WRITTEN QUESTION E-2375/02 by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission. GATS.
Date: 2002-08-02
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: GATS, common commercial policy, local authority, powers of the institutions (EU), town and country planning, trade agreement

9.10.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 242 E/19

(2003/C 242 E/025)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2375/02

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(2 August 2002)

Subject: GATS

Local authorities have responsibility for land-use planning and, in their role as planning authorities, place
restrictions on the supply of services, including limitation of the scale and distribution of developments.
Could the European Commission clarify what impact the current negotiations on GATS will have on local
authorities’ planning activities?

Answer given by Mr Lamy on behalf of the Commission

(10 September 2002)

The Commission is committed to safeguarding local communities’ possibilities for pursuing a variety of
legitimate policy objectives through land-use planning, such as preserving community character and
protecting the environment, throughout the course of the current trade round. Some Members have raised
issues such as lack of transparency in town-planning regulation for further discussion with the aim of
looking at possible ways to improve transparency of the planning process.

(2003/C 242 E/026)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2377/02

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(2 August 2002)

Subject: GATS

The complexity of the current GATS negotiations highlights the requirements of many EU citizens for
effective and transparent governance within the European Union and its institutions. In the light of these
concerns, could the European Commission clarify the EU decision-making process whereby the General
Agreement on Trade in Services is negotiated and, more specifically, confirm the role of the European
Parliament and the Committee of the Regions in this process?

Answer given by Mr Lamy on behalf of the Commission

(17 September 2002)

The Community has exclusive competence for the common commercial policy (Article 133, paragraph 1 of
the EC Treaty). This provision has its origins in the requirement for the Community to take responsibility
for the external consequences of the internal policy to establish a customs union. Article 133, paragraph 1
provides for exclusive Community competence essentially for trade in goods, cross-border services not
implying movement of persons and some very specific aspects of intellectual property rights. However,
there is provision for its scope to be extended to include the full range of trade in services, and intellectual
property, should the Council decide unanimously to do so (this widening of exclusive powers is further
extended under the Nice Treaty).

In the case of the international agreement likely to result from the Doha Development Agenda, the Council
adopted conclusions in 1999 setting out the objectives of the negotiations. These constitute the basis for
the negotiations which are conducted by the Commission in consultation with a Committee designated by
the Council under the EC Treaty (the Article 133 Committee). The Council is responsible for concluding
agreements. Responsibility for the day-to-day management of trade policy lies with the Commission, which
keeps in close contact with the Council through the Article 133 Committee, which meets on a regular
basis.