WORLD TRADE GPA/1/Add.2
19March 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-1141)
Committee onGovernment Procurement
DECISIONS ONPROCEDURAL MATTERS UNDER THE AGREEMENT
ONGOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT (1994)
Addendum
CIRCULATION AND DERESTRICTION OFDOCUMENTS OFTHE
COMMITTEE ONGOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT1
Decision of24February 19972,3
TheCommittee onGovernment Procurement decides toadopt thefollowing procedures with
respect tothecirculation4andderestriction ofdocuments:
1. Formal documents shallbecirculated tomembers oftheCommittee, toobservers andtoother
Members oftheWTO. Incertain cases, thecirculation ofsensitive documents shallbedetermined
onanadhocbasis. Theformal documents shallalsobemade available toMembers oftheWTO through
theWTO Document Dissemination Facility viatheInternet.
2. Documents circulated aftertheentry intoforce oftheAgreement onGovernment Procurement
inanyGPA/- document series shallbecirculated asunrestricted withtheexception ofdocuments
specified intheattached Appendix, which shallbecirculated asrestricted andsubject toderestriction,
orconsideration thereof, asprovided. Notwithstanding theexceptions specified intheAppendix, any
document thatcontains onlyinformation thatispublicly available orinformation thatisrequired to
bepublished under theAgreement onGovernment Procurement shallbecirculated onanunrestricted
basis.
3. Notwithstanding theexceptions toparagraph 2setforth intheAppendix,
(a) anyParty may, atthetimeitsubmits anydocument forcirculation, indicate tothe
Secretariat thatthedocument beissued asunrestricted, and
1TheDecisiondoesnotcoverdocumentsoutsideofaformaldocumentseries,suchasasubmissiontoadispute
settlement panel, oraninterim report ofadispute settlement panel submitted totheparties thereto.
2TheDecision replaces theDecisions oninterim procedures, dated 27February 1996, onthecirculation and
derestriction ofdocuments contained inGPA/1, Annexes 4and5respectively.
3Inadopting these procedures, theCommittee tooknotethatParties attached particular importance tothe
restricted nature ofdocuments sodesignated, andthatindividual governments should proceed accordingly in
their handling ofsuch documents.
4Theterms "circulation" and"circulated" when used inthisDecision shall beunderstood torefer tothe
distribution bytheSecretariat ofdocuments toallParties totheAgreement andtoother WTO Members.GPA/1/Add.2
Page2
(b) anyrestricted document circulated afterthedateofentry intoforce oftheAgreement
maybeconsidered forderestriction atanytimebytheCommittee ormaybeconsidered
forderestriction attherequest ofanyParty.
4. Requests forconsideration forderestriction shallbemade inwriting andshallbedirected to
theChairman oftheCommittee. Suchrequests shallbecirculated toallParties andplaced ontheagenda
ofaforthcoming meeting oftheCommittee forconsideration. However, inorder topreserve the
efficiency ofthework oftheCommittee, theParty concerned mayindicate totheSecretariat thatit
circulate toParties anotice advising them ofthedocuments proposed forderestriction andthedate
proposed forderestriction, which shallnormally besixtydaysafterthedatethenotice iscirculated.
These documents shallbederestricted onthedatesetforth inthenotice unless, prior tothatdate, a
Party notifies theSecretariat inwriting ofitsobjection tothederestriction ofadocument, oranyportion
ofadocument.
5. TheSecretariat shallprepare andcirculate alistofdocuments eligible forconsideration for
derestriction, indicating theproposed dateofderestriction, which shallnormally besixty daysafter
thecirculation ofthelist.These documents shallbederestricted onthedatesetforth inthenotice
unless, priortothatdate,aParty notifies theSecretariat inwriting ofitsobjection tothederestriction
ofadocument, oranyportion ofadocument.
6. Ifadocument5considered forderestriction isnotderestricted because ofanobjection byany
Party, andremains restricted attheendofthefirstyearfollowing theyearinwhich anobjection was
raised, thedocument shallbeconsidered forderestriction atthattime.
7. TheSecretariat willcirculate periodically (e.g.every sixmonths) alistofnewly derestricted
documents, aswellasalistofalldocuments remaining restricted.
