S/C/64  
 
7 December  2023 
(23-8327) Page: 1/12 
   
 
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES  
TO THE GENERAL COUNCIL (20 23) 
Since its Annual Report of 20 22 to the General Council1, the Council for Trade in Services held five 
formal meetings, on  8 December  2022, 9 March , two meetings on 12 June (one of which was 
dedicated to the review of Article II (MFN) exemptions) and 3  October 202 3.2  
During the period covered by this Report, the Council addressed the following matters.  
1  NOTIFICATIONS MADE TO THE COUNCIL PURSUANT TO GA TS ARTICLES  III:3 , V:7 AND 
VII:4  
1.1.  The Council took note, altogether, of the following notifications:  
a. Notifications pursuant to Article III:3 of the GATS  
Macao, China  (S/C/N/1112 ); 
Hong Kong, China  (S/C/N/1113 -S/C/N/1115 );  
Switzerland  (S/C/N/1121 -S/C/N/11 23; 
S/C/N/1134 ); 
Ukraine   (S/C/N/1126 ; S/C/N/1132 );  
Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu,  
  Kinmen and Matsu  (S/C/N/1127 ; S/C/N/1140 );  
Russian Federation  (S/C/N/1128 -S/C/N/1131 );  
Mauritius   (S/C/N/1141 ).  
b. Notifications pursuant to Article V:7 of the GATS  
Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland,  
 United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Bahrain,  
 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar  
 and the State of Kuwait  (S/C/N/1111 ) 
Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tonga  (S/C/N/1052/Add.1 ) 
Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan,  
 Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,  
 Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam  (S/C/N/1117 ) 
United Kingdom, Liechtenstein and Norway  (S/C/N/1072/Add.1 ) 
United Kingdom and Iceland  (S/C/N/1072/Add.2  and  
Add.3) 
Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR,  
 Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore,  
 Thailand and Viet Nam  (S/C/N/1125 ) 
Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan,  
 Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru,  
 Singapore and Vi et Nam  (S/C/N/920/Add.2 , Add.3 and  
  Add.4) 
Colombia and Israel  (S/C/N/1133 ) 
Chile and Hong Kong, China  (S/C/N/773/Add.1 ) 
 
1 S/C/63 
2 Reports of these meetings are contained in S/C/M/ 151 to S/C/M/ 155, and should be read in 
conjunction with this repo rt. S/C/64  
 
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  Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu,  
 Kinmen and Matsu  (S/C/N/544/Add.1 ) 
Republic of Korea and Indonesia  (S/C/N/1135 ); 
United Kingdom and Australia  (S/C/N/1136 );  
United Kingdom and New Zealand  (S/C/N/1137 );  
El Salvador  (S/C/N/544/Add.2 ); 
Montenegro and Türkiye  (S/C/N/1138 );  
India and Australia  (S/C/N/1139 ). 
 
The agreements notified in these documents were referred to the Committee on Regional 
Trade Agreements for consideration.  
c. Notifications pursuant to Article VII:4 of the GATS  
Hong Kong, China  (S/C/N/1 116); 
Switzerland  (S/C/N/1118 -S/C/N/1120 ; 
S/C/N/1124 ). 
1.2.  At the meeting held in March , the Council took note of the updated Secretariat Note containing 
a statistical account of the notifications made under relevant GATS provisions.3  
1.3.  The low number of Article III:3 notifications, particularly on the part of developed Members, 
was noted  at all meetings covered by this Report . 
2  IMPLEMENTATION MATTERS FROM MC12 MANDATES  
2.1.  Under this agenda item, the Council considered  two of the four MC12 implementation matters  
of relevance to the CTS , namely WTO reform and the pandemic response . The other two issues, the 
operationalisation of the LDC services Waiver and the e -commerce Work  Programme, were 
deliberated  under  respective dedicated agenda items.  
2.1 WTO reform  
2.2.  With regard to WTO reform, a t the December  2022 meeting the Council addressed  the ideas 
Members had put forward on this issue .4 Request s that meetings of the Council and its subsidiary 
bodies be organised back -to-back to facilitate Capital -based participation, and that the Chairperson 
issue an annotated agenda for future meeting of the Council  were met with  support.  
2.3.  Following consultations organised by the Chairperson in F ebruary5, at the March meeting, the 
Council agreed to task the Secretariat with mapping the practices of the CTS and its  most active  
subsidiary bod y, the Committee on Specific Commitments  (CSC) , in a similar manner to what had 
been done for the Council fo r Trade in Goo ds but taking due account of the specificities of the services 
context . Members  also took note of , and welcomed , the readiness of the Secretariat to resume its 
practice of organising training sessions for new delegate s. 
2.4.  The Secretariat Note mapping the CTS and CSC practices was considered at the June meeting.6 
Delegations put forward a number of  suggestions for imp roving the functioning of the CTS, and the 
Council agreed that the Secretariat would compile and circulate a list of these suggestions for further 
consideration.  
2.5.  At the October meeting, Members addressed the Secretariat compilation7 and considered a 
comm unication from the United Kingdom8 outlining proposals to improve the functioning of the CTS 
and its subsidiary bodies. Delegations also shared additional suggestions for possible improvements. 
It was agreed that the Chairperson would prepare, under her o wn responsibility, a report 
 
3 JOB(09)/10/Rev. 13 
4 As reflected in JOB/SERV/ CTS/6 and Addendum 1 . These documents provide  an account of Members' 
views on all MC12 mandates of relevance to the CTS.  
5 An account of the consultations is reflected in JOB/SERV/CTS/9 . 
6 S/C/W/433  
7 JOB/SERV/CTS/14/REV.1  
8 S/C/W/452  S/C/64  
 
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  summarising the reactions to the various proposals Members had put forward  and that a n informal 
CTS meeting will be convened around mid -November to discuss next steps on the way forward.  
2.2 Pandemic response  
2.6.  As for the pandemic  response, at the December 2022 meeting  some Members shared 
information about national telehealth initiatives and the impact of COVID -19 on services exporters . 
2.7.  Following consultations organised by the Chairperson9, at the March meeting the Council 
agreed to organize a series of informal experience -sharing sessions modelled on a similar exercise  
conducted in the Committee on Market Access , addressing: 1 ) transport and logistics services; 
2) health services; 3) touri sm services; and 4) ICT and digitally delivered services. Members agreed 
on the understanding that the sessions would  have balanced representation, provide for the 
participation of external stakeholders and address the trade impact of COVID -19, both genera lly and 
specifically on LDCs, and the trade -facilitative measures introduced by Members to respond to the 
pandemic. The sessions would be organised during the services clusters of meetings.10  
2.8.  At that meeting, and again at the June meeting, the Council addressed two communications 
by India on the "Role of telemedicine services in response to the pandemic"11 and "Building a pool 
of health professionals to respond effectively to pandemics/natural disasters".12 Several delegations 
underscored the importance of the issues raised in the  Indian  submissions and expressed support 
for engaging in dedicated discussions of those issues . Other delegations said that the informal 
experience -sharing session on health services already offered a n avenue for engagemen t and 
cautioned against unnecessary duplications; they also questioned the relevance of the GATS and the 
WTO to some of the issues raised in the Indian submissions . 
2.9.  At the October meeting, Members expressed appreciatio n for the first CTS experience -sharing 
session on the impact of COVID -19 on trade in transport and logistics services13, held on 13 June, 
and took note that the second session, on health services, would be held the following day. 
Additionally, the Council addressed a communication from India on trade -related measures taken in 
response to the COVID -19 pandemic.14 
3  OPERATIONALIZATION OF THE LDC SERVICES WAIVER  
3.1.  At the December 2022 meeting, the LDC Group  stated that it had some ideas on how to 
implement the par agraph of the MC12 Outcome Document relating to the Waiver and that it was 
working on a written submission . Following the Group's request that the Secretariat assist with the 
collection and compilation on LDC services export data, the Council agreed that t he Secretariat  would 
prepare a methodological note on how LDC services trade statistics could be improved .  
3.2.  In March, Members addressed the methodological Note prepared by the Secretariat on how 
LDC services trade statistics could be improved .15 The Note's suggestion that the Secretariat 
organize a one -day hybrid workshop, to explore the contours of a data improvement project, met 
with the Council's agreement.   
3.3.  At the June meeting, t he LDC Group indicated  that it was actively working on its subm ission to 
implement the MC12 mandate on the Waiver but noted that this required  more information on the 
activities of LDC services suppliers and consumers in preference -providing Members' markets. To 
gather this material, the Group was developing a questio nnaire  targeted at LDC business 
associations , Regional Economic Commissions,  and Capitals . The Group also  encouraged  preference -
providing Members to seek information from their consumers of LDC services , with one Member 
specifically  calling on them  to prov ide bilateral data on LDC services imports . Members welcomed 
 
9 An account of the consultations is reflected in JOB/SERV/CTS/9 . 
10 JOB/SERV/CTS/10  
11 S/C/W/426  
12 S/C/W/427  
13 JOB/SERV/CTS/16  
14 JOB/SERV/CTS/15  
15 S/C/W/428  S/C/64  
 
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  the announcement that the workshop on LDC services trade data would be organised during the 
October services cluster.  
3.4.  At the meeting held on 3 October, the LDC Group updated the Council on its in tended written 
communication, indicating that it had set up the online questionnaire to obtain additional insights 
from LDC service suppliers. Members looked forward to the workshop on improving LDC services 
trade data to be held on 5 October . 
3.5.  The importan ce of implementing the Waiver and  of increasing the participation of LDCs in world 
services trade was stressed by various  delegations at all the  meetings  covered by this Report . 
4  WORK PROGRAMME ON ELECTRONIC COMMERCE  
4.1.  At the December 20222 meeting, Members discussed the work the CTS could undertake 
pursuant to the MC12 Decision to reinvigorate the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce. All 
delegations expressed support for the dedicated, horizontal discussions in the Ge neral Council, with 
many s eeing  the CTS play a complementary role focused on services -specific aspects. Some  
delegations underscored the usefulness of the information shared by Members on their domestic 
experiences, and the Council agreed to task the Secre tariat with compiling this information.  
4.2.  In March , Members addressed the Secretariat  compilation of  the experiences Members had 
shared in the CTS since a Chairman's Note in February 2021 ,16 noting the variety of information 
contributed. Further information  on recent domestic developments related to electronic commerce 
was contributed by various delegations both at the March and June 2022 meetings of the Council.  
4.3.  At the October meeting, the Council addressed a communication by the African Group relating 
to technology transfer and resilience building.17 Various delegations supported the communication, 
emphasis ing the crucial relationship between e -commerce and technology transfer. Other 
delegations underscored that technology dissemination  depended on multipl e factors, such as 
intellectual property rights frameworks, infrastructure, and trade openness, indicating a need for a 
horizontal approach. It was also noted that  the communication had already been discussed in detail 
in the dedicated discussions in the General Council . At the meeting, a couple of delegations also 
shared information about their capacity -building efforts for developing countries in the digital sphere.  
5  REVIEW OF MFN EXEMPTIONS  
5.1.  The Council formally started its fifth review of Article II (MFN) exemptions at its December 
2022 meeting, when organisational issues were discussed. Members agreed that the process would 
follow past practice  and be  conducted in a dedicated meeting, to be held in June 2023 , which would 
be organised by sector based on a question -and-answer process . Questions, to be submitted by 
March 2023, would be consolidated by the Secretariat  in a single document,  and answers should be 
circulated in writing before the de dicated meeting.  The Secretariat was requested  to issue a 
procedural note for the review .18  
5.2.  The Council held the meeting dedicated to the fifth review of MFN exemptions on 12  June, at 
which it examined, as per the mandate in paragraph 3 of the relevant GA TS Annex, all exemptions 
granted for a period of more than 5 years.  
5.3.  For the purpose of the review, the Secretariat circulated three background documents: two 
updated compilations of MFN exemptions, one organised by sector19, and one organised by 
Member20, and a document providing updated statistical information on the number of MFN 
exemptions listed.21 As had been agreed , the questions raised were consolidated in a compilation22; 
the document  included questions submitted by Australia; Hong Kong, China; Japan; the Republic of 
Korea, and Switzerland. In advance of the meeting , the Council had received written answers from 
 
16 S/C/W/425  
17 S/C/W/450  
18 JOB/SERV/CTS/7  
19 JOB/SERV/29/Rev.2  
20 JOB/SERV/30/Rev.2  
21 JOB/SERV/31/Rev.2  
22 S/C/W/431  and S/C/W/431/Corr.1  S/C/64  
 
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  a number of delegations23; several other delegations provided answers at t he meeting, most of 
which w ere then circulated in written format.  
5.4.  Pursuant to the mandate in paragraph 4(b) of the relevant GATS Annex that the Council 
determine "the date of any further review", at its June dedicated meeting the Council agreed to 
discuss  the date of its next review no later than  2028.  
5.5.  The Council pursued its review discussions under an  agenda  item at its regular meeting in 
October. In advance of the meeting, the Council had received additional written responses .24 At its 
meeting, it also took note of the compilation of questions that had not been answe red the Secretariat 
had been asked to prepare .25 Some additional answers were also provided orally at the meeting, 
and additional questions were submitted by India.26  
6  MEASURING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF TOURISM – PILOT STUDIES FROM THE UNWTO  
6.1.  Further to a request of Costa Rica, at the March meeting the World Tourism Organization 
(UNWTO) presented its initiative for a new statistical framework for Measuring the Sustainability of 
Tourism wi th the aim of setting international standards for measuring the economic, environmental, 
and social aspects of tourism.  UNWTO has recently published pilot studies on several countries, 
including Costa Rica, bringing together relevant stakeholders and test ing the policy relevance and 
feasibility of its statistical framework.  
7  UPDATE OF THE SECRETARIAT BACKGROUND NOTE ON MODE 4  
7.1.  The Council addressed this agenda item, upon India's request, at all meetings covered by this 
Report. India reiterated its request th at the Secretariat update the Background Note on mode  4, and 
said it could  also support the updating of the other modal Notes . India's suggestion was echoed by 
several delegation s at the December  meeting and by one delegation at the other meetings covered 
by this Report . India also support ed the proposal for the preparation  of a Note by the Secretariat on 
intermodal linkages , which, however,  should not replace the separate modal Notes . While affirming 
that a Note on intermodal linkages would  be useful  and c ould also address each mode of supply, one 
Member was of the view  that updating the  stand -alone  Note on mode 4 had no  added value . 
8  CYBERSECURITY  MEASURES OF CHINA AND VIET NAM  
8.1.  At the request of Japan and the United States, at all the meetings covered by this Report the 
Council addressed various cybersecurity measures adopted and under development by China and 
Viet Nam, respectively. The two requesting delegations shared their co ncerns about various aspects 
of those measures , which they alleged could be inconsistent with  China and Viet Nam's WTO 
obligations,  and sought additional information and clarity on the same . Their concerns  were echoed 
by a number of other Members .  
8.2.  In reply, China said that its measures had been drafted in a transparent and WTO -consistent 
manner, taking into account national conditions and international practices, as well as stakeholders' 
comments . China  emphasised  the measures were not intended to h inder cross -border data flows . 
Viet Nam noted that its legislative process was open , transparent  and had given due consideration 
to stakeholders' remarks and  that its measures were compatible with its international commitments , 
non-discriminatory, clear, a nd proportionate to its security concerns . 
 
23 The Seychelles ( S/C/W/432 ) and Liechtenstein ( S/C/W/434 ) were included on the Council's agenda, 
whereas  Mauritius ( S/C/W/435 ); Türkiye ( S/C/W/436 ); Australia ( S/C/W/437 ); the  Philippines ( S/C/W/438 ); 
Honduras ( S/C/W/439 ); Chile ( S/C/W/440 ); the United Kingdom ( S/C/W/441 ); Canada ( S/C/W/442 ); 
Argentina ( S/C/W/443 ); Singapore ( S/C/W/444 ); and  Tunisia ( S/C/W/445 ) were issued before the meeting but 
after the circulation of the agenda . 
24 Canada ( S/C/W/442/Rev.1 ); Nicaragua ( S/C/W/446 ); The Dominican Republic ( S/C/W/447 ); Colombia 
(S/C/W/448 ); Peru ( S/C/W/449 ); the European Union ( S/C/W/451 ).  
25 S/C/W/453  
26 S/C/W/455  S/C/64  
 
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  9  5G-RELATED MEASURES OF AUSTRALIA  
9.1  At the request of China, the Council addressed 5G -related measures of Australia at all the 
meetings covered by this Report . China expressed its concerns about the measures under discussion , 
which it alleged run counter to Australia's WTO obligations.  
9.2  In reply, Australia stressed that its 5G-related measures were  country -agnostic, transparent, 
risk-based, non -discriminatory and fully WTO-consistent.  
10  MEASURES OF THE UNITED STATES  
10.1  At the request of China, the Council addressed various US measures  at all the meetings 
covered by this Report . China expressed  its concern s about the US measures, which it alleged  were 
inconsistent with the United States' WTO obligations .  
10.2  The United States stated that the actions  cited had been taken  to protect its national security .  
11  MEASURES OF INDIA RELATED TO CERTAIN APPLICATIONS  
11.1  At the request of China, the Council addressed Indian measures on certain  Chinese  applications 
at all the meetings covered by this report . China voiced  its concerns about the measures in question , 
which it alleged were  inconsistent with India's  WTO obligations .  
11.2  India replied that its measures were fully compliant with  its WTO obligations  and that they had 
been introduced to ensure the protection of privacy, data security and national security .  
12  WORK OF THE SUBSIDIARY BODIES  
12.1.   The activities of the subsidiary bodies in 20 23 are reflected in their respective reports, which 
are annexed to this  report, as follows:  
 Annex I  Report of the Committee on Trade in Financial Services (S/FIN/ 38) 
 Annex II  Report of the Committee on Specific Commitments (S/CSC/ 29) 
 Annex III  Report of the Working Party on Domestic Regulation (S/WPDR/ 27) 
 Annex IV  Report  of the Working Party on GATS Rules (S/W PGR/34). 
 
 
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  ANNEX I  
  
  
S/FIN/38  
 
1 December 2023  
(23-8196) Page: 7/12 
    
 
 
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRADE IN FINANCIAL SERVICES  
TO THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES (2023)  
Since its previous Annual Report to the Council for Trade in Services1, the Committee on Trade in 
Financial Services held four formal meetings, on 7 December 2022, and 10 March, 15 June and 
2 October 2023.2  
During the period covered by this Report, the Committee addressed the following matters.  
1  FINANCIAL SERVICES: TRADE, INCLUSION AND ACCESSIBILITY  
1.1.  At the meeting on 7 December 2022, the Committee continued wit h the examination of the 
proposal presented by Canada at the previous meeting to organize a seminar on "Financial Services: 
Trade, Inclusion and Accessibility".3 The proposal was later co -sponsored by Chile, China, 
New Zealand, the Philippines, the Republ ic of Korea and Ukraine.4 The Committee agreed on a 
revised annotated agenda for the seminar at the March 2023 meeting and the event was finally held 
on 14  June 2023.5 Through presentations by academics, national experts, international officials and 
representatives of the private sector, a wide spectrum of topics was addressed, such as the status 
of financial inclusion throughout the world; the economic causes and effects of financial inclusion; 
the role of trade in financial services – and trade policy o n financial services – in promoting financial 
inclusion; the new business models and inclusive ways of providing financial services; the initiatives 
taken by the international community and by governments to foster financial inclusion; the work 
programs of  international organizations, such as the OECD, the World Bank and the Bank for 
International Settlements; the financial inclusion of women as a means to promote the 
empowerment of women and gender parity and the use of trade policy, especially in financia l 
services, to that end; the role of digital technology and of regulation in promoting financial inclusion.  
1.2.  At the meeting held on 15 June, the Chairperson reported on the issues addressed at the 
seminar and some Members shared additional information  on their national experiences relevant to 
the issues addressed in the event. Discussions at that meeting, as well as at the meeting of 
2 October, showed a clear interest among Members to follow up on the thematic seminar and focus 
more specifically on (i)  the digitalization of financial services and how digital technologies are being 
leveraged to promote access to financial services and advance financial inclusion domestically and 
worldwide, and (ii) how domestic regulatory frameworks have been adapted (or  need to be adapted) 
to take advantage of digital technology in the context of financial inclusion policies. During the 
discussions, various Members suggested that these issues could be further explored through 
thematic sessions. Against that backdrop, at the meeting of 2 October, the Chairperson suggested 
that the Committee hold a dedicated discussion on Fintech and Financial Inclusion. Following the 
 
1 Document S/FIN/3 7, dated 7 December 2022.  
2 Reports of these meetings are contained in documents S/FIN/M/96 , S/FIN/M /97, S/FIN/M/98  and  
S/FIN/M/99 , and should be read in conjunction with this report.  
3 Document JOB/SERV/CTFS/1 , dated 3 O ctober 2022.  
4 Document JOB/SERV/CTFS/1/Rev.1 , dated 19 December 2022, and JOB/SERV/CTFS/1/Rev.2 , dated 
13 February 2023.  
5 See the programme, presentations, and the Chair's summary at the seminar's webpage, available at 
https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/serv_e/serv_1406202310_e/serv_1406202310_e.htm . 
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  request made by Members at that meeting, the Chairperson subsequently circulated an informal 
note providing  more details on his suggestion.6 The Committee agreed to continue discussing this 
issue at the following meeting.  
2  PROPOSAL FOR A THEMATIC SEMINAR ON COST OF REMITTANCE SERVICES  
2.1.  At the meeting of 10 March 2023, India introduced a proposal to orga nize a seminar on the 
cost of remittance services.7 The proposal was successively co -sponsored by the Philippines and 
South Africa.8 
2.2.  The discussion showed that Members agreed on the importance of remittances and on the link 
with inclusion and acces sibility, which was the subject of the thematic seminar held in June. The 
proposal had gathered broad support. However, a number of Members requested clarification on 
certain elements of the proposal and suggested that the proposed agenda be rebalanced and  
reoriented towards the areas of competence of the Committee.  
2.3.  Proponents circulated a revised proposal after the October meeting.9 As agreed at that meeting 
the Chairperson will hold further consultations on the basis of this text.  
3  FUTURE WORK O F THE COMMITTEE  
3.1.  At the meeting of 2 October 2023, prompted by the Chairperson, who had been in office since 
1 July 2023, Members exchanged views on some suggestions put forward by the Chairperson to 
reinvigorate the work of the Committee within the f ramework of its terms of reference. While several 
Members showed themselves in favour of addressing other issues of interest, some recalled that the 
process towards the identification of specific issues for discussion should be Member -driven. The 
Committee  agreed to continue this discussion at the following meeting.  
 
 
_______________  
 
 
 
 
 
6 Document JOB/SERV/CTFS/7 , dated 10 N ovember 2023.  
7 Document JOB/SERV/CTFS/2 , dated 7 March 2023.  
8 Documents JOB/SERV/CTFS/2/Rev.1 , dated 1 4 June 2023, and Rev.2, dated 26 October 2023.  
9 Document JOB/SERV/CTFS/2/Rev. 2 , dated 26 October 2023.  S/C/64  
 
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  ANNEX II  
   
  
S/CSC/29  
 
27 November 2023  
(23-8000) Page: 9/12 
   
 
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS  
TO THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES (2023)  
 
Since its 2022 annual report to the Council for Trade in Services1, the Committee on Specific 
Commitments (CSC) held four formal meetings, on 5 December 2022, 10 March 2023, 15 June 2023 
and 2  October  2023 respectively.2 At these meetings, the Committee considered four items: 
Implementation of Specific Commitments, Classification Issues, Schedulin g Issues, and the 
Functioning of the Committee in the Context of WTO Reform.  
1  IMPLEMENTATION OF SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS  
1.1.  During the reporting period, the Committee continued to consider a proposal ( S/CSC/W/73 ) 
from the delegation of Türkiye on implement ation issues related to specific commitments and 
Article  II (MFN) on cross -border supply of road transport services under the GATS. The proposal 
mainly raised three issues for discussion in the Committee: 1)  the compatibility of imposing truck 
quotas with full market access commitments in Mode 1 on road transport services; 2)  the 
understanding of "Unbound" in market access and "None" in national treatment with respect to 
cross-border supply of road transport; and 3)  the MFN obligation with respect to all me asures 
affecting international road transport including truck quotas, passage fees, customs measures, etc.  
At the meeting on 5  December 2022, th e Turkish delegation made a detailed presentation providing 
more clarity on its proposal with a view to helping Members better understand the issues raised.  
1.2.  At the meeting on 15 June 2023, as agreed, the representatives from the UNESCAP, the World 
Bank and the International Transport Forum (ITF) of OECD were invited to present their work on 
cross-border road transport with a focus on the quota system, the core issue raised in the Turkish 
proposal. The purpose of these presentations was to facilitate further discussions on the Turkish 
proposal.  
1.3.  At the meeting on 2 October 2023, the delegation of Türkiye s uggested that the Committee 
consider a formal “Understanding on Interpretation of Obligations in Cross Border Supply of Road 
Freight Transport Services” . According to Türkiye, such document would include three elements: 
1) an updated assessment on the curr ent international outlook of international road freight 
transportation services; 2) a comparison of multilateral quota schemes with bilateral arrangements; 
3) an analysis or a depiction of the scheduling methods by Members on international road freight 
transportation.  
1.4.  Engagement in the discussion on the Turkish proposal has been limited. Some Members noted 
the complexity of the issues involved, while others cautioned that the interpretation of specific 
commitments would go beyond the mandate of the Co mmittee. The Chairperson would hold 
consultations on how to move forward under this agenda item.  
 
1 Annual Report of the Committee on Specific Commitments to the Council for Trade in Services (2022), 
contained in document S/CSC/28  dated 6 December 2022.  
2 The reports of these meetings are contained i n documents S/CSC/M/90 , S/CSC/M/91 , S/CSC/M /92, 
and S/CSC/M/93 , which should be read in conjunction with this report.  
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  2  CLASSIFICATION ISSUES  
2.1.  At the meeting on 5 December 2022, the UN Statistics Division and the WTO Secretariat 
presented a new functionality of the visualization tool that enabled the navigation between the 
W/120 and the different CPC versions . This visualization tool is now accessible through the trade in 
services portal at the WTO website.  
2.2.  At the meeting on 15 June 2023, the W TO Secretariat m ade a presentation on Version 2 of the 
Handbook on the Measurement of Digital Trade. The presentation highlighted the latest 
developments in the measurement of digital trade by the international statistical community with a 
focus on the conceptual framewor k, trade in services, and related classification challenges.  
3  SCHEDULING ISSUES  
3.1.  At the meetings on 15 June and 2 October 2023, the Committee discussed the idea of inviting 
APEC to present its Model Schedule of Commitments for Environmental and Env ironmentally Related 
Services . While this idea received general support from delegations, one delegation advised that the 
presentation be made by an AEPC member given that APEC was not an observer of this Committee. 
The Chairperson would hold consultations  on how to move forward under this agenda item.  
4  FUNCTIONING OF THE COMMITTEE IN THE CONTEXT OF WTO REFORM  
4.1.  At the meeting on 2 October 2023, the Committee started to consider the functioning of the 
Committee in the context of WTO Reform. The Chairperson would hold consultations to seek 
Members' contribution in this respect.  
 
 
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  ANNEX III  
  
  
S/WPDR/27  
 
27 November 2023  
(23-8003) Page: 11/12 
    
 
 
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE WORKING PARTY ON DOMESTIC REGULATION  
TO THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES (2023)  
 
 
1. This report has been prepared pursuant to the Procedures for an Annual Overview of 
WTO Activities and for Reporting Under the WTO ( WT/L/105 ). 
 
2. Since its 2022 annual report to the Council for Trade in Services1, the Working Party on 
Domestic Regulation (WPDR) has not held any meetings.  
 
 
 
_______________  
 
 
 
1 Annual Report of the Working Party on Domestic Regulation (202 2), S/WPDR/26 , dated 
6 December  2022. 
S/C/64  
 
- 12 - 
 
  ANNEX IV  
  
  
S/WPGR/34  
 
27 November 2023  
(23-8004) Page: 12/12 
   
 
 
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE WORKING PARTY ON GATS RULES  
TO THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES (2023)  
 
 
1. This report has been prepared pursuant to the Procedures for an Annual Overview of 
WTO Activities and for Reporting Under the WTO ( WT/L/105 ).  
2. Since its 2022 annual report to the Council for Trade in Services1, the Working Party on GATS 
Rules (WPGR) has not held any meetings.  
__________  
 
 
1 Annual Report of the Working Party on GATS Rules to the Council for Trade in Services (2022), 
contained in document S/WPGR/33  dated 6 December 2022.