Issues covered by the WTO’s committees and agreements
SERVICES:SERVICES WEEK

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

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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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