Vol. 544 No. 3
166 Mr. Sargent asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will implement a moratorium on the General Agreement on Trade in Services negotiations and on the provisions of the agreement. [28837/01]
The GATS agreement, which came into force in 1995, sets out a framework of legally binding rules governing the conduct of world trade in services.
Negotiations on trade in services was initiated in January 2000 under Article XIX of the General Agreement on Trade in Services, and a large number of proposals have been submitted by the World Trade Organisation members on a wide range of sectors and several horizontal issues, as well as on movement of natural persons.
The successful fourth ministerial conference in Doha from 9 to 13 November 2001 confirmed the launch of a new trade round. The ministerial declaration on the launch of the new round reaffirms the guidelines and procedures for the negotiations on trade in services adopted by the Council for Trade in Services on 28 March 2001, as the basis for continuing negotiations, with a view to achieving the objectives of the GATS, as stipulated in the Preamble, Article IV and Article XIX of that agreement.
Negotiations on trade in services is already under way and the ministerial declaration in Doha reaffirms the basis for proceeding. I consider the current basis to be appropriate and in these circumstances implementation of a moratorium on GATS negotiations or on the provisions in the agreement does not arise.
