| Author (Corporate) | European Commission |
|---|---|
| Series Title | COM |
| Series Details | (2015) 356 final (23.7.15) |
| Publication Date | 23/07/2015 |
| Content Type | Policy-making |
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At the Ninth WTO Ministerial Conference in Bali in December 2013 the European Union joined the consensus on the adoption of a Services Waiver for LDCs. The EU is committed to the success of the upcoming Tenth Ministerial Conference of the WTO in Nairobi in December 2015 and to moving decisively forward the Doha Development Round negotiations and the implementation of the Bali outcome package, including the LDC elements. The proposed Council Decision is part of this Bali implementation process. The proposed Council Decision is the first step of the implementation of the WTO Services Waiver for Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The Services Waiver allows WTO Members to grant unilateral preferences on services to the LDCs and it requires acceptance by the Council for Trade in Services (CTS) of the notified preferences granted with respect to measures other than those described in Article XVI of the GATS (market access). This proposal establishes the position to be taken by the Commission on behalf of the Union in the CTS. The proposed Council Decision does not refer to any treatment the EU itself will grant to LDCs, what would be the next step for the operationalization of the waiver. The intended treatment to be notified to the CTS and accorded to LDCs is currently being prepared along the lines of an approach consulted with the Member States and signalled to WTO Members at a high-level meeting of the CTS on 5 February 2015. |
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| Source Link | http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2015:356:FIN |
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| Subject Categories | Trade |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
