Tag: Government Procurement

North Macedonia Implements WTO Procurement Agreement

North Macedonia became the 49th WTO member to implement the plurilateral WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) on October 30th, four years after the last accession (Australia in 2019). The accession fulfills a commitment made by North

Green Public Procurement: New Report

A new report emphasizes the role of green public procurement policies in addressing the climate crisis. The report, “Priming the Pump: The Importance of Green Public Procurement in Decarbonizing Industry and Creating a Clean Energy Economy,” issued on

EU Gains New Trade Tool: Anti-Coercion Instrument

The European Union (EU) is adding a new tool to its defensive trade measures that will allow it to retaliate against countries trying to coerce it or its member states to take certain action.  In June, its co-legislative institutions – the

EU-Chile Upgraded FTA: Procurement

In December 2022, the European Union (EU) concluded negotiations of an upgraded free trade agreement (FTA) with Chile. The EU-Chile Advanced Framework Agreement is the 9th FTA the EU has negotiated since 2017 when it implemented a comprehensive agreement

China and CPTPP: Government Procurement

China formally applied for membership in the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in September 2021. In order for it to accede to that 11-member agreement, it will need to meet the CPTPP’s high government procurement standards.

UK-EU Trade Agreement: Procurement

On January 1, 2021, the United Kingdom both implemented a free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union that defines their post-Brexit trade relationship and became an independent party to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA). The FTA is part

RCEP: Very Modest Procurement Provisions

Fifteen Asian countries, including China, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand and the 10 ASEAN members, signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) on November 15, after eight years of negotiations. Following the Trans-Pacific

WTO GPA Update #12: Britain Set to Join GPA

In an October 2020 meeting, the parties to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) invited the United Kingdom to take the final steps to become a party to the Agreement in its own right in 2021. This post reviews Britain’s accession to the GPA and

Trump’s Buy American Order for Medicines

On August 6th, President Trump issued his long-promised Buy American executive order (EO) on medicines. The Executive Order on Ensuring Essential Medicines, Medical Countermeasures, and Critical Inputs Are Made in the United States seeks to

US-Kenya FTA Negotiations: Procurement

On July 8, the United States and the Republic of Kenya launched negotiations of a free trade agreement (FTA). Both countries have set out their objectives for the negotiations. The U.S. aims for government procurement mirror its objectives for the