general agreement on trade in services (gats) -as one of the most important agreements of wto- provides some principles and commitments on services such as rail transport services. countries applicants for accession to wto have to correspond their legal and economic structures in the field of this section with gats principles. however, working groups of applicant countries can make some exempti...

T agreement to create a General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) was one of the major innovations to emerge from the Uruguay round. Trade in services was not covered by the 1947 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), even though such trade had always accounted for a non-trivial share of the foreign exchange earnings (expenditures) of many countries. The best estimates available sug...

Introduction 1 Section 1. Why do we need a General Agreement on Public Services (GAPS) 2 The role of these services in economic and social developme nt 2 Public and private roles: the argument and the evidence 7 Globalisation, international institutions and services 12 Section 2. What already exits 14 General Agreement on Trade in services (GATS) 14 A rights-based approach 18 A more practical a...

The potential for trade in health services has expanded rapidly in recent decades. More efficient communication systems have helped to reduce distance-related barriers to trade; rising incomes and enhanced information have increased the mobility of patients; and internal cost pressures have led various governments to consider possibilities for increased private participation. As yet, however, h...

Robert Howse is professor of law at University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Elisabeth Tuerk is staff attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Geneva, Switzerland. SETTING THE STAGE FOR NEGOTIATIONS At present, WTO members are negotiating to further liberalize international trade in services. Services cover activities ranging from financial and telecommu...