《世贸组织2005年年报》（英文版）

In the area of domestic support it reinforces the commitment to achieve substantial reductions of all trade-distorting support by requiring, inter alia, o those with higher levels of trade-distorting domestic support should reduce them by greater amounts o product-specific caps of Amber Box support be introduced: o the de minimis limits be reduced with special and differential treatment for developing countries; o Blue Box spending be capped; and o as a down-payment of the overall reduction of trade-distorting domestic support, the sum of Amber Box, permitted de minimis and Blue Box supports will be reduced by 20 per cent in the first year of implementation of the new reduction commitments In market access, a key achievement of the framework is the agreement that standard of"substantial improvement" laid down in the Doha mandate will apply for each agricultural product. While the Framework envisages flexibility for sensitive products, they will also be subject to this standar rd Tariff reductions will be achieved by a tiered formula applying greater reductions for higher bound tariffs. Tariff escalation will be addressed, thus improving the opportunities for developing countries to climb up the value added ladder. Under special and differential treatment, the framework provide for lower reductions and longer implementation periods for developing countries along with the flexibility to declare some products as"Special Products"and to have access to a special safeguard mechanism. The fullest liberalization of trade in tropical agricultural products and the issue of ng the other matters to be addressed On cotton the Framework stipulates, inter alia, that in view of its vital importance for developing and especially least-developed countries, this sector will be addressed ambitiously, expeditiously, and specifically, within the agriculture negotiations. In accordance with the Framework, in late 2004 a Sub-Committee on Cotton was established under the Special Session of the most notably in export competition, it has also been clear that much more work would be needed before modalities could be established. The negotiations in Geneva resumed soon after the General Council Decision of 1 August and in October, November and December another three"Agriculture Weeks"were held that addressed specific issues raised in the Framework (see documents TN/AG/R/14, TN/AG/R/15 and TN/AG/R/16) Negotiations during these Agriculture Weeks took place at a number of different levels. For a first reading of specific issues raised in the Framework, informal meetings of the Special Session gave delegations the opportunity to make statements outlining their initial positions At a subsequent Agriculture Week, these issues were then considered in greater detail at informal open-ended consultations to which all delegations were invited. Some of the more technical and complex issues were also discussed by smaller groups of delegations. In this way the Chairman was able to develop draft outline texts on a variety of specific Framework for the order to ensure transparency. This process continued in the first months of 2005 and has resulted in further progress in the negotiations. Services(Paragraph 15) 15. The negotiations on trade in services shall be conducted with a view to promoting the economic growth of all trading partners and the development of developing and least- developed countries. We recognize the work already undertaken in the negotiations, initiated in January 2000 under Article XIX of the General Agreement on Trade in Services, and the large number of proposals submitted by Members on a wide range of sectors and several horizontal issues, as well as on movement of natural persons We reaffirm the Guidelines and Procedures for the Negotiations adopted by the Council for Trade in Services on 28 March 001 as the basis for continuing the negotiations, with a view to achieving the objective of the General Agreement on Trade in Services, as stipulated in the Preamble, Article /v and Article XIX of that Agreement. Participants shall submit initial requests for specific commitments by 30 June 2002 and initial offers by 31 March 2003. In accordance with the mandate set out in paragraph 15 of the Doha Development Agenda, the Special Session of the Council for Trade in Services held four meetings in 2004 The reports of these meetings are contained in documents TN/S/M/10 to TN/S/M/13 The Special Session addressed the matters referred to under items(0)to(iv)

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()Proposals relating to the negotiations under Article XIX of the GATS Members continued to discuss various negotiating proposals submitted to the Special Session on a number of services sectors, modes of supply and other horizontal issues As has been the case since June 2002, the discussion was structured according to new Members had substantive exchanges on a broad range of issues on the basis of six formal communications relating to Mode 4, logistics services, improved scheduling of ecific commitments, supply of service through commercial presence, and electroni visa or work permit systems(contained in WTO documents TN/S/W/14, 20 to 23, and 25). In September, the Council held discussions about two expert meetings relating to trade, migration, movement of natural persons and development, based on presentations by representatives of the International Organization for Migration, the Organisation for conomic Cooperation and Development(OECD), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development(UNCTAD), and the World Bank. In December, two Members made resentations relating to movement of natural persons (ii)Assessment for trade in services Artide XIX 3 of the GATS mandates that the Council carry out an assessment of trade services in overall terms and on a sectoral basis, with reference to the objectives of figures as a standing item on the agenda of the Special Session, in keeping with the the Agreement, including