Indonesia and Montenegro Join AGP as Observers

The Committee on Government Procurement, on 31 October 2012, approved requests by Indonesia and Montenegro, respectively, for observer status. The decisions bring to 25 governments the total number of observers to the plurilateral Government Procurement Agreement.

Indonesia, in thanking the Committee, said that it had undertaken significant reforms in its government procurement system in recent years, and stressed the importance of transparency in combatting corruption. It expressed the hope that its observer status in the Committee will help it move towards its target of more transparent and competitive government procurement regulations.

The European Union, United States, Switzerland, Japan, Singapore, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Korea, Norway, Liechtenstein and Hong Kong, China welcomed Indonesia as an observer, and urged the country to apply to become a full-fledged Party to the Agreement.

In congratulating Montenegro on its acceptance as an observer, several delegations referred to the commitment that Montenegro assumed, when it became a WTO member earlier this year, to also apply for GPA accession. They made clear that they stood ready to support Montenegro through its eventual accession to the Agreement.

On another matter, the United States reported to the Committee that a state court had issued an injunction on a Florida state law banning participation in government procurement by businesses that have dealings with Cuba or Syria. It added that this injunction had been appealed by Florida to a higher court but that in the meantime, the law is not being implemented. The European Union and Canada said they would continue to follow this matter closely.