./.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONS/CSS/W/98
9 July 2001
(01-3396)
Council for Trade in Services
Special SessionOriginal:  Spanish
COMMUNICATION FROM COLOMBIA1
Professional Services
The following communication has been received from the delegation of Colombia with the
request that it be circulated to Members of the Council for Trade in Services.
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I. INTRODUCTION
1. In accordance with the services sectoral classification list in document MTN.GNS/W/120,
professional services encompass a wide range of fields: legal services, accounting, auditing and
bookkeeping services, taxation services, architectural services, engineering services, integrated
engineering services, urban planning and landscape architectural services, medical and dental
services, veterinary services and services provided by midwives, nurses, physiotherapists and para-medical personnel.  These services have a common characteristic, namely practice of the respective
profession is recognized by the competent authority.
2. Domestic regulations on the provision of professional services include qualification-related
requirements which, together with profession-speci fic regulations, aim to guarantee the quality of the
service as well as protection of society and the consumer.
3. Professional service providers in developing countries are typically small firms or self-
employed professionals;  that is to say, business is small-scale and the predominant mode of supply isthrough the presence of natural persons.
4. The quality of higher education in developing countries has significantly increased and the
academic standard of professional training is now comparable to that of developed countries.  The
educational background and experience of professionals in developing countries enables them to be
competitive in the international arena as far as rendering professional services is concerned.
II. PROPOSALS
5. Recognition of qualifications, academic certifications and experience gained in other
Members' territory should be encouraged.  Qualifications should be checked within reasonable
periods.
                                                     
1 Colombia reserves the right to amend this proposal at any time.  This communication does not
constitute an offer by Colombia in relation to this sector.S/CSS/W/98
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6. The procedures for presenting and processing a request for authorization to exercise a
profession in another Member country should not in themselves be a restriction on the supply of the
service.
7. Members should ensure full compliance with and the effective implementation of
Article IV.2(b) of the GATS (Increasing Participat ion of Developing Countries):  "Developed country
Members, …, shall establish contact points, …, to facilitate the access of developing country
Members' service suppliers to information, related to their respective markets, concerning:
(b) registration, recognition and obtaining of professional qualifications;  and (c) the availability of
services technology".
8. Members should ensure full compliance with and the effective implementation of Article VII
of the GATS (Recognition), in particular paragraph 2, which states that "A Member that is a party to
an agreement or arrangement of the type referred to in paragraph 1 (recognition of education andexperience), whether existing or future, shall afford adequate opportunity for other interested
Members to negotiate their accession to such an agreement or arrangement or to negotiate comparable
ones with it".
9. The legitimate concern about protecting society and consumers and guaranteeing service
quality can be satisfied by the use of guarantees or temporary licensing procedures, inter alia .
Nationality and residence requirements are a barrier to trade in professional services and should be
abolished.
10. Commitments should be undertaken which pave the way for the entry of professional service
providers through the mode of supply known as movement of natural persons in such a way as to
facilitate the stay of foreign professionals, subject to compliance with domestic requirements.
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