WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  RESTRICTED 
GPA/M/22 
11 May 2004 
 (04-2085) 
Committee on Government Procurement  
   
MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 23 APRIL 2003 
 
Chairman:  Mr. Niklas Bergström (Sweden) 
   
1. The Committee adopted the following agenda: 
A. Request for Observer Status 
 B. Negotiations unde r Article XXIV:7 
C. Modifications to the Appendices to the Agreement 
(i) Notification from the European Communities (ii) Other modifications 
D. Accessions 
E. Review of National Implementing Legislation F. Other Business 
 
2. The Chairman noted that the provisional agenda had been circulated in Airgram 
WTO/AIR/2283 of 5 April 2004, and that Parties had been sent an Annotated Agenda (Job No. 2372, 
dated 7 April 2004). 
A. REQUEST FOR OBSERVER STATUS  
3. As the first item, the Chairman referred to  Sri Lanka's request for observer status 
(GPA/W/292, dated 6 April 2004).  The Committee approved that request. 
B. NEGOTIATIONS UNDER ARTICLE  XXIV :7 
4. Summarizing work undertaken since the prev ious formal meeting of the Committee in 
August 2003, the Chairman reported that the Inform al Group of the Committee had met three times:  
on 26-28 November 2003, 17-20 February 2004 and 21- 23 April 2004.  The work consisted of two 
elements:  (i) renegotiation of the text of the Ag reement;  and (ii) negotiations on the expansion of 
coverage and elimination of discriminatory measures/practices. 
5. At all meetings, delegations had carried forward work on the non-market access-related 
provisions of the Agreement.  Many proposals or comments from delegations had been presented in 
writing, but he chose not to enumerate them all,  especially as they did no t necessarily reflect the 
positions of delegations at the time of his report.  The most recent consolidated draft of the revised 
text, reflecting positions as at the end of the meeti ng in February 2004, was contained in Job No. 1350 
(dated 27 February 2004), and would be updated. GPA/M/22 
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6. At the most recent meetings, in addition to th e usual article-by-article approach, a particular 
focus had been given to the text relating to develo ping countries, modifications and rectifications of 
schedules, and conditions for partic ipation in procurement.  On di spute settlement, which had been 
discussed at some length in February 2004, the S ecretariat had attempted to identify issues in the 
revised draft text of the GPA that were related to  the review of the Dispute Settlement Understanding 
(Job No. 2527, dated 15 April 2004). 
7. As to the work on the revision of the text undert aken earlier that week, he stated that with 
regard to Article XIV on Developing Countries, par ticipants had had a detailed discussion on the basis 
of the consolidated text prepared by the Europ ean Communities, Switzerland and the United States 
(Job No. 1142, dated 20 February 2004).  A large num ber of detailed suggestions had been made, and 
the three Parties had undertaken to produce a revi sed draft, taking into account the proposals made 
and views expressed.  A number of other delegations ha d indicated their interest in being associated 
with this work. 
8. As regards rectifications and modifications to  coverage, participants  had had a detailed 
discussion on the basis of a new proposal put forward by Japan (Job No. 2522, dated 15 April 2004), a 
room document presented by the United States and a note prepared by the Secretariat (Job No. 2133, 
dated 30 March 2004).  Japan and the United States had indicated that they would work together to develop their thinking on this issue with a view to presenting a revised text to the next meeting.  A 
number of other delegations had indicated their in terest in being associated with this work. 
9. Conditions for participation had been further discussed on the basis of new proposals by the 
European Communities (Job No. 2381, dated 7 April 2004) as well as proposals put forward earlier by 
Canada and other Parties, as reflected in J ob No. 1350 (dated 27 February 2004).  The updated 
version of the revised draft text of the Ag reement would reflect all of these proposals. 
10. With respect to the negotiations on expansion of  coverage and elimination of discriminatory 
measures and practices, delegations had inte nsively discussed the modalities for how these 
negotiations should proceed and  ha d requested the Secretariat to prepare a revised draft decision by 
5 May 2004.  Delegations  had agreed to present their written comments on this by the end of 
May 2004, so that the Committee could take a decisi on on this matter at its meeting in June 2004. 
11. Concluding his report, the Chairman noted that  in the period since the Committee last met, 
further important progress had been made on the revised draft text of the Agreement and on developing modalities for the other aspects of the ne gotiations.  A considerable number of differences 
had been resolved and important new ideas put forwar d for bridging the remaining gaps.  He thanked 
all delegations for their constructiv e participation and the flexibility that they had shown.  However, 
much work needed to be done if provisi onal agreement was to be reached on the 
non-market access-related provisions before the summe r break of 2004.  It was also important that a 
decision be taken on the modalities for the market acce ss-related negotiations at the next meeting of 
the Committee. 
12. The representative of Israel, commenting on the Chairman's report, pointed out that, with 
respect to the issue of developing countries, hi s delegation did not see the paper by the European 
Communities, Switzerland and the United States (Job No. 1142, dated 20 February 2004) as a basis.  
His delegation was prepared to work on a common paper on that issue, which he hoped could become 
the basis for the discussion and the directi on that the Committee would work towards. 
13. The Committee took note of the Chairman's report and agreed to the course of action outlined 
therein.  It also took note of the statement made by Israel.  GPA/M/22 
 Page 3 
 
