ESF Activities on TISA

ESF Activities on TiSA:

Oct. 2015: Global Services Coalition statement highlights the importance of moving forward on trade

The Global Services Coalition met in Washington on 22nd October – at the edge of the Global Services Summit and adopted a joint statement that you can find here. In substance, the statement highlights the following: “The closing weeks of 2015 will see several significant opportunities for governments and their trade negotiators at the multilateral (WTO MC10), plurilateral (TiSA, ITA, EGA) and regional levels (TPP, TTIP, EU-Japan) to take major steps forward in delivering economic growth, job creation, and consumer choice. The GSC urges all the governments involved in these negotiations to conclude them with the high-level and ambitious commitments to market opening that are so badly needed to kick start new economic growth and to serve as the basis for new agreements which include broader economies.”

April 2015: GSC Business Delegation to Geneva during TiSA round

More than 30 business delegates from various TiSA countries rallied to Geneva to meet TiSA countries negotiators and ambassadors to express their support for ambitious progress in the negotiations during the 12th Round of talks (13-17 April). At this occasion, the Global Services Coalition adopted a Joint statement in which “they urge that efforts be made to bring commitments within TiSA to the standard of the “best of the best” commitments within the existing FTAs, both in the interests of greater uniformity and to maximise TiSA’s value as a model for multilateralisation”. Find Joint Statement Here.

February 2015: ESF Presentation to INTA on TISA Hearing

International Trade Committee (INTA) of the European Parliament held a Public Hearing on the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) on 24^th February 2015 (see programme). ESF Managing Director presented the views of the European services industry on the market access and rules pillars, and going through the 5 blue lines and 5 red lines expressed by the Rapporteur on TISA, Ms Viviane Reding on 13 January 2015 at a press conference. The presentation is here .

Sept. 2014: Global Services Coalition Position Paper on TiSA

At the occasion of the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) week of negotiations in this 4th week of September 2014 in Geneva, Ten coalitions of services industries have adopted for the first time an in-depth Position Paper, where they expressed their common views on the services only plurilateral talks. The Global Services Coalition expresses its strong support for an ambitious and future-oriented agreement. They believe that TiSA will significantly boost the growth prospects for this vital sector of the global economy, but yet too much neglected in trade negotiations. The Paper provides a common input on the various issues that currently are being negotiated under TiSA: better market access commitments in all modes, better horizontal and sector specific disciplines, etc.

Apr. 2014 – Global Services Coalition call for an ambitious TiSA to be concluded by 2015

A special Global Services Coalition mission was in Geneva as the latest Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) negotiating round that took place on 28 April-2 May 2014. Its delegates, representing the Coalition’s diverse membership voiced their strong support for the efforts of the TiSA participants – now nearly a third of the WTO membership – towards an ambitious agreement, and to share views with TiSA negotiators. The GSC issued a joint statement calling the negotiators to continue focussing on an ambitious agreement. The timetable should aim at completion of negotiations by 2015 – a schedule that is challenging but, the GSC suggests, achievable.

Oct. 2013 – GSC Communique on the on-going Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA)

On 31st October 2013, the Global Services Coalition presented a joint communiqueas the conclusion to their meeting following the Global Services Summit. The GSC supports consultations between the existing TiSA parties and the Government of China to explore China’s participation in the TiSA at a level of ambition that matches and accepts the demanding goals set by the existing participants. “We believe that one of the ways in which China can demonstrate its commitment to the level of ambition required is by accepting the already agreed core TiSA text and disciplines and by agreeing to table a high level initial offer going very significantly beyond its current GATS schedule and aiming at removing remaining market access impediments in services.” says the communiqué. The communique also reiterates the importance of countries reaching agreement at the upcoming WTO Ministerial in Bali, Indonesia, as well as the important role services play in the global economy.

Sept. 2013 – GSC Letter to Trade Ministers of TiSA Countries

The Global Services Coalition (GSC) gathering services organisations from Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan, Hong-Kong, Taiwan, UK and US adopted a joint letter on their common priorities for the on-going Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) negotiations. The letter has been sent on 5^th September to the trade ministers and their respective WTO Ambassador in Geneva, ahead of the TiSA negotiating round that took place in Geneva in the week of 16^th September 2013.

Nov. 2012 – ESF Position on Plurilateral Negotiations on Services

ESF is pleased to see further progress in the on-going preliminary discussions in Geneva and calls for all parties concerned to ensure that the current momentum will not be lost in technicalities. The resulting agreement should be ambitious, flexible, and inclusive, with the goal of attracting the largest number of participating countries as possible. ESF has developed a Position Paper where it expresses the European services industry priorities in the forthcoming negotiations for a plurilateral services agreement and sent it to the relevant interlocutors on 12 November 2012.

Sept. 2012 – Global Services Coalition Statement on International Services Agreement

On the occasion of the Global Services Summit that took place in Washington on 19 September 2012, ESF, together with ten other business services associations comprising the Global Services Coalition (GSC), welcomed the statement made by Governments participating to the work of the “Real Good Friends of Services” (RGFS) on 5^th July, encouraged their concerted efforts in bringing services to the forefront of their trade policy agenda and called on those WTO members which had not yet participated in these preparatory meetings to join in as soon as possible in launching formal plurilateral negotiations in services by the end of this year. GSC Statement here

March 2012 – ESF Seminar Exploring a Plurilateral Agreement in Services

On the 6th March 2012, ESF and ECIPE held a seminar aimed at exploring the potential of a plurilateral agreement in services. The seminar drew in participants from all quarters with an interest in international services trade. The discussion was lively and the overall feeling was positive yet mindful. The panel included: Michael Punke, Deputy USTR, US Ambassador at the WTO; Hosuk Lee Makiyama, Co-Director, ECIPE; Vital Moreira, Chairman of the International Trade Committee of the European Parliament; David Plunkett, Ambassador of Canada to the EU; Tim Yeend, Australian Ambassador to the WTO; Sören Kelstrup, Chair of the EU Trade Policy Committee under the Danish Presidency of the EU; Marc Vanheukelen, Chief of Staff of EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht; Robert Vastine, President US Coalition of the Service Industries; Pascal Kerneis, Managing Director ESF; Introduction from Jonathan Peel, EESC Member Employers Group; Conclusions from John Cooke, Chairman, LOTIS Committee TheCityUK; and Moderated by Edward Bowles, ESF Policy Committee Chairman, Regional Head of Public Affairs, EMEA and Americas Standard Chartered Bank. See Programme.