. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
S/WPDR/14 
24 October 2011 
 (11-5327) 
  
  
 
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE WORKING PARTY ON DOMESTIC REGULATION  
TO THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES (2011) 
 
 1. Since the Annual Report of 2010
1, the Working Party on Domestic Regulation (WPDR) held 
five formal meetings and several informal meetings.2 
2. In the period covered by this report, the Wo rking Party continued with its work on the 
development of a draft text of regulatory disciplines pursuant to GATS Article VI:4, as mandated by the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration.  Following the call by Members at the General Council meeting of December 2010 for renewed engageme nt across all areas of the Doha Development 
Agenda, the Working Party undertoo k an intensified phase of negotiati ons during the first quarter of 
2011.  
3. A key point in the intensification of the pr ocess was the "sweeping exercise" of 10 and 
11 February 2011, in which Members undertook a pa ragraph by paragraph reading of the draft 
provisions contained in the Chair's March 2009 text
3 and related proposals, with the aim of identifying 
parts of the draft that were stabilized, and those on  which further work would be required.  Following 
the "sweeping exercise", which saw a reduction in  the number of language options, three separate 
weeklong intensive drafting sessions were organised to further resolve differences regarding the 
content and levels of ambition of the various provisions.  The first session was held from 28 February to 4 March, the second session was held from 7 to 10 March and the third session from 4 to 
8 April 2011. 
4. In these sessions, Members discussed and explored  language options for all the disciplines 
envisaged in the Chair's March 2009 text.  Proposals have also been submitted to add new paragraphs 
to the Chair's March 2009 text.   Considerable effort s were made in the intensive drafting sessions to 
identify areas where differences could be isolated by  introducing brackets into either the paragraphs 
of the Chair's March 2009 text or in an alte rnative language proposal.  All language proposals, 
submitted either in a written form or introduced or ally during the intensive phase of negotiations were 
contained in the Chairman's Consultative Note.
4 
5. Members had constructive and engaged discussi ons during the intensified negotiations but 
were not in a position to agree on a revised text.  During the meeting of the Special Session held on 15 
April, the Chairman of the Working Party on Do mestic Regulation made a Progress Report under his 
own responsibility providing his assessment of the over all situation.  Various views were expressed 
by Members on the Chairman's Progress Report.5  These views are reflected in the Report by the 
                                                      
1  S/WPDR/13 dated 8 November 2010. 
2 The reports of the meetings are contained in documents S/WPDR/M/47-51 and should be read in 
conjunction with this report.  Chair's summaries of informal meetings can be found in the RD/SERV/32, 45, 56 and 57.  
3 Second Revision, Draft Disciplines on Domestic Regulation Pursuant to GATS Article VI.4, Informal 
Note by the Chairman, Room Document, 20 March 2009. 
4 RD/SERV/46/Rev.2.  This Note included language proposals up to 23 March 2011.  
5 S/WPDR/W/45. S/WPDR/14 
Page 2  
 
  Chairman of the Special Session to the Trade Nego tiations Committee and recorded in the minutes of 
that meeting.
6 
6. Subsequent meetings of the Working Party in  July and September have focused on discussing 
how future work on domestic regulation disciplin es would be conducted, as well as the topics for 
discussion.   The Chairman has requested Member s to submit their ideas on this matter and will hold 
further consultations, as appropriate.  
 
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6 TN/S/36 and TN/S/M/42.