 
C. MODIFICATIONS TO THE AP PENDICES TO THE AGREEMENT  
(i) Notification from the European Communities 
14. The Chairman noted that document GPA/MOD/ EEC/1, dated 26 March 2004, contained a 
communication from the European Communities date d 22 March 2004, with proposed modifications 
pursuant to Article XXIV:6(a) to Appendices I, II a nd IV of the European Communities relating to the 
enlargement of the European Communities.  An addendum to this document contained translated 
versions of Appendices II and IV in Fr ench and Spanish (GPA/MOD/EEC/1/Add.1, 
dated 30 March 2004). 
15. On the same date as this proposed modification, communications from Estonia 
(GPA/41/Rev.1), Latvia (GPA/SPEC/5/Rev.2) , Lithuania (GPA/66/Rev.1) and Slovenia 
(GPA/56/Rev.1) had been circulated, withdrawing those countries' applications for accession.  The 
Chairman pointed out that these four communicati ons would be addressed separately under Item D. 
16. The Chairman added that intensive consultations  had taken place earlier that week, leading to 
the preparation of a draft decision on the modifica tion proposed by the European Communities, which 
had been circulated to Parties.  He understood that, based on those consultations, the European 
Communities would make a statement to be put on the record. 
17. The representative of the European Communiti es made the following statement to further 
clarify the content of its modifications  made in view of its enlargement: 
The European Communities clarifies that th e coverage of its new member States has 
been organized in the same manner as the c overage of its existing member States.  
The European Communities c onsiders that no central government entities of its new 
member States have been omitted;  it stands ready to correct any omissions.  All 
entities of the new member States that meet th e criteria of the EC's offer in Annexes 2 
and 3 are covered. 
The European Communities clarifies that subor dinate entities of the ministries of the 
new member States are generally covered in  two ways.  Subordinate entities that can 
be considered as part of a ministry are covered under the relevant ministry in 
Annex 1.  Subordinate entities that may not be  considered as part of a ministry, in 
particular because they have separate lega l personality, are generally covered as a 
body governed by public law in Annex 2.  Due to the particular administrative structure of Latvia and Lithuania, subord inate ministerial entities of those member 
States are explicitly included in Annex 1. 
The European Communities stands ready to provide any further necessary 
clarification. 
Finally, the European Communities would like to thank the other Parties for the 
constructive spirit in which they have worked with the European Communities in order to achieve the full integration of the ten new member States into the GPA. 
18. With the Chairman's introduction of this modification and the statement made by the 
European Communities, the Co mmittee adopted the decision.
1 
                                                      
