Brussels, 10/12/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 9 December, European Commissioners Catherine Ashton (Trade) and Charlie McCreevy (Internal Market) welcomed the formal decision by the members of the Committee on Government Procurement to adopt the accession of the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu (Chinese Taipei) to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) (see EUROPE 9796). “This accession will provide new opportunities in public procurement for businesses in both the European Union and Chinese Taipei,” said Ashton. “GPA membership guarantees fair, transparent and non discriminatory procurement procedures. The … accession of Chinese Taipei to the GPA will pave the way towards the expansion of GPA membership,” added McCreevy in a press release. Chinese Taipei's market for government procurement was worth €16.8 billion in 2007. In June, Taipei announced an investment plan worth €100 billion over eight years to modernise infrastructure (extending the Taoyuan and Taichung airports and the eastern rail project). Since 1998, foreign suppliers have had a share of 20% of total government procurement, worth more than €120 billion in Chinese Taipei. EU companies were awarded 3% of the total, worth around €3.7 billion. (E.H./transl.rt)