WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  S/C/30 
8 December 2008 
 (08-6042) 
  
  
 
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES 
TO THE GENERAL COUNCIL (2008) 
 
 1. Since its last report to the General Council, th e Council for Trade in Services held two formal 
meetings, on 16 November  2007 and on 16 June 2008.
1  During this period, the Council addressed the 
following matters: 
I. TRANSITIONAL REVIEW UNDER SECTION 18 OF THE PROTOCOL ON THE 
ACCESSION OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA 
2. At its meeting held on 16 November 2007, the Council for Trade in Services conducted and 
concluded the sixth transitional review of the implementation by China of its WTO commitments, 
pursuant to section 18 of the Protocol on the Accession of the People's Republic of China 
(WT/L/432).  The Council took note of the report of  the Committee on Trade in Financial Services 
(S/FIN/19), which formed part of the Council's repo rt on this matter to the General Council, contained 
in document S/C/29. 
II. NOTIFICATION FORMAT FOR REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS 
3. At its meeting on 16 November 2007, the Council for Trade in Services adopted a new format 
for the notification of regional trade agreements  (RTAs), including those under Article V of the 
GATS, recommended by the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements (WT/REG/16) at its 44th 
Session.  The new format for RTAs modifies the existing Guidelines for Notifications under the 
GATS , contained in S/L/5, as far as notifications ma de pursuant to GATS Article V:7 are concerned.  
The decision by the Council is contained in document S/L/310. 
III. NOTIFICATION PURSUANT TO GATS ARTICLE XXI 
4. At its meeting on 16 November 2007, the Counc il for Trade in Services considered a 
notification from the European Communities made pursuant to GATS Article XXI (Modification of schedules).  The exchange of views on this issue is contained in document JOB(07)/214. 
IV. NOTIFICATIONS MADE TO THE COUNCIL PURSUANT TO GATS 
ARTICLES III:3, V:7, AND VII:4 
5. At its meetings held on 16 November 2007 an d 16 June 2008, the Council for Trade in 
Services took note of the following notifications. 
(a) Notifications pursuant to Article III:3 of the GATS 
Republic of Albania    S/C/N/401 to 411, 413 to 418, 420 
      to 438 and 448 to 451  
                                                     
 
1 Reports of the meetings are contained in documents S/C/M/90 and S/C/M/91, and should be read in 
conjunction with this report. S/C/30 
Page 2  
 
    Republic of Armenia     S/C/N/439 and 447 
  Switzerland     S/C/N/412   The Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan,    Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu  S/C/N/399-400    Senegal      S/C/N/441 
  Central African Republic   S/C/N/444 to 446 
 
(b) Notifications pursuant to Article V:7 of the GATS 
European Communities and  
 their Member States   S/C/N/397 
Chile and Japan     S/C/N/398 
  Japan and Singapore    S/C/N/206/Add.1   Japan and Thailand    S/C/N/419 
Pakistan and Malaysia    S/C/N/440 
  Panama and Chile     S/C/N/442 + Corr.1 
        a n d  S / C / N / 4 4 3  
 
(c) Notifications pursuant to Article VII:4 
-- 
 
V. WORK OF THE SUBSIDIARY BODIES 
6. The activities of the subsidiary bodies are refl ected 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/20) 
 Annex  II Report of the Committee on Specific Commitments (S/CSC/14)  Annex  III Report of the Working Party on Domestic Regulation (S/WPDR/11) 
 Annex  IV Report of the Working Party on GATS Rules (S/WPGR/18) 
  
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  S/C/30 
 Page 3 
 
 
   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  S/FIN/20 
3 December 2008 
 
 (08-5918) 
  
 
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRADE IN FINANCIAL SERVICES TO 
THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES (2008) 
 
 1. Since its last Annual Report to the Council for Trade in Services (S/FIN/18), the Committee 
on Trade in Financial Services has held tw o formal meetings, on 12 November 2007, and 
3 June 2008.
1  In this period, the Committee addressed the following matters:  the acceptance of the 
Fifth Protocol to the General Agreement on Trade in Services;  technical issues;  recent developments 
in financial services trade; and the transitional re view of the implementation by China of its WTO 
commitments, pursuant to section 18 of the Protocol on the Accession of the People's Republic of 
China. 
I. ACCEPTANCE OF THE FIFTH PROTOCOL TO THE GATS 
2. Three Members have not yet accepted the Protocol :  Brazil, Jamaica, and the Philippines.  
At the Committee’s request, these Members have reported periodically on the situation of their domestic acceptance procedures.   
II. TECHNICAL ISSUES 
3. No formal discussions took place under this agenda  item during the reporting period.  At the 
meeting on 3 June 2008, the Chairperson indicated that he had launched a process of informal 
discussion with a representative group of Members, w hose objective was to address technical issues in 
support of negotiations and to help improve dialog ue between regulators and trade negotiators.  
III. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN FINANCIAL SERVICES TRADE 
4. At the meeting held in November 2007, a re presentative of UNCTAD gave an overview of 
the Expert Meeting on Trade and Development Implications of Fina ncial Services held on 20 and 
21 September 2007.  
IV. TRANSITIONAL REVIEW UNDER SECTION 18 OF THE PROTOCOL ON THE 
ACCESSION OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA 
5. At its meeting in November 2007, the Committee carried out the sixth transitional review of 
the implementation by China of its WTO commitments,  pursuant to section 18 of the Protocol on the 
Accession of the People's Republic of China.  Th e report submitted by the Committee to the Council 
for Trade in Services on this matter is contained in document S/FIN/19.   
_______________ 
                                                     
