Agreement on Government Procurement
The Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) is a plurilateral agreement under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO) that entered into force in 1981, it was then renegotiated in parallel with the Uruguay Round in 1994, and its current form entered into force on 1 January 1996. It regulates the government procurement of goods and services by the public authorities of the parties to the agreement, based on the principles of openness, transparency and non-discrimination.
Parties
The following WTO Members are parties to the agreement:[1]
| Parties | Accession date |
|---|---|
| The European Union with respect to Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom | 1 January 1996 |
| Israel | 1 January 1996 |
| Japan | 1 January 1996 |
| Norway | 1 January 1996 |
| Switzerland | 1 January 1996 |
| United States | 1 January 1996 |
| The Netherlands with respect to Aruba | 25 October 1996 |
| Korea | 1 January 1997 |
| Hong Kong, China | 19 June 1997 |
| Liechtenstein | 18 September 1997 |
| Singapore | 20 October 1997 |
| Iceland | 28 April 2001 |
| The European Union with respect to Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia | 1 May 2004 |
| The European Union with respect to Bulgaria and Romania | 1 January 2007 |
| Chinese Taipei | 15 July 2009 |
| Armenia | 15 September 2011 |
The following WTO Members have obtained observer status with respect to the GPA, with those marked with an asterisk (*) negotiating accession: Albania*, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Cameroon, Chile, China*, Colombia, Croatia, Georgia*, India, Indonesia, Jordan*, Kyrgyz Republic*, Malaysia, Moldova*, Mongolia, Montenegro, New Zealand*, Oman*, Panama*, Russian Federation*, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Ukraine*, Viet Nam.[1]
References
- 1 2 "Parties and observers to the GPA". WTO. Retrieved 20 April 2013.