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Conference discusses GPA/WTO admission
A conference introducing the World Trade Organisation’s Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) took place in Hanoi on April 2 with the attendance of leading experts from the WTO Secretariat.
This is the first such conference held in Vietnam, and was an opportunity for local and international experts to discuss and share information and support the Vietnamese Government in making initial preparations for GPA accession.
According to Robert Anderson, a WTO Secretariat member, GPA, based on the principles of openness, transparency, and non-discriminatory practices, applies to WTO members’ government procurement covered by the agreement.
More than 40 WTO members have thus far joined the GPA, including 25 European Commission members and 23 observers, Anderson said, adding that the agreement will welcome a new member next month; six members have pledged and eight others currently intending to join the organisation.
He said the conference helped Vietnam see the importance, benefits and challenges of joining the agreement, thus helping the country in admission negotiations.
During the conference, international experts introduced GPA/WTO regulations, members’ responsibilities, and experiences, as well as GPA members’ commitments and admission procedures.
The Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Bidding Management Department (BMD) also provided a briefing on Vietnam’s legal regulations covering bidding, which relates to public procurement.
Regulating competitiveness, Vietnam’s Bidding Law officially took effect on April 1.
Speaking at the conference, BMD Director Dang Huy Dong said that as a WTO member, Vietnam has recorded significant achievements in this area. Although the country is not yet a GPA member, its bidding mechanism was implemented 10 years ago, he asserted.
Dong affirmed that Vietnam is actively studying international regulations on government procurement to speed up its involvement in the agreement as an observer.
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