1 Subsequently circulated as docu ment GPA/78 (dated 4 May 2004). GPA/M/22 
Page 4  
 
19. The representative of Switzerland stated that the decision on the addition of ten new countries 
to the Agreement on Government Procurement was a historic day for the Agreement.  His delegation 
noted with great satisfaction that the membership of the Agreement was going to increase significantly on 1 May 2004.  It very much looked forward to having the new members of the European Communities represented in the Commit tee and to the extended overall coverage of 
government procurement with those ten new members. 
20. The representative of Hong Kong, China welc omed the enlargement of the European 
Communities and the European Communities' notifi cation pursuant to Article XXIV:6(a) on the 
proposed modifications to its Appendices arising from the enlargement.  Her delegation recognized 
that the adoption of the decision by the Co mmittee in recognition of the enlargement and 
modifications would signify that the coverage of  the Agreement on Government Procurement would 
be extended to cover the ten new countries, wh ich would, as member States of the European 
Communities, form part of the European Commun ities for the purposes of the Agreement and were 
bound by the Agreement with effect from 1 May 2004.   In this regard, her delegation had examined 
the modifications proposed by the European Comm unities arising from the enlargement as well as the 
subsequent changes proposed, and was satisfied that there was an expansion of reciprocal 
procurement opportunities under the Agreement.  On this basis, her delegation supported the decision 
and welcomed with great pleasure the enlarged application of the Agreement.  Her delegation 
appreciated the constructive approach adopted by the European Communities on this matter. 
21. The representative of Japan welcomed the consen sus reached among Parties.  His delegation 
strongly supported the enlargement of the Eur opean Union as a political and economic undertaking 
contributing to stability and security in Europe, and looked forward to the ten new EU members  
joining the Committee in the near future. 
22. Having said that, he noted that his delegati on had been expressing its concerns over the 
European Communities'  notification and had addressed specific questions regarding the European 
Communities' annexes through bilatera l meetings.  His delegation wished  to reiterate its concern over 
the notification since it was still examining it and not ye t fully convinced, in particular due to a lack of 
clarity in the European Communities' annexes, as to  whether the list of en tities enabled Japan enough 
market access. 
23. With respect to his delegation's written questi ons submitted to the European Communities, he 
was expecting to receive written answers in due course.   His delegation would c ontinue its work in the 
most expeditious manner;  however, in the course of this work his delegation would have some further 
questions.  He expected the European Communities to  give answers and necessary clarification to his 
delegation's concerns in an expeditious and si ncere manner, and also to make an adequate 
modification when necessary. 
24. Finally, he made reference to the last para graph of the written statement of the European 
Communities, which said that "the European Comm unities would like to thank the other Parties for 
the constructive spirit in which they have worked with the European Communities".  He wished also 
that the European Communities could work with hi s delegation on other issues in the same spirit. 
25. The representative of the United States welcomed the ten new EU members  as part of the 
GPA.  Agreeing with the comment made by the repr esentative of Switzerland, she noted that this was 
a historic date substantially increasing the numbe r of countries covered by the Agreement.  Her 
delegation was looking forward to working with  those countries as after 1 May 2004.  She 
commended the spirit of cooperation that the European Communities  had expressed in working with 
her delegation to address the concerns that her dele gation had had as it was reviewing the entity list.  
Her delegation had been back and fo rth with the European Communities  a number of times, and was 
grateful for the European Communities'  willingness to provide explanations, clarification and, in a 
couple of cases, corrections.  Her delegation was satis fied that the entity list for each of the countries  GPA/M/22 
 Page 5 
 
 
that were going to be covered by the GPA was cons istent with the coverage of the other member 
States and the other Parties.  Her delegation w as satisfied and welcomed the new EU members. 
26. The representative of Israel welcomed the ten new EU members as part of the Agreement.  
His delegation also saw this as an historic date  leading to the extension of the Agreement to a 
substantial number of countries.  His delegation hoped that this was the beginning of a process 
whereby Parties to the Agreement would bring in mo re countries, and not stop at a one-time historic 
moment. 
27. The representative of Canada welcomed the ten new EC member States to the Agreement.  
Her delegation was pleased to note that the ten new countries had chosen to adopt a comprehensive 
coverage and that they had undertaken to full y adopt open, transparent and non-discriminatory 
procurement.  Her delegation was looking forw ard to working with the expanded European 
Communities in the future. 
28. The representative of Korea welcomed the ten new members  of the European Communities.  
He agreed with the delegations of Switzerland and th e United States that this was an historic event.  
His delegation was certain that expansion to th ese ten new countries would contribute to further 
market access of existing Parties a nd would contribute to the final goal of market access of all Parties.  
His delegation noted the statement of the European  Communities and understood that it had the same 
status – legally and practically – as the decision ma de by the Committee.  His delegation wished to 
commit itself to close cooperation with th e European Communities in moving forward. 
 (ii) Other modifications  
29. The Chairman noted that details of all proposed  modifications which were outstanding or new 
and the five that had come into fo rce since the last meeting, were contained in the Annotated Agenda 
(Job No. 2372, dated 7 April 2004).  Instead of r eading out all those historical details, which are 
reproduced in Annex A to these minutes, he invite d such comments as delegations might wish to 
make.  Only notifications subject to comments are dealt with below. 
- Notification by Japan concerning pr oposed modifications relating to 
Nippon Telephone & Telegraph (GPA/ W/91, dated 6 September 1999) 
30. The representative of Japan thanked Parties that  had submitted questions.  His delegation was 
still working on the response and might come up with oral responses one-by-one in the near future.  
He requested Parties concerned to withdraw their objections. 
- Notification by Japan concerning proposed m odifications relating to East Japan 
Railway Company, Central Japan Railway  Company and West Japan Railway 
Company (GPA/W/144, 145 and 146, dated 29 August 2001 and GPA/W/152 and 
Corr.1, dated 20 September and 10 October 2001)  
31. The representative of Japan noted that the preced ing month an official of the Government of 
Japan had visited Brussels with a view to expe diting the process and had provided the European 
Communities with an elaborated clarification and expl anation on this matter.  His delegation's answer 
to the full set of questions from the Europ ean Communities (GPA/W/271 and Corr.1, dated 
23 September 2003) would follow soon.  It count ed on the European Communities to have a good 
understanding of the matter and to withdraw its objection in due course, upon receipt of Japan's 
written answers. 
32. The representative of the European Communiti es stated that his delegation was looking 
forward to receiving the written answers of Japan a nd would give them appr opriate consideration. GPA/M/22 
Page 6  
 
