Ukraine to join the WTO’s Government Procurement Agreement 

Press release 254/2015
17 November 2015

Ukraine’s accession to the Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) was endorsed by WTO members in Geneva on 11 November 2015. Ukraine intends to ratify the Agreement as soon as possible, by 11 May 2016 at the latest, when the Agreement officially enters into force.

Having joined the WTO in 2008, Ukraine applied for GPA accession in February 2011. The current accession has obliged Ukraine to make its national procurement legislation compliant with GPA requirements. Ukraine’s new procurement legislation also takes account of the requirements set out in the EU directives on public procurement, and it is open, transparent and non-discriminatory.

Ukraine considers joining the GPA very important. It believes that the GPA will help it strengthen good governance in the area of public procurement, assist in its fight against corruption, increase the transparency of government procurement practices, and help it modernize its procurement processes especially through electronic procurement practices.

Ukraine’s accession to the GPA, together with the new EU-Ukraine free trade agreement soon to be implemented, will give European companies better access to the Ukrainian public procurement market. European companies will also find it easier to access information on Ukrainian calls for public tenders, and European companies and their tenders must be ensured a non-discriminatory treatment in tendering processes.

Further information: Maarit Nikkola, Commercial Counsellor, tel. +358 50 342 1839; Desk Officer Erkki Seppänen, tel. +358 50 570 8969.