November 18, 2011
APEC Leaders Call for "fresh and credible approaches" at WTO Ministerial
In their joint declaration on November 13, APEC Leaders instructed officials to approach next month's World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial meeting "with a view to fresh thinking and a determination to begin exploring fresh and credible approaches," language which mirrored that of the G-20 declaration earlier in the month. APEC Leaders expressed deep concerns about the impasse in the Doha Round, noting that "the reality is that a conclusion of all elements of the Doha agenda is unlikely in the near future. We will not complete the DDA if we continue to conduct negotiations as we have in the past but none of us intends to abandon efforts that would allow for better progress toward the ultimate conclusion of the DDA." For a copy of the APEC Leaders Statement, click here: http://www.apec.org/Meeting-Papers/Leaders-Declarations/2011/2011_aelm.aspx.
WTO Releases Updated Dataset of Services Commitments in Regional Trade Agreements
The WTO has just released an updated dataset that details the level of services commitments by WTO members in regional trade agreements (RTAs). Data is provided for 53 members (counting the EU as one) in 67 RTAs. The dataset shows the level of market access committed by parties to each RTA, by mode of supply and by sector, in comparison with servicesschedulesin the WTO. The report shows that most of the services commitments offered in these agreements go well beyond these countries' existing GATS commitments. For a copy of the report and statistical annexes, click here: http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/reser_e/ersd201118_e.pdf.
Annual Report of the WTO Council for Trade in Services
The WTO Council for Trade in Services has just released its annual report, which discusses Council activities over the past year, including services sectoral and modal discussions, the work program on electronic commerce, a dedicated discussion on mobile roaming, and other issues. In addition, it contains reports from subsidiary bodies, including the Committee on Trade in Financial Services, the Committee on Specific Commitments, the Working Party on Domestic Regulation, and the Working Party on GATS rules. For a copy of the report, click here: http://www.uscsi.org/images/files/GSN/2011_annual_report_of_the_Council_for_Trade_in_Services__2_.pdf