Services
Trade obstacles to SME participation in trade
Section D investigates the major trade-related impediments to SMEs’ participation in trade. A key finding in this section is that all types of trade costs whether they are fixed or variable adversely affect the ability of SMEs to participate in trade to a greater extent than large enterprises. Since SMEs are more sensitive to trade barriers than large firms removing obstacles to trade benefits SMEs disproportionately. It is therefore important to understand what these major obstacles are.
Notes techniques
Les Membres de l’OMC sont souvent désignés sous le nom de « pays » bien que certains ne soient pas des pays au sens habituel du terme mais officiellement des « territoires douaniers ». La définition des groupements géographiques ou autres dans le présent rapport n’implique de la part du Secrétariat aucune prise de position quant au statut d’un pays ou territoire au tracé de ses frontières ou aux droits et obligations des Membres de l’OMC dans le cadre des Accords de l’OMC. Les couleurs tracés de frontières dénominations et classifications figurant dans les cartes n’impliquent de la part de l’OMC aucun jugement quant au statut juridique ou autre d’un territoire ni la reconnaissance ou l’acceptation d’un tracé de frontières.
Regulatory impact analysis: Addressing the trade and regulatory nexus
The potential for productivity growth to generate higher incomes makes it a natural and important consideration for decision-makers. Productivity is the only driver of income growth that is unlimited as opposed to resource exploitation or increases in population and labour force participation each of which faces natural limits. The continuing need to stimulate productivity growth rightly remains at the forefront of government policy and is a key priority of the Australian government.
Notas técnicas
Con frecuencia se utiliza el término “países” para hacer referencia a los Miembros de la OMC a pesar de que algunos Miembros no son países en el sentido usual del término sino que se trata oficialmente de “territorios aduaneros”. La definición de los grupos geográficos y de otro tipo empleada en el presente informe no implica la expresión de opinión alguna por parte de la Secretaría de la OMC sobre la condición jurídica de ningún país o territorio sobre la delimitación de sus fronteras ni sobre los derechos y obligaciones de ningún Miembro de la OMC respecto de los Acuerdos de la OMC. Los colores fronteras denominaciones y clasificaciones que figuran en los mapas de la presente publicación no implican por parte de la OMC ningún juicio sobre la condición jurídica o de otra índole de ningún territorio ni constituyen una aprobación o aceptación de ninguna frontera.
Opening Markets for Trade in Services
Trade in services is an increasingly important part of global trade and as such figures prominently in multilateral regional and bilateral trade negotiations. In this volume of essays academics negotiators and experts from various international organizations explore the challenges motivations and achievements of such negotiations. The contributions highlight issues in important services sectors such as distribution energy finance telecommunications air transport and the postal and audiovisual sectors as well as areas such as cross-border trade the movement of natural persons and government procurement. Case studies look into the experiences of specific countries. The focus on sector analysis and country experiences sheds light on the state of services liberalization and the regulation of international trade in services at the beginning of the twenty-first century making this an indispensable guide to ongoing and future international negotiations on this topic.
Notes techniques
Le PIB (produit intérieur brut) est le total de la production sur le territoire de l’économie moins le total de la consommation intermédiaire (plus les taxes déduction faite des subventions aux produits). Il est mesuré en termes nominaux et sur la base des taux de change du marché.
Introduction
Today’s increasingly interconnected global economy is transforming not only what is traded and how it is traded but also who is trading. Large companies continue to dominate international trade because they have the critical mass organizational reach and relevant technologies necessary to access and supply foreign markets. But thanks to the Internet the emergence of new business platforms and the increasing openness of the global economy many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) now have the potential to become successful and important global traders as well. The World Trade Report 2016 examines the participation of SMEs in international trade. In particular it looks at how the international trade landscape is changing for SMEs where new opportunities are opening up and old challenges remain and what the multilateral trading system does to ensure inclusive participation of firms in global markets.
Executive summary
In the majority of countries small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are defined as firms employing between 10 and 250 people. Firms with up to 10 employees are usually referred to as micro firms. There is however no commonly agreed definition of what micro firms and SMEs are. They are mixed by nature ranging from producers of non-tradable services to “born global” suppliers of digital products highquality artisanal goods or sophisticated instruments.