The European Services Forum (ESF) is a network of representatives from the European services sector committed to actively promoting the liberalisation of international trade in services. ESF’s main field of activity are the WTO GATS negotiations and the EU’s bilateral trade negotiations on services and investments.
European Services Industry Priorities on EU-Singapore FTA
”The European Services Forum is strongly in favour of concluding a free trade agreement with Singapore, which can serve as an ambitious benchmark for future agreements in the region.” That was the essence of the message sent by ESF Chairman Christoffer Taxell on 12 July 2010 to EC Commissioner for Trade, Karel De Gucht, on the European Services Industry Priorities on EU-Singapore FTA negotiations.
GSC support for the G20 leaders’ commitment in the Toronto Summit Declaration to conclude DDA
On 5th July 2010, the Global Services Coalition expressed their appreciation to the G20 leaders’ support for bringing the WTO Doha Round to a balanced and ambitious conclusion. However, the global services industry representatives also expressend their concerns that no date was set for the conclusion of the Round, and urged the G20 and WTO members to work vigorously to ensure that it be completed as soon as possible.
European Services Industry views on the EU new investment policy
The European Services Forul sent today (25 June 2010) its views on the forthcoming new investment policy of the European Union, to EU Commissioner for Trade, Mr. Karel De Gucht, who is meant to announce the new policy in the coming days. The European Services Forum notes that the Lisbon Treaty brought foreign direct investment (FDI) into the ambit of the EU’s Common Commercial Policy and notes the valuable opportunity that this development provides for the European Union to rationalise the policy of the Union and its member-states on investment questions, and to bring greater weight and comprehensiveness to EU FDI policy towards the rest of the world. ESF draws the attention on the fact that the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) is an investment agreement as well as a trade agreement. However GATS only provides pre-establishment protection. Our companies also need post-establishment protection for their investments against unfair expropriation or nationalisation. In this context, ESF strongly welcomes the adoption of a new European Union Investment Policy that will open the way for negotiations of bilateral investment treaties (BITs) at EU level, bringing uniform benefits to services businesses across all European countries.
ESF Director made a testimony at the European Parliament Hearing on EU-Korea FTA
The International Trade Committee (INTA) of the European Parliament held a hearing on the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and South Korea, on Wednesday, 23 June 2010 (see Programme and Poster). The Director of the European Services Forum, Mr. Pascal Kerneis, was one of the speaker at the hearing. In his presentation, he presented the importance of trade in services and investment with Korea, the progress made in the FTA and the potential gains for the European services sectors. He strongly reitereated the support of the European service industries for the ratification of the agreement and its early provisional implementation.
European Services Industry call for an ambitious EU-MERCOSUR Trade Agreement
ESF Chairman, Christoffer Taxell, sent on 14th June a letter to European Commissioner for Trade, Mr. Karel De Gucht, supporting the resuming of the EU-MERCOSUR Trade negotiations. The letter is reminding the overwhelming importance of services and manufacturing in the economies of both regions, which should therefore drive the negotiations instead of the talks on agriculture that seems to capture too moch attention. The European services industry if calling for an ambitious agreement, with significant progress made in the services commitments by the EU’s trading partners, and for a short negotiating time table. Other EU Institutions have received a similar letter.
Global Services Industries call on G20 Leaders to continue the fight against protectionism and conclude the WTO Doha Round
The Global Services Coalition issued a letter to G-20 leaders on 10 June 2010, calling on them to continue to resist enacting protectionist measures, and to conclude the Doha Round. The G-20 is scheduled to meet on June 26-27 in Toronto.
Seminar on implications of the EU Services Directive on international trade
The Australian Mission to the European Union organised a seminar 31 March 2010 in partnership with the European Services Forum. The seminar entitled “Growing Services Trade’ EU Services Directive – Implications for EU’s trading partners” (see programme) gathered around 80 participants representing business community and diplomatic missions. The presentation by ESF Director showed the importance of the intra-EU trade in services and the attactiveness of the European Union for the foreign investors. The implementation of the services directive should even further strengthen this trend by improving the competitiveness of the EU internal market.
Services Industries Priorities on EU-Canada CETA
ESF sent a letter to EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht on the European Services Industries Priorities for the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement – CETA. The Annex analyses the horizontal and sector specific priorities of the various services sectors for these important trade negotiations.
European Services industry urges to swiftly conclude trade negotiations with Andean and Central American countries
European Services Forum issued a Press Statement at the occasion of the on-going trade negotiations rounds between the European Union and Colombia & Peru on one side, and with the EU and Central American Countries on the other side.
ESF organised yesterday, 23rd February, an informal cocktail in the framework of the painting exhibition on “Cubism” at the Musée d’Ixelles in Brussels. The show is sponsored by Telefónica, the largest European investor in the region. The gathering was an excellent opportunity for the business community to express to the negotiators their support for the agreement. ESF is following with great interest these on-going negotiations. and hopes that this will be the last round with Colombia and Peru, so that the initialing of the agreements can take place at the European Union- Latin America & Caribbean Countries Summit in Madrid next May.
