WORLD TRADE S/C/N/23
27August 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-3367)
Original: English Council forTrade inServices
JOINT COMMUNICATION FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES AND
THEIR MEMBER STATES AND THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC
Notification Pursuant toArticle V:7(a) ofthe
General Agreement onTrade inServices
Thefollowing notification hasbeenreceived fromthedelegations oftheEuropean Communities
andtheirMemberStatesandtheRepublicofSlovakiapursuanttoArticleVparagraph7(a)oftheGATS.
ThisjointcommunicationconstitutesthenotificationoftheEuropeAgreementestablishinganassociation
between theEuropean Communities andtheirMember States andtheRepublic ofSlovakia.
_______________
PursuanttoArticleVparagraph7(a)oftheGATS,theEuropeanCommunitiesandtheirMember
States, ontheonepart, andtheSlovak Republic, ontheother part, hereby notify the"economic
integration agreement" asinstituted bytheEurope Agreement concluded between themselves. The
formal notification, made inaccordance withthe"guidelines fornotifications under theGeneral
Agreement onTrade inServices", asadopted bytheCouncil forTrade inServices, isattached tothe
communication.
Tofacilitate theexamination bytheMembers, therelevant provisions ontrade inservices in
thisagreement havebeenidentified inthenotification. ThefulltextoftheEurope Agreement where
these provisions canbefound, intheiroriginal version, areavailable attheWTO Secretariat. The
EuropeAgreementispublishedintheOfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities(L359,volume37,
31December 1994).
1. Members notifying:
TheEuropean Communities andtheirMember States (15)
Slovak Republic
2. Notification under:
Article Vparagraph 7(a).S/C/N/23
Page2
3. Date ofentry intoforce:
01.02.95
Duration:
indefinite.
4. Agencies responsible forimplementation andenforcement ofthemeasures :
Association Council, Parties 'legislative, regulatory andjudicial authorities.
5. Description ofthemeasures:
(a) Provisions intheEurope Agreement which arerelevant tothescope oftheGATS:
- Article 1-Objective;
- TitleII-"General principles": Article 7;
- TitleIV-Chapter 1:"Movement ofworkers"; Chapter 2"Establishment";
Chapter3"SupplyofservicesbetweentheCommunityandtheSlovakRepublic"
andChapter 4"General provisions";
- TitleV-Chapter 1:"Current payments andmovement ofcapital"; Chapter 2
"Competition andother economic provisions" andChapter 3"Approximation
oflaws";
- Title VI-"Economic cooperation", inparticular Articles 72and74on
Investment promotion andprotection; Article 82onTransport; Article 83
onTelecommunication; Article 84onBanking insurance, other financial
services andauditcooperation; Article 89onTourism andArticle 90onSmall
andmedium-sized Enterprises;
- TitleIX-"Institutional, general andfinalprovisions".
(b) These provisions oftheEurope Agreement constitute anagreement liberalizing trade
inservices between theEuropean Communities andtheirMember States, ontheone
part,andtheSlovak Republic, ontheotherpart,inthesense ofArticle V,paragraph 1,
given that:
- itprovides foruniversal sectoral coverage ofallservice activities, subject to
agradual coverage ofsome services 'activities (seeArticle 45para1(i),para1
(iii),thetemporarily exemption under Article 52(i.e.establishment inair
transport services, inland-waterway transport services andmaritime transport
services) andtheexceptions under Articles 54and114. These exclusions are
fullyconsistent withtheexceptions provided forunder theGATS andmore
inparticular with theAnnex onAirTransport Services totheGATS,
Articles 1.3(b), XIVandXIVbis;S/C/N/23
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- itprovides fortheliberalization oftrade through allmodes ofsupply: "cross
border" trade, "consumption abroad", "commercial presence" (with orwithout
movement ofnatural persons) aswellas"presence ofnatural persons" (see
inparticular Articles 38,42,43,45,49,53,56,57and60);
- itprovides fortheabsence orelimination ofsubstantially alldiscrimination
through elimination ofexisting discriminatory measures andprohibition ofnew
ormore discriminatory measures (seeinparticular Articles 38,45,46,56,
57and64);
- thetime-tablefortheprogressiveeliminationofexistingdiscriminatorymeasures
isreasonable: atransition period ofamaximum of10years (seeArticles 7
and45);
- thedegree ofliberalization oftrade inservices between theCommunity and
itsMember States, ontheonepart,andtheSlovak Republic, ontheother part,
goesbeyond therequirements anddisciplines oftheGATS inmany respects.
Toachieve fullnational treatment, additional disciplines andmeans of
liberalization areforeseen such as:mutual recognition ofqualifications;
approximation oflaws; behaviour ofmonopolies andexclusive service
providers; restrictive business practices andpayments, transfers andfree
movement ofcapital.
(c) Consideration should alsobegiven, pursuant toArticle Vparagraph 2ofGATS, to
therelationship ofthisagreement tothewider process ofeconomic integration between
theEuropean Communities andtheirMember States, ontheonepart,andtheSlovak
Republic, ontheother part,provided forunder theEurope Agreement. Economic
integration isnotonlytaking place inthefieldofservices, butalsoinrespect oftrade
ingoods andintheeconomic relations ingeneral. Inaddition, thisAgreement will
helpachieving theobjective oftheSlovak Republic tobecome aMember ofthe
European Community.
6. Members specifically affected, ifany:
None. TheEuropean Communities andtheirMember States, ontheonepart, theSlovak
Republic, ontheother part,havenegotiated theirSchedule ofSpecific Commitments andlist
ofMFN exemptions during theUruguay Round. Theentry intoforceoftheEurope Agreement
didnotimply anymodification oramendment inthese lists. TheEurope Agreement aimsat
facilitating trade between theParties. Noprovisions oftheEurope Agreement aimatraising
thelevelofrestrictions oftrade inservices inrespect ofanyother WTO Member.
7. Thefulltextoftheagreement isavailable from:
- theWTO Secretariat;
- theEuropean Commission;
- theSlovak Republic.