World Trade Organization (WTO) participants on domestic regulation of services finalized their text-based deliberations at a meeting on Sept. 27, paving the way for the conclusion of negotiations at the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) that seeks to make domestic regulation procedures “clear, predictable and transparent and not unnecessarily trade-restrictive.”
El consensus text, titled "Reference document on national regulation of services"It covers licensing requirements and procedures, qualification requirements and procedures, and technical standards affecting trade in services." This agreement represents a major step forward for the negotiations, said coordinator Jaime Coghi Arias of Costa Rica. The only pending element now is the finalization of the lists of commitments by members, a task to be completed by the 12th Ministerial Conference.
A novelty for the WTO is that the The negotiated text contains a provision on non-discrimination between men and women. women in the context of authorisation procedures for service providers. This will be the first such provision in a negotiated outcome at the WTO.
The participants also agreed, an optional section with a set of disciplines on financial services, and a maximum transition period of seven years for developing countries that need more time to implement individual disciplines for specific service sectors.
The services domestic regulation process is one of several “Joint Statement Initiatives” (JSIs) launched at MC11 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in December 2017 by groups of WTO members, with other initiatives covering topics such as investment facilitation for development, e-commerce and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. A Joint Statement on Trade and Women’s Economic Empowerment was also launched at that time.
As a next step, the Coghi coordinator will consult the participants on a ministerial document that will outline the conclusion of the talks, the agreed text and the final lists of commitments of the participants. The next meeting will be held on October 11.
Singapore announced its participation in the negotiations and presented its preliminary timetable. This raises the total number of participating WTO Members to 65, representing more than 90 per cent of world trade in services.
During the 2021 WTO Public Forum on 29 September, the session entitled “WTO Joint Initiative on Services Domestic Regulation: An MC12 Deliverable to Strengthen the Multilateral Trading System” was held by the European Services Forum and the Australian Services Roundtable. Participants at the event discussed the state of play of the discussions on services domestic regulation, shared private sector experts’ perspectives on the practical value of the disciplines in facilitating and expanding their operations, and heard from WTO members on how they view the disciplines as improving their domestic business environment and enhancing their competitiveness.
WTO members participating in the talks are: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, China, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Penghu – Kinmen and Matsu, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States and Uruguay. (WTO Press Release)
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