New version of ESF web site released on 13 January 2010
The New ESF web site includes a new section on Bilateral Negotiations, with documents on services related issues on most concluded free trade agreements by the EU which do content commitments on services, as well as on the numerous on-going bilateral and regional trade negotiations. A “Facts & Figures” section has been added, that contains statistics on trade in services. The “interesting links” section has been extended. Finally a restricted “Members Area” has been inserted. Comments are welcomed. Please refresh your “favorites” if need be.
European Services Industry Priorities on Trade and Investment sent to President Barroso
ESF Chairman Christoffer Taxell sent a letter to the President of the European Commission, Mr. Jose Manuel Barroso, on 24 November 2009, forwarding the ESF Priorities on trade and investment and asking the next Commission to fully recognize the international dimension of the activities of European services sectors as forming an integral part of the Commission’s strategy and is reflected in EU trade policies.
A Similar letter has been sent to the President of the European Parliament, Mr. Jerzy Buzek, asking respectfully the Members of the European Parliament to take ESF priorities into consideration in the course of the Parliament’s activities, and in particular for the forthcoming hearing of the next European Trade Commissioner.
ESF welcomes the initialling of the EU-Korea FTA
In a Press Release issued on 15 October, The European Services Forum welcomes the initialling of the EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement by EU Trade Commissioner Ashton and her counterpart Korean Trade Minister Mr. Kim Jong-hoon on Thursday 15 October in Brussels. “Congratulations for this first important formal part of the completion of the negotiations” said Christoffer Taxell, Chairman of ESF, to Commissioner Ashton when they met in Washington at the occasion of the Global Services Summit. He then strongly encouraged the Commission to closely monitor the remaining part of the process and urged the EU 27 Member States and the European Parliament to speedily proceed to the last steps that will open the way to the implementation of the agreement.
Global services businesses call for completion of the Doha Round – Washington, 14 October 2009
ESF, together with 10 other coalitions of services industries, at the occasion of the Global Services Summit in Washington, adopted a Press Communiqué where they called on WTO governments to draw on the energy of the G20 to overcome difficulties and speed progress in the WTO. The coalitions remined that G20 Leaders provided a forceful lead in Pittsburgh in September 2009, recognizing that ambitious and balanced completion of the Doha Development Agenda, during 2010 at the latest, is an essential prerequisite in underpinning and sustaining any significant revival of world trade. They urged governments to reengage with a commensurate sense of urgency exploring all options to boost confidence and move forward together on all three market access pillars towards a settlement that will achieve positive growth in world trade.
ESF co-sponsored the Global Services Summit-13 and 14 October 2009
The European Services Forum co-sponsored the Global Services Summit organised by the US Coalition of Service Industries, that took place in Washington on 13 and 14 October 2009. The Global Services Summit 2009 raised the political and public profile of services and by bringing together the key policy makers, thinkers, and stakeholders who can represent and advance services trade around the world, generated support for a trade policy that recognizes the central role that services play in economic growth and development.
ESF Chairman, Christoffer Taxell, introduced in the 1st session on the second day, the Keynote speech by WTO Director General Pascal Lamy who reitereated the need to ensure that the services negotiations are an integrated part of the DDA round.
For further information, including getting speeches, presentations of experts and videos, please refer to the Summit’s website.
ESF Letter to Barroso on EU-Korea FTA – 6th July 2009
ESF Chairman Christoffer Taxell called for a rapid conclusion of the negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the European Union and the Republic of South Korea in a letter sent to the President of the European Commission, Mr. José Manuel Barroso on behalf of ESF company leaders and ESF sector specific trade associations. >> More
ESF participates in CEPS seminar on a new EU-Canadian Free Trade Agreement - 29 June 2009
ESF Managing Director Pascal Kerneis participated in a seminar on “The New Economic and Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada” organised by the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS) in cooperation with the Délégation Générale du Québec, on 29th June 2009, in Brussels. >> More
ESF participates in Islamic Development Bank seminar in Casablanca, Morocco-15-17 June 2009
ESF Managing Director Pascal Kerneis participated in a seminar organised by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) on trade in services on 15-17 June 2009, in Casablanca (Morocco). The seminar gathered trade in services negotiators from more than 15 North and West African countries that are a member of the IDB. It was an occasion to highlight the necessary links between trade and investment in services sectors and sustainable economic development. >> More
Global Services Coalition letter to G20 leaders before London Summit – 12 March 2009
The GSC issued on 12 March 2009, in advance of the G20 London Summit, a letter send to all G20 leaders. The letter calls for a renewal and strengthening of the “standstill” on new trade barriers, and for the WTO to closely monitor adherence to the standstill. The standstill was first agreed to by the G-20 group of countries at their meeting in November of 2008, but has been breached repeatedly, despite their call to fight against protectionism. >> More
ESF at the European Parliament hearing on Mode 4 – 19th January 2009
ESF participated in the Hearing organised by the Committee on International Trade (INTA) of the European Parliament on “Trade in Services in Mode 4 and Circulation of Workers” (WTO GATS – Agreement on Services) that took place on 19th January 2009. >> More
