RESTRICTED  
  
S/C/W/448  
 
19 June 2023  
(23-4165) Page: 1/2 
Council for Trade in Services  
 Original: Spanish  
 
COMMUNICATION FROM COLOMBIA  
REVIEW OF ARTICLE II (MFN) EXEMPTIONS  
Written replies from Colombia to questions from the Republic of Korea;  
Hong Kong, China ; and Japan ( S/C/W/431 ) 
The following communication from the delegation of Colombia, dated 14 June 2023, is being 
circulated to the Members of the Council for Trade in Services.  
 
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QUESTION 1 FROM HONG KONG, CHINA ( S/C/W/431 , PAGE 2)  
For each of the MFN exemptions listed in the Secretariat's sectoral co mpilation 
(JOB/SERV/29/Rev.2), we would appreciate it if all Members maintaining any MFN exemptions would 
respond to the following general questions:  
 
Please indicate whether the exemption has been used for any actual measure since the previous 
review in 2016/17, and if so provide information on the use. If the exemption has not been used, 
please explain why the conditions which created the need for the exemption still prevail, and describe 
whether any action has been taken or is being contemplated to eliminate such exemption. Please 
explain why if not.  
 
Reply:  
The reply to the first question (Hong Kong, China) is incorporated into  the sector -specific replies. 
 
QUESTION 57 FROM JAPAN ( S/C/W/431 , PAGE 8)  
Please explain on what ground Colombia still believes the preferential treatment limited to Andean 
Group countries is still beneficial to its economy, and whether Colombia conducted any review to 
evaluate the benefit of it.  
 
Reply:  
Colombia has only one e xemption for telecommunications services, which consists of granting 
national treatment for the purposes of commercial presence only to suppliers of services in the 
Andean Value -Added Telecommunications Services  Market . This exemption is motivated by the n eed 
to preserve preferential treatment among the relevant service suppliers of the member countries of 
the Andean Community.  
 
Colombia confirms that trade in telecommunications services in the Andean Community is regulated 
and forms part of its national le gislation through Decision No. 462, which regulates the integration 
and liberalization of trade in telecommunications services at the Andean level and seeks primarily to  
promote the progressive liberalization of trade in public telecommunications services with a view  to 
creating  an Andean services market, thereby contributing to the integration process in the subregion.  S/C/W/448  
 
- 2 - 
 
   
On this understanding, Colombia confirms that the circumstances giving rise to the exemption still 
prevail.  
 
QUESTION 92 FROM KOREA ( S/C/W/431 , PAGE 12)  
Regarding the MFN exemption measure, "Access to the Colombian market through the commercial 
presence of foreign suppliers of financial ser vices depends on whether or not the country of origin 
of such suppliers grants satisfactory possibilities of access to their markets for Colombian suppliers 
of financial services", we wonder whether this exemption is based on any international agreements 
and also whether the conditions which created the need for this exemption still prevail and if so, 
please specify them.  
 
Reply:  
Colombia has only one exemption for financial services, and access to the Colombian market through 
the commercial presence of for eign financial service suppliers depends on whether the country of 
origin of such suppliers grants satisfactory possibilities of access to their markets for the Colombian 
financial market.  
 
This exemption is motivated by the need to improve the conditions for commercial presence abroad 
for Colombian financial service suppliers, and it is therefore reasonable to note that the 
circumstances giving rise to the exemption still prevail and that no action is being contemplated to 
eliminate this exemption.  
 
 
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