GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT: SYMPOSIUM — GENEVA 11-12 FEBRUARY 2010

Symposium on the Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA)

The WTO Agreement on Government Procurement: Developmental and Trade Significance, Changing Context and Future Prospects

DAY 1, THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2010

09:30 Mr. Pascal Lamy, Director-General, WTO
> Keynote remarks
  
09:50 Welcoming remarks: Mr. Nicholas Niggli, Chairman, WTO Committee on Government Procurement
  
09:55 Organizational matters: Mr. Robert Anderson, WTO Secretariat
  

  

SESSION 1: Developmental and trade significance of government procurement

Time

Subject

Speakers

10:00 – 10:20

1.1   Economic and developmental significance of government procurement: benefits to developing countries of transparency and competition disciplines
  

Prof. Simon Evenett,
St Gallen University, Switzerland

> Presentation
  

10:20 – 10:40

1.2   Public procurement and international governance: factors propelling us toward a global procurement market
  

Robert Anderson
WTO Secretariat

> Presentation
  

10:40 – 11:00

1.3   General discussion

  

SESSION 2: Government procurement in the WTO: basic disciplines and emerging perspectives

Time

Subject

Speakers

11:20 – 11:40

2.1   Introduction to the Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA):  existing and revised texts, and prospects for enlargement of the Agreement
  

Mr. Robert Anderson,
WTO Secretariat

> Presentation

11:40 – 12:00

2.2   The revised GPA text: relation to the coverage negotiations and possible ways forward
  

Ms. Diane De Marliave,
European Commission

> Presentation
  

12:00 – 12:20

2.3   The UNCITRAL Model Law on Procurement of Goods, Construction and Services: synergies and complementarities with the GPA
  

Ms. Caroline Nicholas,
UNCITRAL

> Presentation
  

12:20 – 12:45

2.4   General discussion

  

SESSION 3: Procurement reforms and the relevance of international disciplines: market access and regional perspectives

 

Time

Subject

Speakers

14:15 – 14:40

3.1   Market access opportunities under the existing GPA
  

Ms. Jean Heilman Grier,
Office of the US Trade Representative

> Presentation
  

14:40 – 15:00

3.2   Procurement reform and international disciplines: perspectives for Asian economies
  

Mr. Harsha Singh,
Deputy Director-General, WTO

15:00 – 15:20

3.3   Procurement reform and international disciplines: an African perspective
  

Dr. Gervais NKANAGU, Ambassador,
COMESA

> Presentation
  

15:20 – 15:40

3.4   General discussion

  

SESSION 4: GPA implementation issues: domestic review procedures, sub-central government coverage and statistics

Time

Subject

Speakers

16:20 – 16:40

4.1   Implementation of the GPA in Switzerland: meeting the challenge of securing effective involvement by sub-central government units
  

Mr. Patrick Leduc,
Senior Procurement Negotiator, Switzerland

> Presentation
  

16:00 – 16:20

4.2   Special and differential treatment under the existing and revised GPA texts
  

Ms. Anna Caroline Müller,
OLG Düsseldorf, Germany

> Presentation
  

16:40 – 17:00

4.3   A vision of GPA statistics in the year 2015: what we hope to have and how to get there
  

Mr. Olivier Coppens,
European Commission

> Presentation
  

17:00 – 17:30

4.4   General discussion

 
 

DAY 2, FRIDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2010

SESSION 5: Accession to the GPA: changing context and future prospects

Time

Subject

Speakers

09:30 – 09:50

5.1   Prospects for GPA accession by large developing countries: a Latin American perspective
  

Mr. Alejandro Jara,
Deputy Director-General, WTO

09:50 – 10:10

5.2   Accession to the GPA: processes, procedures and current state of play
  

Mr. Kodjo Osei-Lah,
WTO Secretariat

> Presentation
  

10:10 – 10:30

5.3   Implementing GPA-compliant domestic review procedures: insights from international experience
  

Prof. Steven Schooner,
George Washington University Law School, USA

> Presentation
  

10:30 – 10:50

5.4   Issues concerning accession and the future evolution of the Agreement
  

Prof. Sue Arrowsmith,
University of Nottingham Law School, UK

> Presentation
  

10:50 – 11:10

5.5   General discussion

  

SESSION 6: Social policy and sustainable development issues

Time

Subject

Speaker

11:30 – 12:00

6.1   Social and environmental policies under the GPA: some general reflections and emerging issues
  

Prof. Sue Arrowsmith,
University of Nottingham Law School, UK

> Presentation
  

12:00 – 12:20

6.2   Social policy issues in the government procurement sector: insights from US and international experience
  

Prof. Steven Schooner,
George Washington University Law School, USA

> Presentation
  

12:20 – 12:45

6.3   General discussion

  

SESSION 7: Government procurement in regional trade agreements

Time

Subject

Speakers

14:15 – 14:40

7.1   Government procurement provisions in recent regional trade agreements: overview of results from Secretariat empirical analysis
  

Ms. Anna Caroline Müller,
OLG Düsseldorf, Germany

> Presentation

14:40 – 15:00

7.2   The government procurement provisions of the EC-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement: implications for GPA accession
  

Ms. Kamala Dawar
University of Amsterdam School of Law, The Netherlands

> Presentation
  

15:00 – 15:20

7.3   Government procurement provisions in US free trade agreements and their relation to GPA disciplines
  

Ms. Jean Heilman Grier,
Office of the US Trade Representative

15:20 – 15:40

7.4   General discussion

  

SESSION 8: Government procurement: market governance issues

Time

Subject

Speakers

16:00 – 16:20

8.1   Promoting integrity in government procurement systems: significance for the international trading system and practical insights
  

Mr. Jonathan Denison Cross,
Office of Government Commerce, UK

> Presentation

16:20 – 16:40

8.2   The role of competition law in public procurement markets: an important adjunct to a liberalised government procurement regime
  

Mr. Robert Anderson,
WTO Secretariat

> Presentation

16:40 – 17:00

8.3   General discussion

  

SESSION 9: Concluding session

Time

Subject

Speaker

17:00 – 17:15

9.1   Rapporteur's reflections

  
  

Prof. Steven Schooner,
George Washington University Law School, USA

> Presentation
  

9.2   Closing remarks

 
  

Mr. Antony Taubman
Director, Intellectual Property Division,
WTO Secretariat