There has been virtually no liberalization under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) to date. Most existing commitments are confined to guaranteeing the levels of access that existed in the mid-1990s, when the Agreement entered into force, in a limited number of sectors. The only...

This paper analyses the results of the financial services negotiations under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) at the World Trade Organization (WTO). It shows that the negotiations have contributed to more stable and transparent policy regimes in many developing and transition...

On 18 August 1997, the EC requested consultations with the US in respect of a ban on imports of poultry and poultry products from the EC by the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service, and any related measures. The EC contended that although the ban is allegedly on...

This paper uses Chinese firm level data to detect the international propagation of adverse shocks triggered by the US hurricane season in 2005. We provide evidence that Chinese processing manufacturers with tight trade linkages to the United States reduced their intermediate imports from the...

This paper examines liberalization of the basic telecommunications sector in a number of Asian countries and the role of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) in this process. It begins by explaining the working of the GATS as a mechanism for multilateral liberalization efforts. It...

The Panel was established in April 2012 to examine and analyse challenges to global trade opening in the 21st century. It met three times, in May 2012, September 2012, and January 2013. The Panel also engaged in consultations and discussions with various stakeholders. Meetings took place in...