- Notification by Japan concerning proposed modifications relating to Japan Nuclear 
Energy Safety Organization (GPA/W/273, dated 23 September 2003)
 
33. The Chairman noted that since the European  Communities had placed an objection to this 
proposed modification, which it had subsequently withdrawn (GPA/W/291, dated 29 January 2004), 
the Secretariat would proceed to send this modification for certification. 
- Notification by Japan concerning propo sed modifications relating to Japan 
Consumer Information Center, Water Res ources Development Public Corporation, 
Japan Green Resources Corporation,  the Japan Science and Technology 
Corporation, RIKEN (The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research), National 
Stadium and School Health Center of Japan, the Association for Welfare of the 
Mentally and Physically Handicapped, and National Agriculture Research 
Organization (GPA/W/274, dated 23 September 2003) 
34. The Chairman noted that there was no outsta nding objection with respect to one of these 
entities, namely, the modification concerning Japan Consumer Information Center.  The modification 
in its regard was therefore being sent for certification. 
- Notification by Korea concerning proposed modifications relating to Korea Telecom 
(GPA/W/207, dated 11 September 2002) 
35. The representative of Korea, reiterating his delegation's position, pointed out that his 
delegation had been conducting bilatera l negotiations with Parties.  It  was expecting Parties concerned 
to expedite the review and was looking forward to their favourable consideration at the earliest 
possible date. 
36. The representative of the United States noted th at her delegation was not yet satisfied that 
government control and influence had been effe ctively eliminated and was still examining the 
proposed withdrawal of Korea Telecom. 
37. The representative of Canada noted that her delegation was also still considering Korea's 
proposal to withdraw Korea Telecom and continued to  carry out internal consultations on this matter. 
- Notification by Korea concerning proposed m odifications relating to Korea Tobacco 
& Ginseng Corporation and Daehan Printi ng and Publishing Co. Ltd. (GPA/W/250, 
dated 17 February 2003)  
38. The representative of the European Commun ities thanked Korea for the responses to 
questions put by his delegation.  The European Communities  had completed the first review of the 
notification and was further consulting internally.  He  hoped that his delegation would be able to have 
a final position the latest before the next meeting. 
- Notification by the United States to reflect changes in the administr ative structure of 
the Federal Government (GPA/W/153, dated 25 September 2001)  
39. The representative of the United States stated that this modification had been pending for 
some time.  A number of proposed changes to entities had been proposed in the modification, 
reflecting administrative restructuring.  She noted  that there were many entities that no Party had 
asked questions about and asked whether Parties th at had objections could narrow such objections to 
the entities that they were really concerned about  and withdraw their objection on the others.  She 
would welcome any more questions on the relevant entities.  GPA/M/22 
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40. The representative of the European Communities specified that their objection only related to 
the deletion of the Uranium Enrichment Company,  and that this objection was maintained.  His 
delegation had never asked questions on the de letion of other entities and could accept their 
withdrawal. 
41. The representative of Canada noted that her de legation still continued to analyse the proposal 
of the United States and thought that it was a reasona ble request that her delegation be precise about 
the scope of its objection.  Her delegation would take that request back and try to act upon it 
immediately. 
42. The representative of Japan noted that her de legation was still working on the modifications 
from the United States but, as suggested, would try to narrow down its objection and try to give an 
answer to the United States as soon as possible. 
43. The Chairman referred to five additional notifica tions that had been received that since the 
last meeting in August 2003:  notifications by Jap an concerning proposed modifications relating to 
Labour Welfare Corporation (GPA/MOD/JPN/2, da ted 15 March 2004), Environment Corporation 
and Pollution-Related Health Damage Comp ensation Association (GPA/MOD/JPN/3, dated 
17 March 2004), National Hospital Organization (G PA/MOD/JPN/4, dated 7 April 2004) and New 
Tokyo International Airport Authority and Teito Rapid Transit Authority (GPA/MOD/JPN/5, dated 
20 April 2004) as well as a notification by Kore a concerning proposed modifications relating to 
Kookmin Bank (GPA/MOD/KOR/1, dated 19 March 2004), to which the United States made an 
objection (GPA/MOD/KOR/2, dated 19 April 2004). 
44. The Chairman noted that within the rele vant 30-day deadline no objections had been 
submitted as regards the new modifications by Jap an concerning the Labour Welfare Corporation and 
the Environment Corporation and Pollution-Relate d Health Damage Compensation Association.  
Accordingly, those two modifications were being sen t for certification.  He opened the floor on the 
other three new notifications. 
45. The representative of Korea stated that the proposed deletion of Kookmin Bank from Annex 3 
had been submitted pursuant to Article XXIV:6(b) of the Agreement.  This was based on the fact that 
Kookmin Bank had been privatised and that the G overnment of Korea had completely sold all its 
shares in December 2003.  Consequently, Kookmin Bank was a fully privatised company.  His delegation expected the that the United States would e xpedite the study and if any further clarification 
was necessary, his delegation stood ready to respond. 
46. The representative of the United States replied th at her delegation would expeditiously review 
this proposed withdrawal and submit qu estions to Korea for clarifications. 
47. The Committee took note of the statements made regarding the above modifications. 
D. ACCESSIONS  
48. The Chairman noted that Parties had received th e withdrawals of their respective applications 
for accession to the GPA from Estonia (GPA/41/Re v.1), Latvia (GPA/SPEC/5/Rev.2), Lithuania 
(GPA/66/Rev.1) and Slovenia (GPA/56/Rev.1), all do cuments dated 26 March 2004.  He recalled that 
these withdrawals were to be seen in the light  of these countries' accession to the European 
Communities on 1 May 2004 ( cf. Item C (i) of the agenda). 
49. Turning to ongoing accession negotiations, the Chai rman noted that the situation with respect 
to these was contained in the Annotated Agenda and concerned nine WTO Members:  Albania, 
Bulgaria, Georgia, Jordan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Oman, Panama and Chinese Taipei.  In 
addition, the following WTO Members had provisions in their respective Protocols of Accession to GPA/M/22 
Page 8  
 
