Guide to the GATS

This work brings together the background papers on major service sectors prepared by the WTO Secretariat for the WTO's Council for Trade in Services, in preparation for the new round of negotiations which started in January 2000. Following an analysis of the economic effects of services liberalization, 19 chapters on individual service sectors consider the issues which WTO Members need to consider when framing their negotiating positions and objectives for the new round and preparing their industries for a more open trading environment: the economic importance of the sector; the manner in which it is regulated and traded; problems of definition and classification; and the pattern of commitments undertaken by Member governments under the GATS. Many of the papers also identify prevalent forms of trade restriction or discrimination and suggest areas for further work. In addition, the work includes a detailed description of the structure of services commitments as submitted by WTO Members with respect to the four modes of supply which constitute the definition of trade in services under the GATS. The contributions have been provided by experts of the Trade in Services Division of the WTO Secretariat, with responsibility for the services or subjects in question.