Costa Rica and Albania are drawing closer to finalizing their accession to the GPA 2012. Costa Rica's "final" market access offer was presented in January 2025, highlighting its commitment to joining the GPA 2012 promptly. Leonor Obando from Costa Rica voiced optimism about the potential benefits, saying: "We are prepared to accept the challenges and opportunities that membership in the GPA will provide. We firmly believe that our accession will not only improve Costa Rica's economy but will also serve as a catalyst for the expansion of the GPA to the Latin American region." Costa Rica is notably the first Central American WTO member pursuing membership in the Agreement.
Albania's progress was also noted, as the country submitted its "final" market access offer in January. Reida Kashta, Albania's representative, expressed the intent to swiftly conclude the accession negotiations: "We would like to conclude our accession negotiations as soon as possible and are collaborating with GPA parties towards this objective."
The Committee on Government Procurement also reviewed the accession negotiations of other nations including China, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Tajikistan.
In parallel with these discussions, the Committee's focus included improving the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in government procurement, which was highlighted by initiatives shared by the Dominican Republic.
Moreover, the Committee decided to make more historical GPA documents accessible to the public, which will be available on the WTO website.
Sustainable procurement practices were also underlined with the release of compilations of green public procurement-related provisions on the WTO website. This is part of the Committee's Work programme on sustainable procurement.
The WTO Secretariat updated the Committee on an enhanced e-GPA notification system. This new system, developed collaboratively with various divisions, will facilitate the online submission of GPA notifications upon its future launch.
The GPA 2012 currently includes 22 parties and covers 49 WTO members, aiming to open government procurement markets reciprocally among its parties and promote transparency and good governance. It is set to convene again on June 18.