1 / 27

General Agreement on Trade in Services

General Agreement on Trade in Services. Dr. (Mrs.) Vijaya Katti Professor & Chairperson Management Development Programmes Indian Institute of Foreign Trade New Delhi – 110016. Why GATS Came into Existence. The Developed Nations Fought for the Inclusion Reason

aletta
Download Presentation

General Agreement on Trade in Services

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. General Agreement on Trade in Services Dr. (Mrs.) Vijaya Katti Professor & Chairperson Management Development Programmes Indian Institute of Foreign Trade New Delhi – 110016

  2. Why GATS Came into Existence • The Developed Nations Fought for the Inclusion • Reason • From the eighties major revolution setting a phenomenal pace in the development of the sector started • Envisaged High Growth Potential in exporting to the developing world • Liberalisation beneficial to them without any risk involved

  3. Definition of “Trade in Services” • The GATS does not define “services” but does define “trade in services”. The definition covers not only the cross-border supply of services but also transactions involving the cross-border movement of capital and labour.

  4. GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TRADE IN SERVICES (GATS) • Trade in Services different from Trade in Goods: Cross Border Supply in Goods vs. four modes of supply in Services namely Cross Border Supply, Consumption Abroad, Commercial Presence, Movement of Natural Persons. • Control through Regulations – No Tariffs • Obligations – General (MFN,Transparency) vs. Conditional (National treatment)

  5. FOUR MODES OF SUPPLY OF SERVICES

  6. GATS - MAIN PRINCIPLES • Universal obligations - • MFN, Transparency • Supporting obligations - • Domestic regulations • Monopolies and Exclusive Service Suppliers • Business practices • Recognition of qualification • Economic integration

  7. NATURE OF GATS • Positive list approach involving Choice of : • Services sectors in undertaking commitments • Modes of Supply in undertaking commitments • Horizontal Commitment or sectoral commitments • Negative Listing of Limitations on : • - Market Access • - National Treatment • Additional Commitments • GATS requires members to undertake binding commitments which add to certainty and predictability of trading regime; in practice members exercise the choice of making commitments depending on various factors including the return which they expect from making commitments.

  8. Universal Coverage

  9. ARCADIA - SCHEDULE OF SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS Modes of supply: (1) Cross-border supply (2) Consumption supply (3) Commercial presence (4) Presence of natural persons

  10. Ongoing Negotiations : Core provisions • Article XIX of GATS: • “… Members shall enter into successive rounds of negotiations, beginning not later than five years from the date of entry into force of the WTO Agreement … with a view to achieving a progressively higher level of liberalization …” • Due respect for national policy objectives and levels of development • Flexibility for developing countries to open fewer sectors and liberalize fewer types of transactions. • Article IV:1: • Facilitate increasing participation of developing country Members in world trade (access to technology and distribution channels, liberalization of sectors and modes of export interest) • Annex on Article II Exemptions: • Negotiation of existing MFN Exemptions

  11. Ongoing Negotiations : Rule Making • 1. Rule-making Programme • Safeguards, • Government Procurement, • Subsidies • 2. Disciplines on Domestic Regulation

  12. NEGOTIATING CALENDER As per Doha Ministerial Declaration read with the Guidelines and Procedures for negotiations (NGP), the following calender is mandated: • Initial Request – 30th June, 2002 • Initial Offers - 31st March, 2003 • Safeguards - 15th March 2004 • Government Procurement/ Subsidies/ Domestic Regulations : aim to complete negotiations prior to completion of Negotiations on Specific Commitments • Close of negotiations by January 1, 2005

  13. Guidelines and Procedure for Negotiations • Progressive Liberalisation of Trade in Services • Right to regulate & re-regulate supply of services • Maintain structure and principles of GATS including right to choose sectors and modes. • No a- priori exclusion of any Sector or Mode of supply– Special attention to sectors and modes of interest to developing countries • Request - offer, the main method of negotiations.

  14. Contd… • Starting point of negotiations : current schedules of commitments • Flexibility in making Commitments for developing countries. • Credit for Autonomous Liberalisation. • Assessment of Trade in Services and adjustment of negotiations accordingly.

  15. The Request & Offer Process:Relevant Provisions • Article XIX:4:::; “The process of progressive liberalization shall be advanced… through bilateral, plurilateral or multilateral negotiations directed towards increasing the general level of specific commitments…” • Negotiating Guidelines (S/L/93): “The main method of negotiation shall be the request-offer approach.”

  16. Formulating Initial Requests:Relevant Steps 1.Evaluation of Trading Opportunities (consultations with relevant Ministries, associations, etc.) II.Examination of Current Situation under GATS III.Definition of Negotiating Objective -Inclusion of additional sectors? -Improvements in existing Commitments on Market Access and National Treatment? -Scheduling of Additional Commitments (ArtXVIII)? -Removal of MFN Exemptions?

  17. IV. Circulation of REQUESTS • No specified format • Only to the relevant trading (s) • Without further procedural obligations(no notification or transparency requirements, etc.)

  18. Formulating Initial OFFERS;Relevant Steps • Assessment of the REQUESTS Received • Evaluation of Trade and Development interests • Promotion of FDI? • Improvements in business and/or social infrastructures? • Promotion of technology transfer? • Reduction/elimination of domestic supply gaps? • Other social/economic/regional policy objectives?

  19. Contd… iii. Need for Accompanying Regulatory Reform? • Preparation and Circulation of initial OFFERS • Highlight envisaged improvements in draft schedule and/or List of MFN Exemptions • Consider scope for additional technical modifications and clarifications • Circulate to all Members

  20. Issues to be considered in making offers • Whether no commitment or Full or Partial Commitment • In case of partial commitment the limitations to be attached in order to take care of particular concerns:

  21. Contd. • Market access limitations such as • limits on number of suppliers, • total value of service transactions, • total number of service operations, • total no. of natural persons to be employed by a service supplier, • the percentage of foreign equity and the type of legal presence

  22. The MFN and National Treatment Under GATS • MFN - Favour one, favour all. if a country allows foreign competition in a sector, equal opportunities in that sector should be given to service providers from all other WTO members. MFN applies to all services, but some special temporary exemptions have been allowed • National Treatment - equal treatment for foreigners and one's own nationals. Applies where a country has made a specific commitment, and exemptions are allowed.

  23. GATS 2000 Negotiations : Initial Offers • Till date more than 30 WTO members have made initial offers. • Offers are conditional on negotiations and made by trading partners • Offers are restrictive: Limited improvements over UR commitments

  24. Contd… • Most countries have not bound the status quo • More full commitments in Mode 1 • Removal of some limitations, esp. in Mode 3 • Economic needs test • Form of legal entity • Foreign equity participation • Scope of operations • Authorization/approval requirements

  25. Contd… • Sectoral offers on Mode 4 remain unbound • Some improvements in horizontal offers on Mode 4 • Expanded to include contractual service suppliers, independent professionals, graduate trainees (EU offer) • Requirement of economic needs and labour market tests removed/relaxed for intracorporate transferees, professionals, business visitors (Canada, EU) • Period of stay extended for business visitors, executives, senior managers, specialists (Canada, New Zealand) • Clarified definitions of service provider categories and associated qualification and training requirements

  26. Contd… • However certain problems remain: • Linking of Mode 4 to immigration rules and regulations • Discretionary scope in recognition of training and qualifications • Conditions on prior employment, duration of stay, inter-firm and geographic mobility, wages • Numerical ceilings and quotas

  27. THANK YOU

More Related