Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization
Decision on Accession to the Agreement on Government Procurement
1. Ministers invite the Committee on Government Procurement
established under the Agreement on Government Procurement in Annex
4 of the Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization to
clarify that:
(a) a Member interested in accession according to paragraph 2
of Article XXIV of the Agreement on Government Procurement would
communicate its interest to the Director-General of the WTO, submitting
relevant information, including a coverage offer for incorporation
in Appendix I having regard to the relevant provisions of the
Agreement, in particular Article I and, where appropriate, Article
V;
(b) the communication would be circulated to Parties to the Agreement;
(c) the Member interested in accession would hold consultations
with the Parties on the terms for its accession to the Agreement;
(d) with a view to facilitating accession, the Committee would
establish a working party if the Member in question, or any of
the Parties to the Agreement, so requests. The working party should
examine:
(i) the coverage offer made by the applicant
Member; and
(ii) relevant information pertaining to export
opportunities in the markets of the Parties, taking into account
the existing and potential export capabilities of the applicant
Member and export opportunities for the Parties in the market
of the applicant Member;
(e) upon a decision by the Committee agreeing to the terms of
accession including the coverage lists of the acceding Member,
the acceding Member would deposit with the Director-General of
the WTO an instrument of accession which states the terms so agreed.
The acceding Member's coverage lists in English, French and Spanish
would be appended to the Agreement;
(f) prior to the date of entry into force of the WTO Agreement,
the above procedures would apply mutatis mutandis to contracting
parties to the GATT 1947 interested in accession, and the tasks
assigned to the Director-General of the WTO would be carried out
by the Director-General to the CONTRACTING PARTIES to the GATT
1947.
2. It is noted that Committee decisions are arrived at on the
basis of consensus. It is also noted that the non-application
clause of paragraph 11 of Article XXIV is available to any Party.
Continue on to Decision on the Application and Review of the
Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes
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