Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 3 September (BelTA) – Belarus has started a vigorous dialogue on acceding to the World Trade Organization’s Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), BelTA learned from the WTO Secretariat representative Anna Caroline Muller on 3 September.

The WTO Secretariat representative said: “Belarus has lately taken considerable steps to join the WTO and has started rather vigorously the dialogue on the possible potential accession to the Government Procurement Agreement.”

Anna Caroline Muller is taking part in a national seminar on government procurement in Minsk today. “Experts have arrived to inform government agencies about what the WTO GPA stands for so that the agencies could be better informed as they make decisions later on,” explained the WTO Secretariat representative.

Belarusian Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade Minister Vladimir Koltovich noted that the world’s best practices are presented during the seminar. The practices will be useful for making decisions to make the national government procurement administration system more effective. The official stressed that government procurement is used to satisfy needs of the state and the society and implement the country’s top-priority policies. About €2.8 billion worth of government procurement contracts were signed in 2017 or over 6% of Belarus’ GDP. According to the antimonopoly regulation and trade minister, the latest revision of the government procurement law will stipulate improved mechanisms for government procurement. The procedures will become more transparent. The number of unfair mediators will be reduced while commercial entities will be given more capabilities to protect their rights and legal interests.

Vladimir Koltovich also thanked the WTO Secretariat for supporting Belarus in its intention to join the World Trade Organization. “I hope it will happen in the near future,” concluded the antimonopoly regulation and trade minister.