The annual report of the Council for Trade
in Services to the General Council is available [S/C/12]
as well as the annual report of the Special Session of
the Council for Trade in Services to the General Council
[S/CSS/3].
28
Nov. Committee
on Specific Commitments
29 Nov. Committee
on Trade in Financial Services
29 Nov. Working
Party on Domestic Regulations
30 Nov. Working
Party on GATS Rules
1 Dec. Services
Council, Special Session on Autonomous
Liberalization
1 Dec. Services
Council
(Regular)
4 Dec. Services
Council on Aviation
5-6 Dec. Services
Council, Special Session on Negotiations
Committee
on Specific Commitments, 28 November 2000 back
to top
The
Committee on Specific Commitments held an informal
meeting on classification and its formal eighteenth
meeting. The informal work on classification, which is a
substantial part of the Committee’s current agenda,
took place in the informal mode and will be channelled
into the formal meeting through a written report by the
Chairman, to be included in the minutes of the meeting.
The Committee’s on-going work includes:
- (a)
possible amendments to the existing services
sectoral classification (environmental services,
energy services, legal services, postal and
courier services and construction services),
including where appropriate the development of
clusters; and
(b) the revision of the guidelines for the
scheduling of specific commitments.
Committee
on Financial Services, 29 Nov. 2000 back
to top
The
Committee decided to request that the Council for Trade
in Services reopen the Fifth Protocol on Financial
Services to Nigeria and Kenya.
Discussions
continued on the definition of prudential regulations.
Working
Party on Domestic Regulations, 29 Nov.2000 back
to top
The
discussion continued on the development of general
disciplines for all professional services and the
applicability of the existing Accountancy Disciplines (see press release). Several delegations presented
verbal reports of their domestic consultations with
professional organizations on that subject. Overall, the
response from the organizations was positive: such
guidelines are useful and are applicable.
Working
Party on GATS Rules back
to top
The
Working Party agreed to extend the 15 December 2000
deadline for the Negotiations on Emergency Safeguard
Measures by 15 months, to 15 March 2002.
Special
Session of the Council on Autonomous liberalization, 1
Dec. back
to top
As
proposed by Hong Kong, China, half a day was spent
discussing autonomous liberalization. Members looked at
two main questions:
- (1)
how to define autonomous liberalization? Two
possibilities are liberalization undertaken
without reciprocity or unbound liberalization
(liberalization without any commitment in the
WTO); and
(2) whether credit should be granted to
autonomous liberalization in the new
market-access negotiations, and if so, what kind
of credit?
Article
XIX of the GATS requires that Members establish in their
negotiating guidelines “modalities for the treatment
of liberalization undertaken autonomously”.
Regular
Session of the Council, 1 Dec. 2000 back
to top
The
Council ratified the Working Party GATS Rules decision on
the Safeguards deadline.
It
agreed to reopen the Fifth Protocol for ratification by
Nigeria and Kenya. Upon ratification, those two
countries' new commitments in Financial Services will be
officially added to their national schedules.
The
European Communities tabled a paper on the electronic
commerce work programme. The EU highlights two issues
which remain open:
- (1)
the classification of certain products delivered
electronically as goods or services; and
(2) whether internet access can be considered a
telecommunications service.
Special
Session of the Council on Aviation, 4 Dec. back
to top
The
Members examined (1) whether the current exclusion from
GATS of all services related to traffic rights should be
maintained, and (2) what are services related to traffic
rights.
In
this context, three Members presented papers: Australia [S/C/W/179]
(3 pages; 37 KB); New Zealand [S/C/W/185];(6 pages;
52 KB) and the European
Communities [S/C/W/186](4 pages;
40 KB).
Special
Session of the Council on the Negotiations, 5-6 Dec. 2000 back
to top
The
Members discussed first the drafting of negotiating
guidelines. A large number of members made submissions on
this item. The Council agreed that based on these written
submissions and on oral submissions as well, the Chairman
would draft a text which will be circulated to the
Members in January 2001, with the aim of having a final
text for adoption at the stock-taking meeting in March.
Under
the item “Other matters relating to the
negotiations”, India presented a proposal on the
liberalization of movement of professionals [S/CSS/W/12]
and [S/CSS/W/12/Corr.1].
Australia
introduced a proposal on telecommunication services
recommending the rationalization of telecommunication
accounting rates. Currently, accounting rates are
negotiated bilaterally outside the WTO. An Understanding
between Members exists that no dispute on accounting
rates should be taken to the Dispute Settlement Body.
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