the WTO regarding accession to the GPA:  Armenia,  China, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic 
of Macedonia, and Mongolia. 
50. Since the preceding Committee meeting in August 2003, the only development with respect to 
accessions was the informal plurilateral consultations be tween Parties and Jordan held earlier that day.  
Reporting on those plurilateral consultations, the Chairman said that comments, questions and 
explanations had been exchanged and that dele gations had generally welcomed improvements and 
clarifications relating to Jordan's offer, legisla tion and practices.  Some new questions and points of 
clarification had been voiced and replies given.  It  was agreed that Parties that wished to address new 
or revised questions relating to the offer of Jord an should do so by 30 June 2004.  Questions with 
respect to new legislation under way in Jordan wo uld be taken up in due course.  A plurilateral 
meeting was expected in conjunction with the GPA meeting in autumn 2004. 
51. The observer of Jordan stated that there had b een a fruitful plurilateral meeting earlier that 
day, and all ideas at that meeting would be of great he lp to his delegation to push the process further.   
He proposed that the opening statement of his delegati on in the plurilateral meeting be reflected in the 
minutes.  Accordingly, that statement is attached to these minutes as Annex B. 
52. The representative of the United States expressed her delegation's appreci ation to Jordan for 
the great efforts Jordan had been making to m ove this accession process along.  The plurilateral 
meeting earlier that day had been very productive and her delegation stood ready to assist Jordan in 
whatever way it could as Jordan was moving forward in its accession process. 
53. The representative of Switzerland thanked Jordan  for the very useful exchange of views 
earlier that day.  He was looking forward to the fo rthcoming new legislation of Jordan, so that his 
delegation could see in detail how it matched with the GPA.  His delegation also looked forward to a 
revised offer by Jordan  in the near future. 
54. The representative of the European Communities also thanked Jordan for its constructive 
work in the accession process.  He hoped to be able to welcome Jordan on board quickly and 
reiterated his delegation's willingness to take the speci fic needs of Jordan as a developing country into 
account. 
55. The representative of Canada thanked Jordan for its participation in the plurilateral process 
and in the ongoing bilateral nego tiations.  Her delegation welcomed the progress made by Jordan and 
encouraged Jordan to work toward s coming forward with a further draft of its revised offer based on 
the discussions held earlier that week. 
56. The Committee took note of the statements made. 
57. The observer of Chinese Taipei thanked and commended the Chairman for his outstanding 
leadership and guidance.  He noted that in the course of the accession of Chinese Taipei to the WTO, 
his delegation had made a commitment to join the GPA.  In order to honour its commitment since WTO entry in January 2002, his delegation had sh own strong willingness to become a Party to the 
GPA.  In December 2002, it had successfully completed the bilateral talks on all substantive issues.  It 
regretted that non-economic factors continued to be the stumbling block in its efforts to join the GPA.  
The situation was disappointing, not only for Chinese Taipei but also for the private industries among 
GPA Parties, which were eagerly awaiting the fu rther liberalization of government procurement 
markets.  He reiterated that his delegation had dem onstrated its utmost flexibility on this matter in 
order to bring about accession, and it looked forward to continued support from all GPA Parties in 
making Chinese Taipei's accession an early reality.  GPA/M/22 
 Page 9 
 
