RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE S/C/M/19
11June1997
ORGANIZATION(97-2407)
Council forTrade inServices
REPORT OFTHE MEETING HELD ON29MAY 1997
Note bytheSecretariat
1. TheCouncil forTrade inServices heldameeting on29May1997. Theagenda forthemeeting
iscontainedinWTO/AIR/599.TheSecretariatalsoproducedanannotatedagendacontainedindocument
S/C/W/23. Thedelegation ofMauritius requested, onbehalf ofthegroup ofAfrican Members
concerned, thatItemC.Request foraWaiver fromArticle IIoftheGATS forCRSServices -Joint
Communication byaGroup ofAfrican Members (S/L/37) bewithdrawn fromtheCouncil agenda for
thetimebeing. Nopoints were raised under other business.
A. THE DEADLINE FOR THE NEGOTIATIONS ONFINANCIAL SERVICES
2. TheChairman informed participants thattheCommittee onTrade inFinancial Services had
recommended thattheCouncil adopt aDecision toconclude thefinancial services negotiations on
12December 1997instead of30December 1997. Hedrewattention todocument S/C/W/22, containing
adraftdecision inthisregard andsuggested thattheCouncil adopt theDecision.
3. TheCouncil soagreed.
B. GUIDELINES FOR MUTUAL RECOGNITION AGREEMENTS INACCOUNTANCY
4. TheChairman reminded participants thattheDecision onProfessional Services adopted by
theCouncil on1March 1995(S/L/3), called upontheWorking Party onProfessional Services tomake
recommendations concerning inter aliatheestablishment ofGuidelines fortherecognition of
qualifications intheaccountancy sector. Hedrewattention todocument S/WPPS/W/14/Rev.1/Corr.1,
containing therecommendation oftheWorking Party totheCouncil toapprove theGuidelines and
document S/WPPS/W/12/Rev.1, containing thetextoftheGuidelines. Heinvited theChairman of
theWorking Party onProfessional Services topresent theGuidelines.
5. TheChairman oftheWorking Party onProfessional Services, MrGlynWilliams, stated that
completingworkontheGuidelineswasanimportantfirststepandanencouragingsignforthecompletion
ofthemandate oftheWorking Party. Therepresentative oftheEuropean Union saidthatherdelegation
wasverypleased withtheresult achieved onmutual recognition guidelines andthatthisachievement
created highexpectations offurther results onprofessional services.
6. TheChairman oftheCouncil suggested thattheCouncil approve theguidelines asrecommended
bytheWorking Party.
7. TheCouncil soagreed.S/C/M/19
Page2
D. THE IMPLEMENTATION OFTHE SINGAPORE WORK PROGRAMME
8. TheChairman recalled thatatthelastCouncil meeting apreliminary discussion onthisitem
tookplace. Heinvited participants tofollow uponthatdiscussion inrelation tothree sub-items in
theagenda: theexchange ofinformation exercise; theArticle VI:4workprogramme; andtheguidelines
fornegotiations.
9. Ontheexchange ofinformation exercise theChairman recalled thatatSingapore, Ministers
endorsed therecommendation thattheCouncil forTrade inServices should develop aninformation
exchange programme, aspartoftherequisite work tofacilitate thenegotiation ofprogressive
liberalization oftrade inservices asmandated inArticle XIXoftheGATS. Henoted thatthetask
oftheCouncil during 1997 istoagree tothemodalities andthetiming ofsuchaprogramme. Some
delegations saidthatitwasimportant tostartgathering existing information within theWTO andfrom
otherinternational organizations andthatitwould bedesirable iftheSecretariat prepared thebackground
papers proposed inthediscussion paper submitted bytheAustralia (S/C/W/21). Therepresentative
ofIndia noted thattheinformation tobegathered wasnecessary toassess theexisting commitments
andprepare forfuture negotiations. Hesaidthatthepapers should interaliadealwiththedifficulties
resulting from deregulation andliberalisation andassess thebenefits ofliberalisation inthefieldof
movement ofnatural persons. Therepresentative oftheEuropean Communities saidthatthetaskof
theCouncilfor1997shouldconsistofmakinganinventoryoftheavailableinformationandthatemphasis
should beputonstatistics relating totrade inservices. Therepresentative oftheUnited States said
thatitwould bedesirable toholdinformal consultations onhowtoconduct theexchange ofinformation.
Henoted thatitwould alsobeimportant torecord thechanges toservices regulations since theend
oftheUruguay Round.
10. Regarding theArticle VI:4work programme, therepresentative oftheEuropean Union said
thatthiswasanextremely important area,butthatitwasnecessary toavoid contradictory results with
theworkoftheWorkingPartyonProfessionalServices(WPPS).Shesuggestedthatitmightbedesirable
towaitforareport from theWPPS onmultilateral disciplines onqualification requirements and
procedures, technical standards andlicensing requirements, before undertaking anyworkintheCouncil,
asthework oftheWPPS might constitute atestcaseforfurther work onArticle VI:4. The
representative oftheUnited States shared theviewthatthework oftheWPPS wasimportant tothe
more general Article VI:4work programme; however, henoted thattheSingapore work programme
callsalsoforanhorizontal examination ofArticle VI:4. Hesaidhebelieved thatadiscussion ofa
general nature would behelpful.
11. Ontheguidelines fornegotiations, mostdelegations agreed that,although itwould benecessary
toundertake work inthisarea, itwasstillpremature tostartsuchwork. Thework ontheguidelines
might follow theexchange ofinformation exercise which would provide thenecessary background.
Therepresentative ofIndia saidthatforthework ontheguidelines itwould bedesirable toconsider
alistofthedifferent sectors andestablish priorities.
12. Therepresentative ofNewZealand saidthatherdelegation would liketotakeupallthreesub-
items, including theguidelines fornegotiations, ininformal consultations. TheChairman saidthat
theSecretariatwouldprepareanoteonavailableinformationasrequestedbydelegationsfortheexchange
ofinformation programme, relying alsoonthework ofother international organizations. Hesaidthat
itwasclearthatinformal consultations werenecessary andthathewould convene aninformal meeting
atanappropriate time.S/C/M/19
Page3
E. PROCEDURES FOR THE MODIFICATION OFSCHEDULES
13. TheChairman recalled thatparagraph 5ofArticle XXIoftheGATS callsupon theCouncil
forTrade inServices todevelop procedures forrectification ormodification ofschedules andthat
work hadbeentaking place informally withaviewtofinalizing adrafttextofthose procedures for
consideration andadoption bytheCouncil. During theinformal discussions anumber ofpoints were
raised. Those points, aswellasthelatestchanges introduced intothetext,werecontained intheinformal
notebytheSecretariat dated 23May1996. Thenotealsocontained athirdrevision ofthedrafttext
oftheprocedures. Hesaidthatfurther informal consultations werenecessary toresolve issues ofa
technical nature. Hesuggested thatwork onthismatter bereferred totheCommittee onSpecific
Commitments, which should finalize thetextoftheprocedures andrefer itbacktotheCouncil for
itsadoption.
14. TheCouncil soagreed.