. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  S/WPDR/8 
23 September 2005 
 (05-4209) 
  
 
 
 
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE WORKING PARTY ON DOMESTIC REGULATION  
TO THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES (2005) 
 
 
1. Since the Annual Report of 20041, the Working Party on Domestic Regulation (WPDR) held 
three formal meetings and four informal meetings2.  Both formal and informal papers were submitted 
to the Working Party.  Some Members also submitted proposals in  the form of room documents. 
2. At the formal meeting held on 22 June 2005, Members approved the appointment of 
Mr. Peter Govindasamy of Singapore as the new Ch airman of the WPDR, replacing the previous 
Chairman, Mr. David Cairns of the United Kingdom. 
I. ORGANIZATION OF WORK 
3. In the period covered by this report, the Wo rking Party received several submissions by 
Members on the development of regulatory disci plines under GATS Article VI:4.  At the formal 
meeting on 22 June 2005, the Chairman  gave an overview of the inform al meetings held on 31 March 
and 2 May 2005. 
4. Until the formal meeting of 22 June 2005, th e discussions were organized on a proposal-by-
proposal basis; at the informal meeting held  on 6 and 7 September 2005 Members began discussing 
the elements contained in the proposals on a themat ic basis, based on a framework proposed by the 
Chairman in document JOB(05)/169.  The themes put forward by the Chairman for this first round of thematic discussions were: Licensing Requireme nts; Licensing Procedures; Qualification 
Requirements; Qualification Procedures; Technica l Standards; Transparency; Objectives; Scope; 
Application; Definitions; and Deve lopment Considerations (includi ng S&D and Technical Assistance) 
with regards to the above items. 
II. DEVELOPMENT OF REGULATORY DISCIPLINES UNDER GATS ARTICLE VI:4 
5. In the period covered by this report, the negotiations on regulatory disciplines under 
Article VI:4 of the GATS gained momentum with the submission of several formal and informal 
papers by Members.  Members re-stated in various occasions their commitment to disciplines on 
domestic regulation in the Working Party preferably by the end of this Round of negotiations, without 
prejudice to horizontal or sectoral approaches. 
6. The Working Party further examined Mexico's paper on technical standards, entitled Mexico's 
Experience of Disciplines on Technical Standards and Regulations in Services  (S/WPDR/W/30, dated 
24 September 2004)
3; an informal paper by the United States, entitled Proposal for Transparency 
Disciplines in Domestic Regulation (JOB(04)/128, dated on 15 September 2004); a paper by 
                                                      
1 S/WPDR/7, 26 November 2004. 
2 Reports of these meetings are contained in documents S/WPDR/M/28 – 30.  They should be read in 
conjunction with this report. 
3 At the formal meeting on 7 February 2005, Mexico gave a PowerPoint presentation on technical 
standards. S/WPDR/8 
Page 2 
 
 
 Colombia,  entitled Examples of Measures Relating to Admini strative Procedures for Obtaining Visas 
or Entry Permits (S/WPDR/W/29, dated 7 July 2004); an informal paper by Hong Kong, China, 
entitled Relationship of Regulatory Disciplines with National Treatment  (JOB (04)/24, dated 31 
March 2004); a paper by the European Community and Its Member States, entitled Proposal for 
Disciplines on Licensing Procedures , (S/WPDR/W/25, dated 10 July 2003); as well as an informal 
paper by Japan, entitled Draft Annex on Domestic Regulation  (JOB(03)/45/Rev.1, dated 2 May 2003). 
7. The Working Party examined new submissions re lating to the development of Article VI:4 
disciplines: a paper by Switzerland, entitled Proposal for Disciplines on Technical Standards in 
Services (S/WPDR/W/32, dated 1 February 2005);  an informal paper by Bolivia, Chile, India, 
Mexico, Pakistan and Thailand, entitled Proposed elements for disciplines on Qualification 
Requirements and Procedures  (JOB(05)/50, dated 30 March 2005); an informal paper by Switzerland, 
entitled Initial Elements for Modalities for Negotiati ons on Disciplines on Domestic Regulation 
(JOB(05)/68, dated 2 May 2005) ; a paper by Australia, entitled Development of Disciplines on 
Domestic Regulation for the Legal and Engineering Sectors  (S/WPDR/W/34, dated 
6 September 2005); and a paper from Chinese Taipei, entitled Transparency Disciplines on 
Domestic Regulation in th e Telecommunications Sector , S/WPDR/W/36, dated 14 September 
2005. 
8. As well Canada submitted a paper entitled Transparency Template - Canada’s Revised 
Horizontal Mode 4 Offer  (S/WPDR/W/33, dated 25 May 2005). 
9. The Working Party also further reviewed th e measures, including the additional examples 
provided by delegations, listed in the informal Secretariat paper on Examples of Measures to be 
Addressed by Disciplines under GATS Article VI:4  (the latest version is JOB(02)/20/Rev.10, dated 
31 January 2005).  The discussion on the examples also benefited from two new informal papers 
submitted by Brazil, entitled Examples of Measures to be addressed by disciplines under GATS 
Article VI:4  (JOB(04)/169, dated 19 November 2004) and Hong Kong, China, entitled Comparison of 
Regulatory Examples with Accountancy Discipl ines and Proposals for Regulatory Disciplines  
(JOB(04)/166, dated 19 November 2004). 
10. The Secretariat updated its compilation of the resu lts of the consultations  with international 
professional organizations concerning  the potential suitability of the Disciplines on Domestic 
Regulation in the Accountancy Sector  (S/L/64, dated 17 December 1998) for other professions.  The 
most recent version of this compilation is  JOB(03)/126/Rev.6, dated 15 September 2005. 
III. PRESENTATION ON TECHNICAL STANDARDS BY THE INTERNATIONAL 
ORGANIZATION FOR STANDARDIZATION (ISO) 
11. At the formal meeting held on 22 June 2005, at the request of the Working Party, the 
Secretary General of the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO), Mr. Alan Bryden, gave 
a PowerPoint presentation on ISO's work and its re levance for the WPDR discussions on technical 
standards.  Members expressed their appreciation for the presentation, which was followed by a 
question and answer session. 
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