 
58. The representative of the United States noted that  her delegation had worked hard on Chinese 
Taipei's accession to the GPA for many years, an d was looking forward to the day when it could 
actually welcome Chinese Taipei in to membership.  Its accession to the GPA would bring significant 
commercial opportunities for US companies.  Her de legation encouraged the Chairman to continue 
efforts to work with Chinese Taipei to bring it into the GPA. 
59. The representative of Japan fully recognized that all the Par ties had completed the work on 
the substantive matters.  His delegation hoped that the remaining issue could be resolved so that 
Chinese Taipei could accede to the GPA soon. 
60. The Committee took note of the statements made. 
E. REVIEW OF NATIONAL IM PLEMENTING LEGISLATION  
61. The Chairman said that Japan had notifie d a change in its national regulations 
(GPA/37/Add.1, dated 7 April 2004). 
62. The representative of Japan explained that the no tification was a revision to a basic policy for 
the promotion of eco-friendly goods and services.  The content of the revision was the addition of 
23 procurement items as eco-friendly goods and ser vices.  This was going to be added to Japan's 
Basic Policy and had been adopted as a Cabinet Decision in March 2004. 
63. The Chairman recalled that, at the meeting in October 2002, the delegation of the Kingdom of 
the Netherlands with respect to Aruba had been  invited to submit its notification of national 
implementing legislation.  At the meeting of Febr uary 2003 there had been no new developments to 
report.  He wondered whether there were any news at that stage. 
64. The representative of the Kingdom of the Netherla nds with respect to Aruba replied that the 
Government of Aruba had first intended to introduc e new legislation and to subsequently answer the 
questions in GPA/1/Add.1 on the basis of such newly introduced legislation.  Since that would be a lengthy process, the Government of Aruba had decide d to answer the questionnaire on the basis of the 
current legislation.  The responses had been finaliz ed but were waiting for the final signature of the 
Minister of Economic Affairs of Aruba. 
F. 
OTHER BUSINESS  
- Statistics 
65. The Chairman noted, for the information of Par ties, that statistics for 2002 had been submitted 
by Hong Kong, China;  and Kor ea (GPA/76 and GPA/76/Add.1, respectively).  Statistics for 2001 had 
been submitted by Norway and Switzerland (GPA/ 70/Add.1 and GPA/70/Add.2, respectively).  All 
other statistical notifications were of earlier dates. 
- Thresholds 
66. The Chairman noted that the following Partie s had provided thresholds  for 2004:  Canada;  
the European Communities;  Hong Kong, China;  Japan ;  Korea;  Norway;  Singapore;  Switzerland;  
and the United States (GPA/W/285-series;  and GPA/W/251 for Korea). GPA/M/22 
Page 10  
 
- Date of the next meeting 
67. The Committee exchanged views on dates of furt her meetings.  In conclusion, it decided  to 
meet on 21 June (p.m.) – 25 June.  Those would be informal meetings and, if necessary, there could 
be a formal meeting at the end of that week to ta ke decisions as necessary.  Parties would also pencil 
in 19-20 July for further informal meetings, unless it was necessary to hold a formal meeting.  The 
aim was to adopt a decision on modalities and to be ab le to conclude the article-by-article review of 
the text before the summer break. 
68. As regards autumn 2004, the Chairman noted that depending on progress in the negotiations, 
there was a need for at least one meeting in autu mn 2004, at the end of October or at beginning of 
November, but there might be a need to hold two mee tings.  He noted that Parties had agreed to have 
further plurilateral consultations on Jordan's ac cession that would take place during the autumn.  
Date(s) would be considered by Parties in June.  GPA/M/22 
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ANNEX A 
 
Excerpts from the Annotated Agenda (Job No. 2372, dated 7 April 2004) concerning 
outstanding modifications and modifications that have come into force since the 
last meeting in August 2003 
 
  The following are outstanding proposed modifications to Appendix I of the GPA, and any developments in their regard since the last meeting in August 2003. [...]  
 (a) Notifications by Japan concerning proposed modifications relating to: 
 
- NTT (GPA/W/91, 6 September 1999) 
 
No developments since the last meeting. 
 