those set out in Article IV: 1. The assessment of trade in servic Guidelines and Procedures for the Negotiations on Trade in Services (S/L/93) The Council's discussions under this item were based on one formal communication from The Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu(TN/S//18) related to telecommunication services, as well as three presentations by representatives of the International Trade Centre, the OECD and UNCTAD. The latter two presentations related, respectively, to a study entitled"Services Barriers and Their Economic Impact: Examples of Banking and Telecommunication Services in Selected Transition Economies" and the"World Investment Report (2004): The Shift Towards Services iii)Review of progress in the negotiations As agreed in July 2002, the Council continued to include this standing item on its agenda as a means to promote transparency and allow the Special Session to fulfill its function as the body overseeing the negotiations. It also provides Members with an opportunity to raise issues of concern that might emerge in consultations and to communicate their impressions on progress in the negotiations Substantive discussions under this item were held at all meetings held in 2004. Among her matters, Members presented and responded to initial offers, reported on bilateral consultations, updated the Council on work being conducted in some friends groups, and reiterated their negotiating interests in terms of sectors, modes of supply and removal of MFN exemptions. At the meeting in March, it was agreed that an existing sub-item relating to paragraph were held on the basis of two communications from a group of Members relating to the Council s work under paragraph 15 and to tourism services(TN/S//19 and TN/S//23) (iv)Consideration of proposals on special and differential treatment provisions pecial Session, at the November meeting of the Council, proposed to engage n methe Subsequent to the General Council's Decision on the"July Package, the Chairman of work under this item (v) Reports by the chairman to the trade negotiations committee The Chairman of the Special Session of the Council for Trade in Services, subsequent to each meeting, reported to the Trade Negotiations Committee. These reports are contained in TO documents TN/S/15 to TN/S/18. The report contained in TN/S/16, dated 7 July, contains the recommendations agreed to by the Special Session on which to pursue further pro in the services negotiations. a slightly amended version of these recommendations was adopted by the General Council in the "July Package (vi) Committee on trade in financial services documents S/FIN/M/44 to 47. The annual report of the Committee to the Council for Trade in Services is contained in WTO document S/FIN/12. The Committee continued monitoring the acceptance of the Fifth Protocol to the GATS, which is still to be ratified by brazil Jamaica, and the Philippines. Members continued their consideration of a communication

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from Malaysia entitled"Challenges in the Financial Services Sector"(S/FIN//28), and addressed a proposal from Norway on the liberalization of marine and energy insuranc Mexico and Chinese Taipei made presentations on different aspects of their regulatory framework for financial services. The Committee also continued its discussions of a proposa submitted by Antigua and Barbuda on behalf of a group of countries(S/FIN//29/Rev. 1) At the invitation of the Committee, the OECD presented a document entitled"Managing Request-Offer Negotiations under the GATS: the Case of Insurance Services", which is part of a joint project between OECD and UNCTAD. Finally at the last meeting of the year, the Committee carried out the third 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. The relevant report by the Committee to the Council for Trade in Services is contained in document S/FIN/13 (vii)Committee on specific commitments The Committee on Specific Commitments(CSC)is mandated to oversee the mplementation of services commitments and the application of the procedures for the modification of schedules; it also seeks to improve the technical accuracy and coherence of schedules of commitments and lists of MFN exemptions. The Committee has concentrated its work on services classification and the scheduling of commitments, with a view to facilitating the current round of negotiations on trade in services. During the period under consideration, the Committee held four formal meetings The reports of those meetings are contained in documents S/CSC/M/32 to 35.The Committee addressed a new classification proposal regarding energy services, and ontinued deliberations on the classification of legal services. In the area of scheduling of specific commitments, several technical questions were examined As mandated by the Council for Trade in Services(Regular Session), the Committee also addressed issues relating to paragraph 2 of Article XX of the GATS he Annual Report of the Committee on Specific Commitments to the Council for Trade in Services is contained in document s/csc/10 (viii) Working party on GATS rules The Working Party on GATS Rules is mandated to carry out negotiations on emergency safeguard measures(GATS Article X), government procurement(Article XIlI)and subsidies(Article XV). In 2004, it held five formal meetings; the reports are contained in documents S/PGR/M/46 to 50. The annual report of the Working Party to the Council for Trade in Services is contained in document S/PGR/14. Delegations continued their views continued to be expressed regarding the desirability and feasibility of an emergency safeguard mechanism. Members also decided to extend the negotiating mandate for these negotiations(see document S/L/159), which otherwise would have lapsed in March 2004 On government procurement, discussions focused on the proposal from the European Communities for a framework of rules that would govern the scheduling of commitments. Delegations continued