Brussels, 14/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - On the eve of first discussions in the European Parliament international trade committee on Thursday 15 October of her draft report on negotiations on a trade in services agreement (TiSA), Viviane Reding (EPP, Luxembourg) promised to argue strongly for an agreement that provides a safety net for European citizens and opens foreign markets to European firms.
“Parliament must set guidelines that state which kind of TiSA we want and which kind of TiSA we don't” (our translation), said Reding, who is seeking in her report to put firm and clear recommendations to the Commission.
She says that the TiSA negotiations must guarantee greater reciprocal access to markets, create a global level playing field, bring tangible benefits for consumers and ensure that interested parties have access to discussions so as to facilitate multilateralisation of this agreement which will initially be plurilateral (among some 50 WTO member countries).
Public and cultural services, fundamental rights to data privacy and fair working conditions and the right of states to regulate are, however, “non-negotiable” and must be “unequivocally excluded” from the scope of the agreement, she made clear.
“TiSA cannot be labelled as cure or curse before it is finalised. Instead, the European Parliament must work constructively and pragmatically to positivise, demystify and prioritise TiSA negotiations so as to ensure that a good agreement is reached, in the interest of European companies and consumers alike. TiSA will be balanced, or it will simply not be”, she says in her explanatory statement.
Circumventing the stalemate of the Doha Round. Some 50 WTO countries - Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Liechtenstein, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United States, Uruguay and the 28 EU member states - have been engaged in negotiations since March 2013 to find a way around the Doha Round deadlock on liberalising the trade in services at the WTO. China is expected to join this group of countries in the near future. Thus far, 13 rounds of talks have taken place (see EUROPE 11352).
TiSA negotiations cover all service sectors, including ICT, logistics and transport services, financial services and business services. The goal of the hoped-for agreement goes beyond simply opening up services markets: it is also about developing new rules on the trade in services, like those which apply to public procurement in services, licencing procedures and access to communication networks. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)