./.RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONS/WPDR/W/24
20 June 2003
(03-3306)
Working Party on Domestic Regulation
- DRAFT –
UPDATE TO THE ANNUAL REPORT OF 2002OF THE WORKING PARTY ON
DOMESTIC REGULATION TO THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES (2003)
1. Since the 2002 annual report to the Council for Trade in Services, the Working Party on
Domestic Regulation (WPDR) held three formal meetings and two informal meetings. Minutes of the
formal meetings are found in WTO documents S/WPDR/M/19 to M/21.  The next formal meeting isscheduled for 1 July 2003.  Both formal and informal papers have been submitted to the Working
Party.  The formal papers were submitted by China, Chinese Taipei, Canada and the United States.
1
Informal papers were submitted by the Chairperson,2 Members3 and the Secretariat.4
I. DEVELOPMENT OF REGULATORY DISCIPLINES UNDER GATS ARTICLE VI:4
2. With respect to the development of regulatory disciplines on domestic regulation, discussions
of the Working Party in the first half of 2003 continued to focus on the regulatory barriers and issues
that service suppliers actually faced.  This involv ed further engaging in a review of the measures
contained in the informal Secretariat paper Examples of Measures to be Addressed by Disciplines
under GATS Article VI:4  (latest version is JOB(02)/20/Rev.5, dated 29 April 2003).
3.  At the formal WPDR meetings on 24 February and 15 May 2003, as well as at the informal
meetings held on 28 January 2003 and 13 June 2003, Members discussed the informal Secretariat
paper, Proposed Workshop on Domestic Regulation , the latest version of which is JOB(02)/35/Rev.1,
dated 7 May 2003.
4. In March 2003, Japan submitted an informal paper, Draft Annex on Domestic Regulation ,
which was circulated as JOB/(03)/45, dated 3 March 2003.5  Members made extensive preliminary
comments on the draft annex at the 24 February and 15 May 2003 formal meetings.
5. At the formal meeting on 24 February, 2003, the OECD gave a brief presentation, on an
informal basis, regarding their recent paper on MRAs.6
                                                     
1 S/WPDR/W/20, dated 2  December 2003;  S/WPDR/W/21, date d 24 January 2003;  S/WPDR/W/22,
dated 10 February 2003;  and S/WPDR/W/23, dated 10 March 2003, respectively.
2 JOB/(02)/206, dated 3 December 2002.
3 JOB/(02)/203, dated 3 December 2002 (Communicatio n from China);  JOB/(03)/113, dated 11 June
2003 (Communication from Singapore).
4 JOB(02)/3/Rev.3, 2.12.02;  JOB/(02)/204, 2.12.03; JOB(02)/20/Rev.3, 3.12.02;  JOB/(03)/28,
13.02.03;  JOB/(02)/30/Rev.4, 19.02.03;  JOB/( 03)/35, 21.02.03;  JOB/(02)/204/Rev.1, 21.02.03;
JOB(02)/20/Rev.4, 21.02.03;  JOB(03)/45, 3.03.03;  JO B(02)/20/Rev.5, 29.04.03;  JOB(02)/3/Rev.5, 29.04.03;
JOB/(03)/45/Rev.1, 2.05.03;  JOB(03)/35/Rev.1, 7.05.03.
5 The latest version is JOB/(03)/45/Rev.1, dated 2 May 2003.
6 The OECD paper was circulated as an informal paper, JOB/(03)/28, dated 13 February, 2003.S/WPDR/W/24
Page 2
II. DEVELOPMENT OF DISCIPLINES FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
6. Regarding the development of disciplines for professional services, the Working Party
continued to hold discussions on the informal Secretariat paper Synthesis of Results to Date of the
Domestic Consultations in Professional Services , the latest version of which was circulated as
(JOB(02)/204, dated 21 February 2003).
7. At the formal meetings on 24 February and 15 May 2003, the Secretariat updated Members
on the results to date of the consultations with international professional services organizations,
concerning the potential suitability of the Disciplines on Domestic Regulation in the Accountancy
Sector  (S/L/64, dated 17 December 1998) for other professions.
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