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The
way is now open governments to
move forward from the rule-making
phase of the negotiations under
the WTO negotiations in services,
including maritime and inland
transport services, into the
market access phase.
This
follows the conclusion of the
WTO’s Special Session of the
Services Council at its meeting of
28-30 March in Geneva.
The
meeting adopted the negotiating
guidelines and procedures and the
completion of the stocktaking
exercise.
“Agreement
on the guidelines marks the
fulfilment of a key element in the
negotiating mandate,” said Mike
Moore, WTO Director-General.
“The
way is now open for governments to
move forward from the rule-making
phase of the negotiations —
though that work will also
continue — into the market
access phase, on the basis of
Members' negotiating proposals,”
he said.
“One
significance of the guidelines
should not go unnoticed,” Moore
emphasised.
“Governments
have unequivocally endorsed some
of the fundamental principles of
the GATS: Governments’ right to
regulate and to introduce new
regulations on the supply of
services in pursuit of national
policy objectives; their right to
specify which services they wish
to open to foreign suppliers and
under which conditions; and the
overarching principle of
flexibility for developing and
least-developed countries.”
The
large number of negotiating
proposals submitted — some 70
proposals by more than 40 Members
— with the promise of many more
to come, was an indication of
commitment which had been welcomed
by many delegations.
With
regard to the future work
programme, the Council had agreed
to hold negotiating sessions in
May, July and October, during
which, in addition to its standing
agenda, the Council would consider
the negotiating proposals in
detail. Further meetings would be
held in December and in March
2002, at which point the Council
would review progress in the
negotiations.
The
highlights of the guidelines and
procedures for the negotiations on
trade in services adopted by the
recent special session for the
Council for Trade in Services
include:
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Progressive
liberalisation as a means of
promoting the economic growth
of all trading partners and
the development of developing
countries, and recognizing the
right of Members to regulate,
and to introduce new
regulations, on the supply of
services.
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Achieving
progressively higher levels of
liberalization of trade in
services through the reduction
or elimination of the adverse
effects on trade in services
of measures as a means of
providing effective market
access, and with a view to
promoting the interests of all
participants on a mutually
advantageous basis and to
securing an overall balance of
rights and obligations.
-
Increase
the participation of
developing countries in trade
in services with shall
appropriate flexibility for
individual developing country
Members.
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Due
respect for national policy
objectives, the level of
development and the size of
economies of individual
Members, both overall and in
individual sectors and due
consideration be given to the
needs of small and
medium-sized service
suppliers, particularly those
of developing countries.
-
Appropriate flexibility for individual developing
country Members for opening fewer
sectors, liberalizing fewer types
of transactions, progressively
extending market access in line
with their development situation
and, when making access to their
markets available to foreign
service suppliers, attaching to
such access conditions aimed at
achieving the objectives of WTO.
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