USTR Determines New EC Members May Participate in U.S. Government Procurement Under Terms and Conditions of WTO GPA
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a determination that suppliers from the 10 new European Community (EC) member states are eligible to participate in U.S. government procurement under the same terms and conditions as suppliers from countries that were already covered by the World Trade Organization's (WTO's) Government Procurement Agreement (GPA).
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(The 10 new EC member states are the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, and the Slovak Republic.)
According to the USTR, it has also been determined that the new EC members will provide appropriate reciprocal competitive government opportunities to U.S. products and services and suppliers of such products and services.
USTR's Determination to Become Effective on Date Regulations Amended
The USTR states that relevant U.S. procurement authorities have been informed of this decision. The USTR has requested that these authorities make the necessary changes to U.S. procurement regulations as expeditiously as possible in order to implement this decision. As such, this decision will become effective on the date of the amendment of the applicable regulations.
(The USTR notes that it may modify or withdraw the determination contained in this notice. It is also noted that this notice shall not affect the treatment to be accorded to eligible products of any country that was a member state of the EC before the accession of the new member states.)
(See ITT's Online Archives or 04/23/04 news, 04042399 3, for BP summary of USTR's advance notice of potential expansion of GPA coverage to new EC members. See ITT's Online Archives or 05/07/04 news, 04050799 4, for BP summary of WTO's approval of the application of the GPA to the 10 new member states.)
USTR Contact - Jean Heilman Grier (202) 395-9476
USTR Determination (FR Pub 05/07/04) available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/pdf/04-10461.pdf