionally estimated by the WTO Secretariat to be in the range of US$ 80 billion to US$ 100 billion. The GPA will make the parties’ measures regarding government procurement more transparent, ensure non-discriminatory treatment regarding suppliers, and reduce corruption. The GPA is to date the only legally binding agreement in the WTO focusing on the subject of government procurement.

The Ministers also voiced support for the accession of new WTO members to the agreement and praised the progress achieved by Montenegro, New Zealand, and China in negotiating accession.

The meeting was held during the WTO’s Ninth Ministerial Conference.

The decision was made on the outcomes of the re-negotiation of the agreement at the Eighth WTO Ministerial Conference in 2011. The revised GPA will enter into force when two-thirds of the parties have ratified the agreement.

In total, 15 parties are currently part of the agreement. Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine are negotiating accession. The protocol of Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization also includes an obligation to join the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement.