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Services Profiles 2014
Services Profiles 2014 provides key statistics on “infrastructure services” i.e. transportation telecommunications finance and insurance for some 150 economies. The information is derived from multiple sources such as national accounts employment statistics balance of payments statistics foreign affiliates’ trade in services statistics foreign direct investment statistics and quantitative indicators largely sourced from international/regional organizations and specialized bodies. The profiles reflect data as contained in the WTO’s Integrated Trade Intelligence Portal (I-TIP) services database as of July 2014.
Export Policies and the General Agreement on Trade in Services
Compared to its counterpart in merchandise trade the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) of 1947 the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) contains a variety of conceptual innovations. In addition to cross-border supply the Agreement covers three additional types of transactions i.e. the supply of services via consumer movements abroad as well as the presence of foreign firms and foreign service professionals in the respective markets. At the same time the GATS accommodates a range of measures including the use of quantitative restrictions and discriminatory taxes or subsidies which are clearly constrained under the GATT. The Agreement offers particularly broad scope for various types of export-related interventions regardless of ensuing market distortions. The social and economic relevance of such measures is immediately evident. This paper seeks to provide an overview and assessment in the light of relevant GATS provisions and WTO dispute rulings.