RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE GPA/W/33
10January 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-0031)
Original: English Committee onGovernment Procurement
CIRCULATION AND DERESTRICTION OFDOCUMENTS
Note bytheSecretariat
1. Atitsmeeting of20September 1996, theCommittee agreed toalign itsprocedures onthe
circulation andderestriction ofdocuments withthose adopted bytheGeneral Council fortheWTO
on18July1996andcontained indocument WT/L/160/Rev.1. Asrequested bytheCommittee, adraft
decisiontothateffect,attachedherewith,hasbeenpreparedbytheSecretariat(GPA/M/3,paragraph41).
2. Theelements ofthedraftdecision follow closely theWTO procedures except where:
- theprocedures forcirculation ofGPA documents toWTO Members which arenot
GPA Parties aresetoutinparagraph 1;
- thereferences totheWTO bodies arereplaced bytheCommittee onGovernment
Procurement;
- procedures forspecific WTO bodies, e.g.Trade Policy Review Body anddocuments
relating tobalance-of-payments consultations andGATT Article XXVIII procedures
inWT/L/160/Rev.1, Appendix items (a)-(d) and(f)areomitted.
3. Thedraftdecision hasbeenformulated onthebasis thatGPA documents would normally be
made available toallWTO Members. Thisisconsistent withtheadvice received from members of
theCommittee inresponse totheSecretariat 'sinformal communication of10October 1996concerning
theavailability ofGPAdocuments toallWTO Members through theDocuments Dissemination Facility
viatheInternet.
4. Theattached draftdecision isintended toreplace theDecisions oninterim procedures, dated
27February 1996, onthecirculation andderestriction ofdocuments contained inGPA/1, Annexes 4
and5respectively.GPA/W/33
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PROCEDURES FOR THE CIRCULATION AND DERESTRICTION OFDOCUMENTS OF
THE COMMITTEE ONGOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT (1994)1
[Draft] Decision of...............2
TheCommittee onGovernment Procurement decides toadopt thefollowing procedures with
respect tothecirculation3andderestriction ofdocuments:
1. Formal documents shallbecirculated tomembers oftheCommittee, toobservers andtoother
Members oftheWTO. Incertain cases, thecirculation ofsensitive documents shallbedetermined
onanadhocbasis. Theformal documents shallalsobemade available toMembers oftheWTO through
theWTO Document Dissemination Facility viatheInternet.
2. Documents circulated aftertheentry intoforce oftheAgreement onGovernment Procurement
inanyGPA/- document series shall becirculated asunrestricted withtheexception ofdocuments
specified intheattached Appendix, which shallbecirculated asrestricted andsubject toderestriction,
orconsideration thereof, asprovided. Notwithstanding theexceptions specified intheAppendix, any
document thatcontains onlyinformation thatispublicly available orinformation thatisrequired to
bepublished under theAgreement onGovernment Procurement shallbecirculated onanunrestricted
basis.
3. Notwithstanding theexceptions toparagraph 2setforth intheAppendix,
(a) anyParty may, atthetimeitsubmits anydocument forcirculation, indicate tothe
Secretariat thatthedocument beissued asunrestricted, and
(b) anyrestricted document circulated afterthedateofentry intoforce oftheAgreement
maybeconsidered forderestriction atanytimebytheCommittee ormaybeconsidered
forderestriction attherequest ofanyParty.
4. Requests forconsideration forderestriction shallbemade inwriting andshallbedirected to
theChairman oftheCommittee. Suchrequests shallbecirculated toallParties andplaced ontheagenda
ofaforthcoming meeting oftheCommittee forconsideration. However, inorder topreserve the
efficiency ofthework oftheCommittee, theParty concerned mayindicate totheSecretariat thatit
circulate toParties anotice advising them ofthedocuments proposed forderestriction andthedate
proposed forderestriction, which shallnormally besixtydaysafterthedatethenotice iscirculated.
These documents shallbederestricted onthedatesetforth inthenotice unless, prior tothatdate, a
Party notifies theSecretariat inwriting ofitsobjection tothederestriction ofadocument, oranyportion
ofadocument.
1Thedecision doesnotcover documents outside ofaformal document series, suchasasubmission toadispute settlement
panel, oraninterim report ofadispute settlement panel submitted totheparties thereto.
2Inadopting these procedures, theCommittee tooknotethatParties attached particular importance totherestricted nature
ofdocuments sodesignated, andthatindividual governments should proceed accordingly intheirhandling ofsuchdocuments.