- East Japan Railway Company, Central Japan Railway Company and West Japan 
Railway Company (GPA/W/144, 145 and 146, 29 August 2001 and 
GPA/W/152 & Corr.1, 20 September / 10 October 2001) 
 
Further questions from the EC on GPA/W/144-146 were circulated on 
29 October 2003 (GPA/W/271 & Corr.1). 
 
- Railway Construction Public Corporation and Corporation for Advanced 
Transport and Technology (GPA/W/272 & Rev.1, 23 September / 
8 October 2003) 
 
The EC placed an objection to the proposed deletion of both entities (GPA/W/279, 16 October 2003) and rai sed questions thereon subsequently 
(GPA/W/291, 29 January 2004).  The United States did not object to the deletion 
of Japan Railway Construction Public Corporation but it objected to the deletion of the Corporation for Advanced Transport and Technology and asked questions 
in that regard (GPA/W/280, 17 October 2003). 
 
- Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization (GPA/W/273, 23 September 2003) 
 
The United States stated no objection (GPA/W/280, 17 October 2003). The EC 
placed an objection to the proposed modification (GPA/W/279, 
16 October 2003), which it subse quently withdrew (GPA/W/291, 
29 January 2004).  Accordingly, the modification is being sent for certification . 
 
- Japan Consumer Information Center, Water Resources Development Public 
Corporation, Japan Green Resources Corporation, the Japan Science and 
Technology Corporation, RIKEN (The In stitute of Physical and Chemical 
Research), National Stadium and School H ealth Center of Japan, the Association 
for Welfare of the Mentally and Ph ysically Handicapped, and National 
Agriculture Research Organization (GPA/W/274, 23 September 2003) 
 
Originally, the EC placed an objection on all proposed modifications 
(GPA/W/279 & Corr.1, 16 / 29 October 2003).  After further study, the EC did not object to the deletion of Japan Consumers Information Center, but put questions to Japan in respect of the othe r entities (GPA/W/291, 29 January 2004).  
The United States also did not object to the deletion of the Japan Consumer 
Information Center, it was silent on th e proposed modification concerning the GPA/M/22 
Page 12  
 
National Agriculture Research Organization;  however, it objected to the proposed withdrawal of the other entities and posed questions in GPA/W/280 (17 October 2003).  Accordingly, the modification con cerning Japan Consumer 
Information Center is being sent for certification . 
 
- National Aerospace Laboratory (GPA/W/275, 23 September 2003) 
 
The EC objected to the  proposed deletion (GPA/W/279, 16 October 2003) and asked questions (GPA/W/291, 29 January 2004).  The United States also asked questions (GPA/W/280, 17 October 2003). 
 
- Social Welfare and Medical Service Cor poration and Japan Institute of Labour 
(GPA/W/276, 8 October 2003) 
 
The EC objected to the proposed modifications (GPA/W/282, 7 November 2003) 
and later put questions (GPA /W/291, 29 January 2004). 
  (b) Notifications by Korea concerning proposed modifications relating to:  
- Korea Telecom (GPA/W/207, 11 September 2002) 
 
The EC withdrew their objection (GPA/W /278, 14 October 2003) originally set 
out in GPA/W/214, 2 October 2002.  (The earlier objections by Canada (GPA/W/210, 26 September 2002) and the United States (GPA/W/217, 7 October 2002) are still in force.) 
 
- Housing & Commercial Bank, Korea Tobacco & Ginseng Corporation and 
Daehan Printing and Publishing Co. Lt d. (GPA/W/250, 17 February 2003) 
 
The modification concerning Housing & Commercial Bank had been certified as 
of 18 March 2003 (WT/Let/456).  As regards Korea Tobacco & Ginseng 
Corporation and Daehan Printing Co. Ltd, the EC presented a number of 
questions (GPA/W/281, 24 October 2003).  Korea's responses were circulated in 
GPW/W/286, 28 November 2003.  Following Korea's earlier replies (GPA/W/270, 28 July 2003), the United States withdrew its objections concerning Korea Tobacco & Ginseng Corporation and Daehan Printing and Publishing Co. Ltd (GPA/W/283, 11 November 2003) originally set out in 
GPA/W/258, 19 March 2003. 
  (c) Notification by the United States  
- to reflect changes in the administrativ e structure of the Federal Government 
(GPA/W/153, 25 September 2001) 
 
No developments since the last meeting. 
  Since the last meeting in August 2003, [five a dditional] new notifications have been received. 
 