to hold divergent views, however, on whether the negotiating mandate in Article Xlll actually encompasses market access issues. Concerning subsidies, the Working Party pursued its consideration of issues related to the potential need for disciplines on trade-distorting subsidies (ix) Working party on domestic regulations The Working Party on Domestic Regulation(WPDR) is mandated to develop disciplines to ensure that measures relating to licensing requirements, technical standards and qualification requirements do not constitute unnecessary barriers to trade in services. It also assumed the mandate of the former Working Party on Professional Services, including developing general disciplines for professional services. The WPDR held four formal meetings and one informal meeting in 2004. The reports of the formal meetings are found in documents S/PDR/M/25 to 28 The WPDR continued to examine Japans informal paper, Draft Annex on Domestic Regulation, as well as a paper from the European Communities, Proposal for Disciplines on Licensing Procedures. It also discussed an informal paper by Hong Kong, China, on the Relationship of Regulatory Disciplines with National Treatment, and a formal paper by Colombia entitled Examples of Measures Relating to Administrative Procedures for Obtaining Visas or Entry Permits A formal paper on Mexico's Experience of Disciplines on Technical Standards and Regulations in Services as well as the United States informal submission, Proposal for Transparency Disciplines in Domestic Regulation, received comments. The WPDR further discussed a Secretariat note, Necessity Tests"in the WTO, and continued to review the measures, including additional examples provided by

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delegations, listed in the informal Secretariat paper Examples of Measures to be Addressed by Disciplines under GATS Article Vl: 4 Regarding professional services, Members made further comments on an informal paper from India on Recognition Issues, and on New Zealands informal paper Implementation of Article VI: 6 Obligations in Engineering Services. The WPDR also discussed a formal submission by Australia, Professional Recognition in Australia. The Secretariat updated Members on the results of the consultations with international professional services organizations concerning the potential suitability of the Disciplines on Domestic Regulation in the Accountancy Sector for other professions from 29 to 30 March. The objective was to bring together and inform regulators, trad A Workshop on Domestic Regulation was held at the request of the WPDR in Gene negotiators, and other relevant officials of the background and progress to date of the work taking place in the WPDR. There were between 300 and 350 participants; all presentations are posted on the wto website (x) Targeted technical assistance to enable effective participation in the services negotiations Regarding technical assistance, the General Council adopted in the context of the"July Package"a recommendation that targeted assistance be provided to developing countries with a view to enabling them to participate effectively in the negotiations To develop a better understanding of individual Member's needs, the Secretariat has since developed, in consultation with developing country delegates, a general template for national services seminars. Scope and content of individual missions are adjusted to the interests expressed by the basis of this templ Market access for non-agricultural products(Paragraph 16) 16. We agree to negotiations which shall aim, by modalities to be agreed, to reduce or as appropriate eliminate tariffs, including the reduction or elimination of tariff peaks, high tariffs, and tariff escalation, as well as non-tariff barriers, in particular on products of export interest to developing countries. Product coverage shall be comprehensive and vithout a priori exclusions. The negotiations shall take fully into account the special needs and interests of developing and least-developed country participants, including through less than full reciprocity in reduction commitments, in accordance with the relevant provisions of Article XXVlll bis of GATT 1994 and the provisions cited in paragraph 50 below. To this end, the modalities to be agreed will include appropriate studies and capacity-buildi ng measures to assist least-developed countries to participate effectively in the negotiations. In the aftermath of the Cancun Ministerial Meeting, the immediate objective of the new Chairman of the Non-Agricultural Market Access Group(NAMA Group), H.E. Stefan H Johannesson(Iceland) was to provide a much needed opportunity for delegations to engage on a one-to-one basis and have a frank exchange of views. The time for regurgitating national positions was long gone and, in his view, it was the moment for delegations to negotiate and enhance their understanding of each others position a result, the plenary sessions were formalities which opened and closed the three- day meetings. The intervening time was given to delegations to enter into bilateral and plurilateral consultations. Such types of meeting, often called book-end type meetings, brought some dividends insofar as delegations began to demonstrate serious engagement in the NAMA negotiations. The rather lacklustre atmosphere following the Cancun Ministerial Meeting dissipated and was replaced by a more constructive and productive work environment. In this connection, an implicit understanding was reached quite early on among Nama negotiators that an immediate objective would be to work towards a framework on NAMA modalities before end-July 2004. The framework was to be a stepping stone towards full modalities. As discussions on this subject were pursued in the Group, it became clear that two approaches were being espoused. There were those Members who sought to keep the NAMa text which originated from the second revision of the draft Cancun Ministeral Text(the so-called Derbez text)unchanged. While there were others who wished to negotiate that text and introduce amendments. The compromise reached was to include a new paragraph 1 to that original text. This new paragraph mmonly referred to as the"vehicle", served the purpose of giving Members adequate omfort to sign off on the NAMA framework and eventually the"July package". Following agreement on the"July package"(more formally known as the 1 August 2004 General Council Decision), the NAMA Group has been undertaking much needed technical which contains the NAMA framework. The technical issues discussed towards the end work on a number of elements selected by the Chairman from annex b of that decisi of the year were: tariff peaks, high tariffs and tariff escalation, products of interest to developing countries, less than full reciprocity in reduction commitments, credit for bound

