Services Week, 20 March to 2 April 2001
Since the new services negotiations started in February 2000, services meetings happen in sessions called the Services weeks. Over a week, or a week and a half, the services council and its subsidiary committees meet, one after the other.
20
March Working
Party on Domestic Regulations
Working Party on Domestic Regulations
21 March Working
Party on GATS Rules
Working Party on GATS Rules
22 March Committee
on Specific Commitments
Committee on Specific Commitments
23 March Services
Council
(Regular) Services Council (Regular)
28-30 March Services
Council, Special Session on Negotiations
Services Council, Special Session on Negotiations
2 April Committee
on Trade in Financial Services
Committee on Financial Services
Working Party on Domestic Regulations, 20 March 2001
Members continued to discuss the development of general disciplines for all professional services. The discussions focused on two elements of those disciplines: transparency and necessity.
In discussing transparency provisions, Members looked at the objectives of such provisions, the concrete shape they could take (notifications in government gazettes, etc) and the administrative burden they would represent.
Concerning the necessity provisions, Members discussed the concept of the legitimacy of the provisions' objectives and the concept of the necessity of the provisions to attain these objectives. Members are discussing the possibility of developing a list of legitimate objectives.
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Working Party on GATS Rules, 21 March 2001
The Working Party on GATS Rules is mandated to negotiate on Emergency Safeguard Measures, Disciplines on Subsidies, and Government Procurement.
Safeguard
Measures
Members discussed the question of compensation in the case of
applying a Safeguard Measure. Members examined if a compensation
mechanism is desirable and, if so, what shape should it take.
Subsidies
Members discussed the extent to which existing GATS rules already
provide disciplines on services subsidies.
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Committee on Specific Commitments, 22 March 2001
Scheduling guidelines
The
Committee agreed the text of the revision of the guidelines
for the scheduling of Specific Commitments (Download in MS Word 97
format, 40 pages; 178 KB) under the GATS and recommended its
adoption to the Services Council at its meeting on 23 March 2001.
Classification
issues
The Committee reviewed its work so far on classification issues
including any possible amendments to the existing services sectoral
classification list in document (MTN.GNS/W/120)
(Download in MS Word 97 format, 8 pages; 42 KB). In general,
Members felt that the “technical work” done so far had been
helpful in deepening their understanding of the classification of the
sectors under discussion (legal services, postal and courier services,
construction services, environment services and energy services), and
agreed that it should be continued.
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Regular meeting of the Council for Trade in Services, 23 March 2001
Revision
of the Scheduling Guidelines
Following a recommendation by the Committee on Specific Commitments,
the Council adopted the revised version of the guidelines
for the scheduling of Specific Commitments (Download in MS Word 97
format, 40 pages; 178 KB) under the GATS.
Review
of the Understanding on Accounting Rates in Telecommunications
Members are reflecting on how to address the understanding which
was reached at the end of the negotiations on basic
telecommunications, whereby they would not challenge each others'
accounting rates in WTO dispute settlement procedures. The Council
will revert to this matter at its May meeting.
Commitments
in Basic Telecommunications — statement by Brazil
Brazil explained that it was not able to ratify its signature to
the Fourth Protocol on Basic Telecommunications because its
commitments under the Protocol were no longer compatible with a
subsequent Brazilian legislation and that it had therefore submitted a
new schedule for certification. At the same time, Brazil said it would
like to preserve its most-favoured-nation (MFN) exemption it had
listed under the Protocol. Brazil proposed a draft decision for
adoption by the Council which would give the MFN exemption legal
effect upon the conclusion of the certification procedure and entry
into force of the new schedule. Members are reflecting on the proposal
and the Council will revert to it at its next meeting.
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Special Session of the council for Trade in Services, 28-30 March 2001
Guidelines
and Procedures for the Negotiations
The Special Session adopted guidelines
and procedures for the services negotiations.
Negotiating
proposals
So far, more than 60 proposals
involving more than 40 Members have been submitted to the Special
Session.
Members agreed to have a detailed discussion of all the proposals
organized by sectors, mode of supply and horizontal issues raised at
the next Special Session of the Services Council in May. At the
following Special Sessions in July and October, Members will go more
deeply into the substance of individual sectors.
Modalities
for the Treatment of Autonomous Liberalization
The negotiating guidelines provide that, based on multilaterally
agreed criteria, credit will be given in the negotiations for
liberalization undertaken autonomously by individual members since
previous negotiations. Members shall endeavour to establish such
criteria prior to the start of the negotiations of specific
commitments. Members agreed that a special meeting would be scheduled
on this subject.
Stocktaking
Members expressed satisfaction with the work done so far and
commitment to the negotiating process. Members agreed on a work
programme for the next twelve months according to which the Services
Council will hold clusters of meetings in May, July, October, December
and March 2002, ending with a review of progress in the negotiations.
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Committee on Trade in Financial Services, 2 April 2001
Acceptance
of the Fifth Protocol to the GATS embodying the results of the Financial
Services Negotiations
Uruguay and Poland provided further information on the status of the
ratification process in their countries.
Technical
issues
Members are still reflecting on the question of the classification
of certain financial activities.
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