 (a) Notifications by Japan concerning proposed modifications relating to: 
- Labour Welfare Corporation (G PA/MOD/JPN/2, 15 March 2004) 
- Environment Corporation and Pollution-R elated Health Damage Compensation 
Association (GPA/MOD/JPN/3, 17 March 2004)  GPA/M/22 
 Page 13 
 
 
- National Hospital Organization (GPA/MOD/JPN/4, 7 April 2004) 
- [New Tokyo International Airport Author ity and Teito Rapid Transit Authority 
(GPA/MOD/JPN/5, 20 April 2004)] 
 (b) Notification by Korea concerning proposed modifications relating to: 
- Kookmin Bank (GPA/MOD/KOR/1, 19 March 2004). 
 Since the last meeting in August 2003, the following proposed modifications have been 
certified:  
(a) notification by Japan (GPA/W/255, 4 March 2003) certified as of 14 October 2003 
(WT/Let/452/Rev.1); 
(b) notification by Canada (GPA/W/203, 12 September 2002) certified as of 
9 December 2003 (WT/Let/454); 
(c) notification by Korea (GPA/W/284, 13 November 2003) certified as of 
12 December 2003 (WT/Let/455); 
(d) notification by the United States (GPA/MOD/USA/1, 15 January 2004) certified as of 
14 February 2004 (WT/Let/457);  and 
(e) notification by Japan (GPA/MOD/JPN/1, 4 February 2004) certified as of 
4 March 2004 (WT/Let/463). 
 GPA/M/22 
Page 14  
 
ANNEX B 
 
Opening statement by Jordan at the plurilat eral consultations held on 23 April 2004 
 
 
 
Mr. Chairman Distinguished delegations Ladies and Gentlemen Good morning, 
 
 It is my pleasure to address this gatheri ng of the members of the GPA Committee in this 
plurilateral meeting.  This is the second meeting that  we have to gather in connection with Jordan's 
accession to the GPA.  It is my intention to provi de the member states with a brief overview of the 
developments, and the current situation before  opening the discussion and listening to questions, 
queries and comments.  In addition to that, to shed so me light on the steps that have been taken by my 
Government to push further the re forms in the procurement regime: 
 1. Based on comprehensive consultation with th e World Bank, Jordan developed jointly with 
World Bank experts a CPAR document with special  concentration on procurement legislation and 
reforms of our procurement regime. 
 
2. In view of the findings of the report, an action plan was developed focusing on the following aspects:   (a) legal reform; 
 (b) organizational reform; 
 (c) procedural reform;  (d) staff development and enhancing information technology in the system. 
 3. In the course of implementation of the a bove-mentioned action plan, a governmental steering 
committee and a national committee comprising public and private sectors, were established.  The 
results of the work of both Comm ittees could be summarized as follows: 
  (a) A new unified draft procurement legi slation (works, goods, services) was produced 
taking into consideration all the remarks me ntioned by the CPAR, the requirements of 
the GPA and the UNCITRAL Procurement Model Law. 
 
 (b) The draft legislation will be presented to all concerned bodies including the Private 
Sector for their comments in a national works hop.  It is expected to have it approved 
in a form of a by-law within the coming few months, after the internal legislative 
procedures are done. 
 
 (c) The organizational reform would be taking place gradually in  the direction of 
decentralization, by raising gradually the ceiling of the tenders for the tender 
committees in the various governmental entities, so that reasonable percentage of the total tenders of high value will find its way to the two central procurement entities 
(GSD & GTD). 
 
 (d) The new legislation is expected to sti pulate for the establishment of high procurement 
commission that would act as a regulatory body to procurement processes without involvement in day-to-day work of the procurement committees. 
  GPA/M/22 
 Page 15 
 
 
4. While the internal process of reform was ta king place, Jordan submitted its initial entity offer 
to the GPA Committee on 6/2/2003.  This offer was a result of a joint work between the Government 
and the private sector which took into cons ideration the concerns  and the obligations. 
 5. Private sector representatives included those of  Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Industry, 
Engineers Association, Contractors Associati on, Union of Pharmaceutical Producers, Jordan 
Computer Society and other different entities.  6. A series of studies that cover different indus trial sectors were conducted by the Government 
to measure the impact of the agreement on the relevant sectors. 
 
7. During the past few months, my delegation had the opportunity to meet and discuss the details of our initial offer with interested members,  also we received several sets of questions from the 
US and the EC, and we responded in writing to thos e questions, our answers were circulated to GPA 
members in due time.  And we received a couple of days ago questions fro m Canada, which will be 
answered in writing very soon. 
 8. It is worth mentioning that many of the remarks and questions we received were quite 
valuable.  Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, 
 
 Here we are, fully devoted to listen to the co mments of the distinguished delegates:  before I 
conclude, let me thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your  outstanding efforts and to all the distinguished 
delegates for the member states.  
 Thank you. 
__________ 