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1、服务贸易总协定General Agreement on Trade in Services Members, Recognizing the growing importance of trade in services for the growth and development of the world economy; Wishing to establish a multilateral framework of principles and rules for trade in services with a view to the expansion of such trade u
2、nder conditions of transparency and progressive liberalization and as a means of promoting the economic growth of all trading partners and the development of developing countries; Desiring the early achievement of progressively higher levels of liberalization of trade in services through successive
3、rounds of multilateral negotiations aimed at promoting the interests of all participants on a mutually advantageous basis and at securing an overall balance of rights and obligations, while giving due respect to national policy objectives; Recognizing the right of Members to regulate, and to introdu
4、ce new regulations, on the supply of services within their territories in order to meet national policy objectives and, given asymmetries existing with respect to the degree of development of services regulations in different countries, the particular need of developing countries to exercise this ri
5、ght; Desiring to facilitate the increasing participation of developing countries in trade in services and the expansion of their service exports including, inter alia, through the strengthening of their domestic services capacity and its efficiency and competitiveness; Taking particular account of t
6、he serious difficulty of the least-developed countries in view of their special economic situation and their development, trade and financial needs; Hereby agree as follows: Part I: Scope and Definition Article I: Scope and Definition 1. This Agreement applies to measures by Members affecting trade
7、in services. 2. For the purposes of this Agreement, trade in services is defined as the supply of a service: (a) from the territory of one Member into the territory of any other Member; (b) in the territory of one Member to the service consumer of any other Member; (c) by a service supplier of one M
8、ember, through commercial presence in the territory of any other Member; (d) by a service supplier of one Member, through presence of natural persons of a Member in the territory of any other Member. 3. For the purposes of this Agreement: (a) “measures by Members” means measures taken by: (i) centra
9、l, regional or local governments and authorities; and (ii) non-governmental bodies in the exercise of powers delegated by central, regional or local governments or authorities; In fulfilling its obligations and commitments under the Agreement, each Member shall take such reasonable measures as may b
10、e available to it to ensure their observance by regional and local governments and authorities and non-governmental bodies within its territory; (b) “services” includes any service in any sector except services supplied in the exercise of governmental authority; (c) “a service supplied in the exerci
11、se of governmental authority” means any service which is supplied neither on a commercial basis, nor in competition with one or more service suppliers. Part II: General Obligations and Disciplines Article II: Most-Favoured-Nation Treatment 1. With respect to any measure covered by this Agreement, ea
12、ch Member shall accord immediately and unconditionally to services and service suppliers of any other Member treatment no less favourable than that it accords to like services and service suppliers of any other country. 2. A Member may maintain a measure inconsistent with paragraph 1 provided that s
13、uch a measure is listed in, and meets the conditions of, the Annex on Article II Exemptions. 3. The provisions of this Agreement shall not be so construed as to prevent any Member from conferring or according advantages to adjacent countries in order to facilitate exchanges limited to contiguous fro
14、ntier zones of services that are both locally produced and consumed. Article III: Transparency 1. Each Member shall publish promptly and, except in emergency situations, at the latest by the time of their entry into force, all relevant measures of general application which pertain to or affect the o
15、peration of this Agreement. International agreements pertaining to or affecting trade in services to which a Member is a signatory shall also be published. 2. Where publication as referred to in paragraph 1 is not practicable, such information shall be made otherwise publicly available. 3. Each Memb
16、er shall promptly and at least annually inform the Council for Trade in Services of the introduction of any new, or any changes to existing, laws, regulations or administrative guidelines which significantly affect trade in services covered by its specific commitments under this Agreement. 4. Each M
17、ember shall respond promptly to all requests by any other Member for specific information on any of its measures of general application or international agreements within the meaning of paragraph 1. Each Member shall also establish one or more enquiry points to provide specific information to other
18、Members, upon request, on all such matters as well as those subject to the notification requirement in paragraph 3. Such enquiry points shall be established within two years from the date of entry into force of the Agreement Establishing the WTO (referred to in this Agreement as the “WTO Agreement”)
19、. Appropriate flexibility with respect to the time-limit within which such enquiry points are to be established may be agreed upon for individual developing country Members. Enquiry points need not be depositories of laws and regulations. 5. Any Member may notify to the Council for Trade in Services
20、 any measure, taken by any other Member, which it considers affects the operation of this Agreement. Article III bis: Disclosure of Confidential Information Nothing in this Agreement shall require any Member to provide confidential information, the disclosure of which would impede law enforcement, o
21、r otherwise be contrary to the public interest, or which would prejudice legitimate commercial interests of particular enterprises, public or private. Article IV: Increasing Participation of Developing Countries 1. The increasing participation of developing country Members in world trade shall be fa
22、cilitated through negotiated specific commitments, by different Members pursuant to Parts III and IV of this Agreement, relating to: (a) the strengthening of their domestic services capacity and its efficiency and competitiveness, inter alia through access to technology on a commercial basis; (b) th
23、e improvement of their access to distribution channels and information networks; and (c) the liberalization of market access in sectors and modes of supply of export interest to them. 2. Developed country Members, and to the extent possible other Members, shall establish contact points within two ye
