Australia’s notification of 29 May 2015 concerns tourism, transport (maritime, air, rail, road and auxiliary services) and business services (computer, professional and other business services). The objective is to enhance LDCs’ participation in world services trade. In their request, the WTO LDC Group had requested preferential treatment on 74 services sectors.

This is the second notification by a WTO member and comes after Canada notified the Services Council in March 2015. Members agreed that delegations in a position to grant preferences shall endeavour to notify the WTO as early as possible, and no later than 31 July 2015. Sixteen WTO members reiterated their commitment to meet the deadline and said that they are completing their internal processes.

This follows a 2011 Ministerial Decision to waive WTO members’ commitment under the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services to provide non-discriminatory treatment to services and service suppliers of other WTO members (Most-Favoured Nation principle). Australia said that the preferences — like the waiver — are due to last until a country graduates from the United Nations list of LDC countries.

The LDC Group welcomed Australia’s notification and urged members in a position to do so to notify their preferences as soon as possible and to include, when possible, measures pertaining to the cross-border movement of natural persons (Mode 4). The LDC Group reported that 25 bilateral meetings had taken place since the last Services Council meeting on 18 March and suggested an evaluation after July. This could be a success story for another Bali outcome and for the developing world, the LDC Group said, referring to the insertion in the WTO rulebook of the new Trade Facilitation Agreement on 27 November 2014.

Learn more about implementation of the LDC Services Waiver.

Learn more about trade in services in the WTO.