8. Inthelightoftheexperience gained from theoperation ofthese procedures andchanges in
anyother relevant procedures under theWTO, theCommittee willreview, andifnecessary modify,
theprocedures twoyears aftertheiradoption.
5Theseproceduresshallapplymutatismutandistotheconsiderationforderestrictionofaportionofadocument
thatremains restricted asaresult ofanobjection made pursuant toparagraph 4.GPA/1/Add.2
Page3
APPENDIX
(a) Working documents inallGPA/- document series (i.e.draft documents suchasagendas,
decisions, proposals, applications foraccession, Secretariat background notes aswellasother
working papers issued as"GPA/W/-" documents), including documents intheGPA/SPEC/-
series.
Suchdocuments shallbederestricted upontheadoption ofthereport orofthe
decision pertaining totheirsubject matter, orconsidered forderestriction six
months afterthedateoftheircirculation6,whichever isearlier. Allbackground
notes bytheSecretariat, however, shallbeconsidered forderestriction six
months afterthedateoftheircirculation.
(b) Documents relating torectifications ormodifications ofAppendices totheAgreement pursuant
toArticle XXIV: 6oftheAgreement.
Suchdocuments shallbederestricted uponcompletion oftheArticle XXIV:6
process through thecertification ofthechanges.
(c) Minutes ofmeetings oftheCommittee anditssubsidiary bodies.
Suchdocuments shallbeconsidered forderestriction sixmonths afterthedate
oftheircirculation.
(d) Documents relating toworking parties orother subsidiary bodies established bytheCommittee
including working parties onaccessions.
Such documents shallbederestricted upon theadoption ofthereport ofthe
working party. Prior totheadoption ofthereport, anysuchdocuments shall
beconsidered forderestriction attheendofthefirstyearfollowing theyear
inwhich theywere circulated.
(e) Documents submitted totheSecretariat byaParty forcirculation if,atthetimetheParty submits
thedocument, theParty indicates totheSecretariat thatthedocument should beissued as
restricted.
Such documents shallbeconsidered forderestriction attheendofeachsix-
month period.7
6The"date ofcirculation" means thedateprinted onthefront page ofadocument indicating when ithas
been made available toParties 'delegations.
7Documents circulated during theperiod January through Junewould beconsidered forderestriction directly
aftertheendofthatperiod. Documents circulated during theperiod Julythrough December would beconsidered
forderestriction directly after theendofthatperiod.GPA/1/Add.2
Page4
(f) Reports ofpanels which arecirculated inaccordance withtheprovisions oftheUnderstanding
onRules andProcedures Governing theSettlement ofDisputes.8
Suchreports shallbecirculated toallParties totheAgreement onGovernment
Procurement andotherWTO Members asrestricted documents andderestricted
nolaterthanthetenthdaythereafter if,priortothedateofcirculation, aparty
tothedispute thatforms thebasis ofareport submits totheChairman ofthe
Dispute Settlement Body awritten request fordelayed derestriction. Areport
circulated asarestricted document shallindicate thedateupon which itwill
bederestricted.9
8Thisprovision willbesubject toreview atthetimeofreview oftheDispute Settlement Understanding, and
willbediscontinued ifthere isnoconsensus onthematter.
9Thefollowing standard cover notewillbeplaced onpanel reports: "The report ofthePanel on[name of
dispute]isbeingcirculatedtoallPartiestotheAgreemen tonGovernmentProcurementandotherWTOMembers,
pursuant totheDSU. Thereport isbeing circulated asanunrestricted document from [date] pursuant tothe
procedures fortheCirculation andDerestriction ofDocuments oftheCommittee onGovernment Procurement
[document number]. Parties totheAgreement onGovernment Procurement arereminded thatinaccordance
withtheDSU onlyparties tothedispute mayappeal apanel report, anappeal shall belimited toissues oflaw
covered inthepanel report andlegal interpretations developed bythepanel, andthatthere shall benoexparte
communicationswiththepanelorAppellateBodyconcerningmattersunderconsiderationbythepanelorAppellate
Body."