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autonomous libel measures by developing countries since the Uruguay Round, product coverage measures and tari enue dependency. This work has kept the Group busy for theg rticipation in sectorals, appropriate studies and capacity-buildi remainder of 2004 Special Session of the Council for TRIPS(paragraph 18 Doha) 18. With a view to completing the work started in the Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights(Council for TRIPS)on the implementation of Article 23. 4, we agree to negotiate the establishment of a multilateral system of notification and registration of geographical indications for wines and spirits by the Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference. We note that issues related to the extension of the protection of geographical indications provided for in Article 23 to products other than wines and spirit will be addressed in the Council for TRIPS pursuant to paragraph 12 of this Declaration The Special Session of the Council for TRIPS, which deals with the negotiations mandated under Article 23. 4 and paragraph 18, first sentence of the Doha Declaration (establishment of a multilateral system of notification and registration of geographical indications for wines and spirits)resumed its work in April 2004 under the chairmanship of Ambassador Manzoor Ahmad, from Pakistan. It held four formal meetings: on 7 April 18 June: 23 September; and 30 November 2004. In paragraph 1 f of the Decision of 1 August 2004, the General Council took note of the report to the tNc by the Special Session of the TRIPS Council, and reaffirmed Members commitment to progress in this area of the negotiations in line with the Doha mandate. Apart from the 7 April meeting which dealt with organizational matters, all the meetings addressed various substantive issues, namely: legal effects and participation; administrative and other burdens; and a number of issues of technical or procedural nature relating to the operation of a notification and registration system. At the November meeting, delegations also addressed issues related to the notification phase, which had been discussed in some detail in 2003 before the Cancun Ministerial Conference. Although these discussions proved useful, positions remained divided, especia Relationship between trade and investment(Paragraphs 20-22) 20. Recognizing the case for a multilateral framework to secure transparent, stable and predictable conditions for long-term cross-border investment, particularly foreign direct investment, that will contribute to the expansion of trade, and the need for enhanced technical assistance and capacity-building in this area as referred to in paragraph 21, we agree that negotiations will take place after the Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference on the basis of a decision to be taken, by explicit consensus, at that Session on modalities of 21. We recognize the needs of developing and least-developed countries for enhanced support for technical assistance and capacity building in this area, including policy analysis and development so that they may better evaluate the implications of closer multilateral cooperation for their development policies and objectives, and human and institutional development. To this end, we shall work in cooperation with other relevant vernmental organizations, including UNCTAD, and through bilateral channels, to provide strengthened and adequately resourced assistance to respond to these needs. 22. In the period until the Fifth Session, further work in the Working Group Relationship Between Trade and Investment will focus on the clarification of: scope and definition; transparency, non-discrimination; modalities for pre-establishment commitments ased on a GATS-type, positive list approach, development provisions; exceptions and balance-of-payments safeguards consultation and the settlement of disputes between Members. Any framework should reflect in a balanced manner the interests of home and ost countries, and take due account of the development policies and objectives of host govemments as well as their right to regulate in the public interest. The special development trade and financial needs of developing and least-developed countries should be taken into ccount as an integral part of any framework, which should enable Members to undertak obligations and commitments commensurate with their individual needs and circumstand Due regard should be paid to other relevant WTO provisions. Account should be taken, appropriate, of existing bilateral and regional arrangements on investment. Since the Cancun Ministerial Conference, no meetings of the Working Group on the Relationship between Trade and Investment were held pending a decision by the General Council on the future direction of work in this area. On 1 August 2004, the General Council decided that this issue, referred to in paragraphs 20-22 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, would no longer form part of the work programme set out in that Declaration and therefore

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