3Theterms "circulation" and"circulated" when used inthisdecision shall beunderstood torefer tothedistribution
bytheSecretariat ofdocuments toallParties totheAgreement andtoother WTO Members.GPA/W/33
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5. TheSecretariat shallprepare andcirculate alistofdocuments eligible forconsideration for
derestriction, indicating theproposed dateofderestriction, which shallnormally besixty daysafter
thecirculation ofthelist.These documents shallbederestricted onthedatesetforth inthenotice
unless, prior tothatdate,aParty notifies theSecretariat inwriting ofitsobjection tothederestriction
ofadocument, oranyportion ofadocument.
6. Ifadocument4considered forderestriction isnotderestricted because ofanobjection byany
Party, andremains restricted attheendofthefirstyearfollowing theyearinwhich anobjection was
raised, thedocument shallbeconsidered forderestriction atthattime.
7. TheSecretariat willcirculate periodically (e.g.every sixmonths) alistofnewly derestricted
documents, aswellasalistofalldocuments remaining restricted.
8. Inthelightoftheexperience gained from theoperation ofthese procedures andchanges in
anyother relevant procedures under theWTO, theCommittee willreview, andifnecessary modify,
theprocedures twoyears aftertheiradoption.
4These procedures shallapply mutatis mutandis totheconsideration forderestriction ofaportion ofadocument that
remains restricted asaresult ofanobjection made pursuant toparagraph 4.GPA/W/33
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APPENDIX
(a) Working documents inallGPA/- document series (i.e.draft documents suchasagendas,
decisions, proposals, applications foraccession, Secretariat background notes aswellasother
working papers issued as"GPA/W/-" documents), including documents intheGPA/SPEC/-
series.
Suchdocuments shallbederestricted upontheadoption ofthereport orofthe
decision pertaining totheirsubject matter, orconsidered forderestriction six
months afterthedateoftheircirculation5,whichever isearlier. Allbackground
notes bytheSecretariat, however, shallbeconsidered forderestriction six
months afterthedateoftheircirculation.
(b) Documents relating torectifications ormodifications ofAppendices totheAgreement pursuant
toArticle XXIV: 6oftheAgreement.
Suchdocuments shallbederestricted uponcompletion oftheArticle XXIV:6
process through thecertification ofthechanges.
(c) Minutes ofmeetings oftheCommittee anditssubsidiary bodies.
Suchdocuments shallbeconsidered forderestriction sixmonths afterthedate
oftheircirculation.
(d) Documents relating toworking parties orother subsidiary bodies established bytheCommittee
including working parties onaccessions.
Such documents shallbederestricted upon theadoption ofthereport ofthe
working party. Prior totheadoption ofthereport, anysuchdocuments shall
beconsidered forderestriction attheendofthefirstyearfollowing theyear
inwhich theywere circulated.
(e) Documents submitted totheSecretariat byaParty forcirculation if,atthetimetheParty submits
thedocument, theParty indicates totheSecretariat thatthedocument should beissued as
restricted.
Such documents shallbeconsidered forderestriction attheendofeachsix-
month period.6
5The"date ofcirculation" means thedateprinted onthefront page ofadocument indicating when ithasbeen made
available toParties 'delegations.
6Documents circulated during theperiod January through Junewould beconsidered forderestriction directly afterthe
endofthatperiod. Documents circulated during theperiod Julythrough December would beconsidered forderestriction
directly after theendofthatperiod.GPA/W/33
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(f) Reports ofpanels which arecirculated inaccordance withtheprovisions oftheUnderstanding
onRules andProcedures Governing theSettlement ofDisputes.7
Suchreports shallbecirculated toallParties totheAgreement onGovernment
Procurement andotherWTO Members asrestricted documents andderestricted
nolaterthanthetenthdaythereafter if,priortothedateofcirculation, aparty
tothedispute thatforms thebasis ofareport submits totheChairman ofthe
Dispute Settlement Body awritten request fordelayed derestriction. Areport
circulated asarestricted document shallindicate thedateupon which itwill
bederestricted.8
7Thisprovision willbesubject toreview atthetimeofreview oftheDispute Settlement Understanding, andwillbe
discontinued ifthere isnoconsensus onthematter.
8Thefollowing standard cover notewillbeplaced onpanel reports: "The report ofthePanel on[name ofdispute]
isbeing circulated toallParties totheAgreement onGovernment Procurement andother WTO Members, pursuant tothe
DSU. Thereport isbeing circulated asanunrestricted document from [date] pursuant totheprocedures fortheCirculation
andDerestriction ofDocuments oftheCommittee onGovernment Procurement [document number]. Parties totheAgreement
onGovernment Procurement arereminded thatinaccordance withtheDSU onlyparties tothedispute mayappeal apanel
report, anappeal shallbelimited toissues oflawcovered inthepanel report andlegalinterpretations developed bythepanel,
andthatthere shallbenoexparte communications withthepanel orAppellate Body concerning matters under consideration
bythepanel orAppellate Body."