Event Details
The World Trade Organization plurilateral Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA 2012) increases reciprocal market access among Parties and sets out minimum policy and governance standards for public procurement, ensuring the creation of open, non-discriminatory, and transparent procurement markets. Revised in 2012, the GPA is a binding international agreement that incentivises the use of international procurement policy standards and has gained an important role in guiding procurement reforms in transition economies. Accession to the Agreement is a reform catalyst that improves governance of public contracts and strengthen the domestic economy.
The EBRD GPA Technical Cooperation Facility offers technical support to WTO Members and the EBRD countries of operations (EBRD CoOs) which seek to become Observers and/or Parties to the GPA 2012 or are looking to implement the commitments under the Agreement.
Since 2012, several transition economies successfully completed GPA negotiations with the technical support of the EBRD, including Armenia, Montenegro (GPA Parties since 2015), Moldova, Ukraine (GPA Parties since 2016) and North Macedonia (GPA Party since 2023). Most recently, the Bank is supporting Albania to reopen the GPA negotiations.
This trade policy workshop is organized by the EBRD GPA Technical Cooperation Facility in cooperation with the OECD. The main objectives of the workshop are (a) to engage in dialogue with national public procurement regulatory authorities on cross-border trade in public procurement, (b) consider the benefits of becoming an Observer to the WTO Committee on Government Procurement; and (c) discuss the trade and public procurement policy aspects of the negotiation process to join the GPA 2012. The Workshop will be held in English.
