The following communication, dated 3 December 2007, from the delegation of Mexico as coordinator of a collective request in this sector, is being communicated to Members of the Council for Trade in Services.
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Introduction
Opening the audiovisual services market benefits the domestic industry by introducing new technologies, skills and business methods which, in turn, lead to the development of a multitude of new services, encourage investment in digital networks, and foster local creativity and innovation. A growing number of countries have come to recognize that opening the audiovisual sector to foreign participation has broad, positive spill-over effects for the local economy, including for such sectors as tourism, education and local manufacturing.
Pursuant to paragraph 7 of Annex C, a group of s
COMMUNICATION FROM CHILE, HONG KONG CHINA, INDIA AND MEXICO
Discussion paper on relevant issues for liberalisation of
Cross border supply in GATS negotiations
Introduction
Members may recall the joint statement Job (05)/90 by a group of Members in the last CTS - Special Session drawing on the deliberations in the Symposium on Cross Border Supply held in April 2005. This group of Members had identified several issues arising from the Symposium which would be relevant to the negotiations and on which it had requested continued discussions.
Proceeding from this statement, this discussion paper attempts to provide greater focus and specificity to the issues mentioned before. It is our understanding that focussed discussions on these issues based on the points raised would provide greater negotiating benefits.
Specific Issues for consideration
List of Sectors of Commercial Importan
COMMUNICATION FROM the people's republic of CHINA,
HONG KONG, china, PAKISTAN and
the
Separate Customs Territory
of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu
Systemic Elements on Quality of Offers
In the context of the on-going CTS/SS consultations, the co-sponsors of this paper would like to share their views on certain systemic elements concerning quality of offers. This paper is submitted without prejudice to the final position of its co-sponsors on the question of complementary approaches or on any proposals on complementary approaches put forward by Members.
The co-sponsors of this paper consider that there is a need for the on-going discussions to focus its attention on ensuring and enhancing the quality of offers and reflecting a balance of interests among Members. Any approaches to ensure or enhance the quality of offers should be in line with the existing framework for services ne
the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, china, Pakistan and the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu
2005/9/28
JOB(05)/190 19 September 2005
Council for Trade in Services
Special Session
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Information Note by the Secretariat
INTRODUCTION
All Members recognize that financial services are not only important in themselves, but also of significance to the rest of the economy. All branches of economic activity today are fundamentally dependent on access to financial services. Members also recognize that a healthy and stable financial system, underpinned by sound macroeconomic management and prudential regulation, is an essential ingredient for economic development.
An analysis of commitments carried out by some Members reveals that most of them cover the core services in insurance, banking and securities. Fewer Members have made commitments in areas such as insurance intermediation, brokerage, asset management, settlement and clearing services, and provision and transfer of financial information. Only about half of the Members which have commitment
INTRODUCTION
Delegations generally recognized that audiovisual services have both commercial and cultural components. Several Members do not see any contradiction between progressive liberalization in this sector and the achievement of cultural objectives and consider that the GATS provided appropriate flexibility in this respect. Some delegations said that a key motivation was to preserve their ability to promote and implement cultural policies. In the light of the low number of Members with commitments in the sector and the high number of MFN exemptions, the need to inject fresh thinking and to move beyond the "all or nothing" approach has also been underscored.
CLASSIFICATION ISSUES
Classification issues were mostly raised during the initial phase of negotiating proposals. One proposal stressed that the audiovisual s
COMMUNICATION FROM RWANDA ON BEHALF OF the african group
S&D Proposals in the GATS
Compilation of Responses to Lists of Questions / Comments
The following communication, dated 8 July 2005, from the delegation of Rwanda on behalf of the African Group, is being circulated to the Members of the Council for Trade in Services.
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This note is a compilation of responses to questions and comments by Members during the informal consultations so far held on Category II, Special and Differential Treatment (S&D) proposals of the African Group. These consultations were held on the 11 June 2003 (see doc
ument
JOB(03)/118), 21 April 2005, and 18 May 2005).
Informal meeting held on 11 June 2003: Questions and comments contained in JOB (03)/118
The first part of this section contains general questions/comments which appear in regular font, and responses in italics. The
