The United States announced that it will join talks on domestic regulation of services at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and “support the conclusion of the Initiative” at the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in the last week of November 2021.
He made the announcement at a meeting on July 20, 2021, which raised the number (64) of mine to more than a thirdWTO members are now working to establish new disciplines regarding licensing and qualification requirements and procedures for service providers, as well as technical standards.
The services domestic regulation process is one of several “Joint Statement Initiatives” (JSIs) launched at WTO MC11 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in December 2017. Other proposals put forward cover topics such as investment facilitation for development (IFD), e-commerce and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
According to JSI participants, such disciplines would ensure that “domestic regulatory procedures for trade in services are clear, predictable and transparent and do not unnecessarily restrict trade,” with flexibilities provided based on countries’ national policy objectives and levels of development.
Jaime Coghi Arias of Costa Rica, coordinator of the negotiations, welcomed the US announcement; He called it a “significant step” that brings participants closer “to achieving an outcome for CM12.” He said: “I am optimistic that we will very soon be in a position to deliver a clean text of disciplines on domestic regulation of services and thus conclude work on the text-based pillar of our negotiations.”
In its statement, the USTR Office noted that the talks “They are an opportunity to improve the transparency and fairness of the processes of obtaining licenses to provide services“by American professionals and companies in retail, express delivery, and financial services, among other fields. “Enhanced transparency and regulatory processes can support democratic values, open societies, and a worker-centered trade agenda,” the Office said.
The United States highlighted the importance of a provision seeking to prohibit discrimination between men and women in the issuance of licenses. This would be the first time such a provision has been included in a WTO discipline.
And he also encouraged other members of the Organization to join the ambitious project of having the majority of the 50 main WTO members that trade in services join the talks to expand the benefits that a favorable outcome would bring to service providers worldwide.WTO Communiqué) (Statement from the Office of the United States Trade Representative)
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