S/C/N/ 985 
15 November  2019 
(19-7828) Page: 1/2 
Council for Trade in Services  Original:  English  
 
  
 
NOTIFICATION PURSUANT TO ARTICLE III:3 OF THE  
GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TRADE IN SERVICES  
The following notification, dated  5 November  2019, from the delegation of the European Union , is 
being circulated to Members of the Council for Trade in Services . 
 
_______________  
 
 
The following notification is made pursuant to GATS Article III:3 and relates to measures adopted 
by the European Union in 2018. Given that there is no common understanding among WTO Members 
on when a measure "significantly aff ects trade in services" within the meaning of GATS Article III:3 
and that the European Union cannot make a positive determination on this issue, it is therefore 
notifying measures that may be relevant to trade in services without prejudice to the interpret ation 
of the phrase "significantly affect trade in services" in Article III:3.  
 
 
1  MEMB ER NOTIFYING : 
The European Union  
2  NOTIFICATION UNDER : 
Article III:3 of the General Agreement on Trade in Services  
3  DATE OF ENTRY INTO FORCE : 
11 December 2018  
 
Entry into application: 12/12/2020, 12/12/2022 and 12/12/2023 for certain provisions . 
 
3.1  Duration:  
Not applicable  
 
4  AGENCY RESPONSIBLE FOR ENFORCEMENT OF THE MEASURE : 
Member States of the EU & EU institutions  
 
5  DESCRIPTION OF THE MEASURE*: 
a) Full title:  
 
Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 October 2018 
establishing a single digital gateway to provide access to information, to procedures and to 
assistance and problem -solving services and amending Regulation (EU) No 1 024/2012, OJ L 295, 
21.11.2018, p. 1 –38b. 
 
                                                
* Including international agreements, recognition measures or other types.  S/C/N/ 985 
- 2 - 
  b) Brief summary of the content with a focus on the potential effect on services trade:  
 
The single digital gateway Regulation will facilitate navigation in the single market by improving 
access to online informat ion, procedures, assistance and problem  solving services through a single 
user-friendly portal. The Regulation will ensure that:  
 
• access to information, procedures and assistance services is facilitated through the 
 establishment of a single access point at the EU level towards all related services on EU and 
 national websites ; 
 
• information, procedures and assistance services acces sible through the gateway will comply 
 with high quality standards ; 
 
• national procedures that are essential for users from other EU Member States are to be made 
 available online ; 
 
• users from other EU Member States have non -discriminatory access to national procedures 
 which are already available online ; and  
 
• a technical solution for the cross -border application of the once -only principle will be used for 
 a defined range of proced ures already digitalised under existing EU law or still to be digitalised 
 under this initiative.  
 
The Regulation complements the Services Directive as it lays down more detailed quality 
requirements and specifies rules for accessibility of online procedur es (including procedures under 
the Services Directive) by users from other EU Member States (including rules on 'once-only'). 
Furthermore, the points of single contact, created under the Services Directive, will be part of the 
assistance services available  through the gateway and subject to high quality requirements.  
 
6  MEMB ERS SPECIFICALLY AFFECTED, IF ANY : 
None 
7  TEXTS AVAILABLE FROM : 
EU Official Journal:  
https://eur -lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/1724/oj  
 
 
 
__________