 
1 Reports of these meetings are contained in documents S/FIN/M/55, and S/FIN/M/56.  They should be 
read in conjunction with this report. S/C/30 
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WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  S/CSC/14 
5 December 2008 
 (08-5974) 
  
   
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS  
TO THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES (2008) 
 
 1. Since its Annual Report of 2007 to the Counc il for Trade in Services, the Committee on 
Specific Commitments held one formal meeting on 3 June 2008.  The report of this meeting is 
contained in document S/CSC/M/46, which should be read in conjunction with this report.  
2. At the meeting of 3 June 2008, the Committee a ddressed three items:  classification issues;  
scheduling issues;  and relationship between new an d old commitments.  The Chairperson reported on 
the consultations regarding future work, emphasi zing that many issues are yet to be discussed 
substantively. 
I. CLASSIFICATION ISSUES 
3. There was no substantive discussion under this item. 
II. SCHEDULING ISSUES 
4. Under this item, a delegation proposed that a workshop on scheduling of specific commitment 
be held by the Secretariat.  It was agreed  that the Chairman of the Committee would hold 
consultations on the programme, timing and logistics of the proposed workshop. 
III. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OLD AND NEW COMMITMENTS 
5. A delegation underlined the importance of addr essing this issue and suggested that Members 
discuss the relationship between old and new commitments, either formally or informally.  It was agreed that the Committee would revert to this item at its next meeting. 
 
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   S/C/30 
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 WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  S/WPDR/11 
28 November 2008 
 (08-5851) 
  
   
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE WORKING PARTY ON DOMESTIC REGULATION  
TO THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES (2008) 
 
 1. Since the Annual Report of 2007
1, the Working Party on Domestic Regulation (WPDR) held 
one formal meeting and several informal meetings2. 
2. In the period covered by this report, the Work ing Party advanced its work on the development 
of a draft text of regulatory disciplines pursuan t to GATS Article VI:4, as mandated by the Hong 
Kong Ministerial Declaration.  To facilitate this task and based on Members' proposals and 
subsequent inputs, the Chairman of the Working Party prepared a revised draft text of possible regulatory disciplines, which was contained in a room document dated 23 January 2008. 
3. At the meeting of 16 June 2008, the Chairman pr ovided an account of the work that had taken 
place, in informal consultations, during the first half of the year, on the basis of the revised draft text 
of possible regulatory disciplines.  
 
_______________ 
 
                                                     
 
1 S/WPDR/10, 13 November 2007. 
2 The report of the meeting is contained in document S/WPDR/M/38, and should be read in conjunction 
with this report. S/C/30 
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WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  S/WPGR/18 
5 December 2008 
 (08-5968) 
  
 
  
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE WORKING PARTY ON GATS RULES  
TO THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES (2008) 
 
 1. Since its Annual Report for 2007, the Working Party on GATS Rules has held two formal 
meetings:  on 29 November  2007 and 3 June 2008.
1  The three negotiating mandates entrusted to the 
Working Party were put on the agenda of each meet ing:  emergency safeguard measures (Article X), 
government procurement (Article X III), and subsidies (Article XV).   Two informal meetings were 
also held on 27 November 2007 and 30 January 2008 to discuss the possible input from the Working Party, to consultations conducted by the Chairman of the Council for Trade in Services in Special 
Session, on the elements required for the completion of the services negotiations.  
I. NEGOTIATIONS ON EMERGENCY SAFEGUARD MEASURES (ARTICLE X) 
2. At the meeting of 29 November 2007, dele gations exchanged views on a communication 
from the delegations of Brunei Darussalam, Ca mbodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the 
Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam proposing a dr aft Annex on Article X Emergency Safeguard 
Measures (JOB (07)/ 155).  Discussions were princi pally held in informal mode and continued on 
3 June 2008.  
II. NEGOTIATIONS ON GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT (ARTICLE XIII) 
3. At the meetings of 29 November 2007 and 3 June 2008, delegations continued to exchange 
views on the proposal from the European Communities,  concerning a legal text for an Annex to the 
GATS on government procurement (S/WPGR/W/54).  Di scussions were principally held in informal 
mode.  
III. NEGOTIATIONS ON SUBSIDIES (ARTICLE XV) 
4. At the meeting of 29 November 2007, a representative from UNCTAD informed the Working 
Party of research undertaken on subsidies in services.   Members expressed various views on the issues 
raised .  At that meeting, as well as that of 3 June 2008,  discussions continued in informal mode on  
the communication from Hong Kong, China and Mexico  on non-actionable subsidies (JOB(07)/27).  
__________ 
                                                     
 
1 Reports of these meetings are contained in documents S/WPGR/M/60 and S/WPGR/M/61.  They 
should be read in conjunction with this report.