RECHERCHE ET ANALYSE: DOCUMENTS DE TRAVAIL
Bilateralism in Services Trade: Is There Fire Behind the (Bit-)Smoke?
In most of the current literature, the spread of regionalism in international trade relations is discussed in terms of a rapidly rising number of preferential trade agreements (PTAs).
Far less attention is given to the even more rapid proliferation of bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and their overlap with obligations assumed by WTO Members under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). About 60 per cent of world foreign investment stocks are in services and, thus, covered by mode 3 (commercial presence) of the GATS. A closer look reveals that BITs generally apply across a far wider range of sectors, in particular in the case of LDCs and developing countries, than those scheduled under the GATS. Furthermore, a number of obligations enshrined in BITs go beyond their potential counterparts under the GATS. At the same time, since most WTO Members have not listed relevant exemptions from the Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) clause of the Agreement, their BIT obligations are to be applied on an MFN basis. While this extension may not cause problems in many cases, given generally liberal investment regimes and the focus of most treaties on protecting rather than liberalizing access, inconsistencies remain between the two frameworks. Based on an assessment of relevant provisions, this article discusses options on how WTO Members could proceed.
No: ERSD-2008-01
Auteurs:
Rudolf Adlung — OMC
Martin Molinuevo — World Trade Institute in Berne
Date de rédaction: janvier 2008
Mots clés:
Trade in Services, GATS, Investment Treaties, Bilateralism
Cotes JEL:
F13, F15, F21, K33, L80
Avertissement
Ce document est un document de travail et concerne donc des recherches en cours. Il témoigne de l'opinion personnelle des fonctionnaires ou des universitaires invités et est le produit de recherches professionnelles. Il n'est pas censé représenter la position ou les points de vue de l'OMC ou de ses Membres, ni la position officielle des fonctionnaires de l'OMC. Ses auteurs sont seuls responsables en cas d'erreur. Des exemplaires de ce document peuvent être obtenus auprès du Secrétariat de la division responsable, à l'adresse suivante: Division de la recherche et de l'analyse économiques, Organisation mondiale du commerce, rue de Lausanne 154, CH-1211 Genève 21, Suisse. Veuillez indiquer dans votre demande les cote et titre du document.
Télécharger le document en format pdf (37 pages, 347Ko) (uniquement en anglais, ouvre une nouvelle fenêtre.)