ITI Urges Trump Administration to Affirm Commitment to WTO Procurement Agreement
WASHINGTON – Today, global tech trade association ITI urged the Trump Administration to affirm its commitment to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA), underscoring its importance to the U.S. economy, businesses, and competitiveness. ITI was one of 19 other leading trade and business associations who wrote to senior U.S. government officials in response to news reports that the United States may be contemplating withdrawal from the GPA.
“The WTO GPA is pivotal in providing the tech sector with the necessary certainty and market access to successfully do business with governments around the world,” said ITI President and CEO Jason Oxman. “U.S. withdrawal from this agreement would not only directly limit the business opportunities of leading U.S. tech companies – including in key areas like 5G and telecommunications infrastructure – but would cede leadership to other economies actively seeking to expand their own international procurement market access, like China. We strongly encourage U.S. officials to recognize the benefits the GPA affords to our industry and the U.S. economy as a whole and affirm its continued participation in this important agreement.”
The GPA is a closed WTO agreement among 47 countries that establishes common procedural guidelines and provides companies with expanded opportunities to participate in the procurement opportunities of signatory countries. The agreement defines the terms under which U.S.-headquartered technology companies can sell their goods and services to the governments of some of the United States’ largest trading partners, including the European Union and Canada.