Agreement on Government Procurement: Effective Date of Amendments for the Republic of Korea

AGENCY:

Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

For the purpose of U.S. Government procurement that is covered by Title III of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979, the effective date of the Protocol Amending the Agreement on Government Procurement, done on March 30, 2012 at Geneva, World Trade Organization, for the Republic of Korea is January 14, 2016.

DATES:

Effective date: January 14, 2016.

ADDRESSES:

Office of the United States Trade Representative, 600 17th Street NW., Washington DC 20508.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Scott Pietan (202) 395-9646), Director of International Procurement Policy, Office of the United States Trade Representative, 600 17th Street NW., Washington DC 20508.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Executive Order 12260 (December 31, 1980) implements the 1979 and 1994 Agreement on Government Procurement, pursuant to Title III of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 as amended (19 U.S.C. 2511-2518). In section 1-201 of Executive Order 12260, the President delegated to the United States Trade Representative the functions vested in the President by sections 301, 302, 304, 305(c) and 306 of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (19 U.S.C. 2511, 2512, 2514, 2515(c) and 2516).

The Protocol Amending the Agreement on Government Procurement, done at Geneva on March 30, 2012 (Protocol), entered into force on April 6, 2014 for the United States and the following Parties: Canada, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Israel, Liechtenstein, Norway, European Union, Iceland, and Singapore. See 79 FR 14776 (March 17, 2014). The Protocol entered into force on April 16, 2014 for Japan. See 79 FR 21991 (April 18, 2014). The Protocol entered into force on July 4, 2014 for Aruba. See 79 FR 61926 (Oct. 15, 2014). The Protocol entered into force on June 5, 2015 for Armenia. See 80 FR 36884 (June 26, 2015).

The Protocol provides that following its entry into force, the Protocol will enter into force for each additional Party to the 1994 Agreement 30 days following the date on which the Party deposits its instrument of acceptance. On December 15, 2015, the Republic of Korea deposited its instrument of acceptance to the Protocol. Therefore, the Protocol enters into force on January 14, 2016 for the Republic of Korea. Effective January 14, 2016 for the Republic of Korea, all references in Title III of the Trade Agreement Act of 1979 and in Executive Order 12260 to the Agreement on Government Procurement will refer to the 1994 Agreement as amended by the Protocol.

With respect to those Parties that have not deposited their instruments of acceptance, all references in Title III of the Trade Agreement Act of 1979 and in Executive Order 12260 to the Agreement on Government Procurement will continue to refer to the 1994 Agreement until 30 days following the deposit by such Party of its instrument of acceptance of the Protocol.

For the full text of the Government Procurement Agreement as amended by the Protocol and the new annexes that set out the procurement covered by all of the Government Procurement Agreement Parties, see GPA-113: http://www.ustr.gov/sites/default/files/GPA%20113%20Decision%20on%20the%20outcomes%20of%20the%20negotiations%20under%20Article%20XXIV%207.pdf.