Timor-Leste has initiated negotiations to join the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), according to a statement made by Ambassador Antonio Da Conceicao. He emphasized that "joining the Government Procurement Agreement is part of a broader national strategy to strengthen good governance, align with international standards and support our successful integration into the global economy."
As part of its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Timor-Leste committed to submitting an initial market access offer in its GPA accession negotiation scheduled for August this year.
In addition to Timor-Leste's efforts, the Committee discussed the advanced accession negotiations of Albania and Costa Rica. Both countries have submitted their “final” market access offers earlier this year and will continue discussions with GPA parties, aiming to finalize their accession processes soon. China's ongoing accession negotiation was also a topic of discussion.
Guatemala was welcomed as the 37th observer by the Committee.
The launch of the e-GPA Notification System on June 16 marks significant progress in digitalizing Committee operations. This system is expected to facilitate compliance with transparency obligations under the Agreement by enabling online submission of notifications required under GPA 2012, such as government procurement statistics and procurement thresholds in national currencies.
The GPA 2012 is designed as a plurilateral agreement aiming to open government procurement markets among its parties reciprocally. It promotes transparency and good governance in government procurement processes. Currently, there are 22 parties involved in the Agreement, covering 49 WTO members, including the European Union and its member states.
The Agreement facilitates reciprocal market opening, assisting GPA parties in procuring goods and services that offer optimal value for money. It provides legal assurances against discrimination for goods, services, and suppliers from GPA parties involved in covered procurement activities valued at approximately USD 1.7 trillion annually. Government procurement typically represents about 15 percent of GDP in both developed and developing economies.