Services
Cooperative approaches to promoting SME participation in trade
The previous sections of this report identified the benefits that SMEs derive from participating in international trade (Section C) and the obstacles they face (Section D). This section discusses existing international cooperative approaches that directly or indirectly facilitate SMEs’ participation in trade. These include SMErelated initiatives in regional trade agreements (RTAs), in regional institutions (e.g. the African Development Bank) and in multilateral institutions (e.g. the World Bank), as well as in the WTO.
General introduction
This Note has been produced at the request of the Council for Trade in Services in the framework of the review of the Air Transport Annex which stipulates in paragraph 5 that “the Council for Trade in Services shall review periodically, and at least every five years, developments in the air transport sector and the operation of this Annex with a view to considering the possible further application of the Agreement in this sector”. The Secretariat has been asked by Council for Trade in Services to update document S/C/W/59, dated 5 November 1998 and document S/C/W/129, dated 15 October 1999.
Introducción
Los servicios se han convertido en el sector más dinámico del comercio mundial, pero por vías que no siempre se reconocen ni se comprenden. Así como han llegado a dominar muchas economías nacionales, los servicios también desempeñan un papel más importante en la economía mundial. Aunque esto se debe a muchos factores, como el consumo, la liberalización y la inversión, el factor determinante es la tecnología. Servicios que antes eran difíciles de comercializar, porque solo podían prestarse físicamente, son cada vez más fáciles de comercializar, porque pueden prestarse digitalmente. En el Informe sobre el Comercio Mundial 2019 se examina esta globalización de los servicios: por qué se produce, de qué modo está afectando a las economías y dónde es necesario introducir nuevos enfoques de política.
A reader’s guide to basic GATS concepts and negotiations
The purpose of this appendix is to provide the reader with an overview of key concepts used in negotiations on trade in services. Many of these concepts find their origin in the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services, which has served as the model for the services chapters contained in many preferential trade agreements. Reference to other concepts not pertaining to the GATS, but nevertheless necessary to understand other negotiating models, is made whenever appropriate. The appendix also provides an overview of current services negotiations within the WTO Doha Development Agenda.
Introduction
Trade Profiles contain detailed information on merchandise trade flows, including top products traded by each economy, an expanded section on trade in commercial services, as well as statistics on intellectual property. The information, available for WTO Members, Observers, and other selected economies, is derived from multiple domains, such as customs statistics, national accounts, Balance of Payments statistics, Foreign AffiliaTes Statistics (FATS), and industrial property statistics. Data are sourced from WTO Secretariat and external sources and presented in standardized and visualized format for quick reference.
The liberalization of energy services: Are PTAs more energetic than the GATS?
Energy is an indispensable component of daily life. It gives us light, allows us to cook our food and heat – or cool – our homes, and transports us on road, rail, or water, or in the air. It underpins all economic activities. A lack of reliable and affordable energy supply affects human welfare and economic development. The importance of this sector for social and economic life, coupled with the specificities of energy trade, have led governments to be directly involved in the provision of energy goods and services. Until the beginning of the 1990s the structure of the energy sector left limited room for private operators. The market was dominated by large, vertically integrated state-owned utilities, which were responsible for the whole chain, from exploration and production to marketing and sale to the final consumer; trade in energy was seen essentially as trade in goods, in which services were a value added element. Moreover, many countries endowed with energy resources were not members of the GATT/WTO.