24、ars from the date of entry into force of the WTO Agreement to facilitate the access of developing country Members service suppliers to information, related to their respective markets, concerning: (a) commercial and technical aspects of the supply of services; (b) registration, recognition and obtai
25、ning of professional qualifications; and (c) the availability of services technology. 3. Special priority shall be given to the least-developed country Members in the implementation of paragraphs 1 and 2. Particular account shall be taken of the serious difficulty of the least-developed countries in
26、 accepting negotiated specific commitments in view of their special economic situation and their development, trade and financial needs. Article V: Economic Integration 1. This Agreement shall not prevent any of its Members from being a party to or entering into an agreement liberalizing trade in se
27、rvices between or among the parties to such an agreement, provided that such an agreement: (a) has substantial sectoral coverage(1), and (b) provides for the absence or elimination of substantially all discrimination, in the sense of Article XVII, between or among the parties, in the sectors covered
28、 under subparagraph (a), through: (i) elimination of existing discriminatory measures, and/or (ii) prohibition of new or more discriminatory measures, either at the entry into force of that agreement or on the basis of a reasonable time-frame, except for measures permitted under Articles XI, XII, XI
29、V and XIV bis. 2. In evaluating whether the conditions under paragraph 1(b) are met, consideration may be given to the relationship of the agreement to a wider process of economic integration or trade liberalization among the countries concerned. 3. (a) Where developing countries are parties to an a
30、greement of the type referred to in paragraph 1, flexibility shall be provided for regarding the conditions set out in paragraph 1, particularly with reference to subparagraph (b) thereof, in accordance with the level of development of the countries concerned, both overall and in individual sectors
31、and subsectors. (b) Notwithstanding paragraph 6, in the case of an agreement of the type referred to in paragraph 1 involving only developing countries, more favourable treatment may be granted to juridical persons owned or controlled by natural persons of the parties to such an agreement. 4. Any ag
32、reement referred to in paragraph 1 shall be designed to facilitate trade between the parties to the agreement and shall not in respect of any Member outside the agreement raise the overall level of barriers to trade in services within the respective sectors or subsectors compared to the level applic
33、able prior to such an agreement. 5. If, in the conclusion, enlargement or any significant modification of any agreement under paragraph 1, a Member intends to withdraw or modify a specific commitment inconsistently with the terms and conditions set out in its Schedule, it shall provide at least 90 d
34、ays advance notice of such modification or withdrawal and the procedure set forth in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of Article XXI shall apply. 6. A service supplier of any other Member that is a juridical person constituted under the laws of a party to an agreement referred to in paragraph 1 shall be entitl
35、ed to treatment granted under such agreement, provided that it engages in substantive business operations in the territory of the parties to such agreement. 7. (a) Members which are parties to any agreement referred to in paragraph 1 shall promptly notify any such agreement and any enlargement or an
36、y significant modification of that agreement to the Council for Trade in Services. They shall also make available to the Council such relevant information as may be requested by it. The Council may establish a working party to examine such an agreement or enlargement or modification of that agreemen
37、t and to report to the Council on its consistency with this Article. (b) Members which are parties to any agreement referred to in paragraph 1 which is implemented on the basis of a time-frame shall report periodically to the Council for Trade in Services on its implementation. The Council may estab
38、lish a working party to examine such reports if it deems such a working party necessary. (c) Based on the reports of the working parties referred to in subparagraphs (a) and (b), the Council may make recommendations to the parties as it deems appropriate. 8. A Member which is a party to any agreemen
39、t referred to in paragraph 1 may not seek compensation for trade benefits that may accrue to any other Member from such agreement. Article V bis: Labour Markets Integration Agreements This Agreement shall not prevent any of its Members from being a party to an agreement establishing full integration
40、(2) of the labour markets between or among the parties to such an agreement, provided that such an agreement: (a) exempts citizens of parties to the agreement from requirements concerning residency and work permits; (b) is notified to the Council for Trade in Services. Article VI: Domestic Regulatio
41、n 1. In sectors where specific commitments are undertaken, each Member shall ensure that all measures of general application affecting trade in services are administered in a reasonable, objective and impartial manner. 2. (a) Each Member shall maintain or institute as soon as practicable judicial, a
42、rbitral or administrative tribunals or procedures which provide, at the request of an affected service supplier, for the prompt review of, and where justified, appropriate remedies for, administrative decisions affecting trade in services. Where such procedures are not independent of the agency entr
43、usted with the administrative decision concerned, the Member shall ensure that the procedures in fact provide for an objective and impartial review. (b) The provisions of subparagraph (a) shall not be construed to require a Member to institute such tribunals or procedures where this would be inconsi
44、stent with its constitutional structure or the nature of its legal system. 3. Where authorization is required for the supply of a service on which a specific commitment has been made, the competent authorities of a Member shall, within a reasonable period of time after the submission of an applicati
45、on considered complete under domestic laws and regulations, inform the applicant of the decision concerning the application. At the request of the applicant, the competent authorities of the Member shall provide, without undue delay, information concerning the status of the application. 4. With a vi
46、ew to ensuring that measures relating to qualification requirements and procedures, technical standards and licensing requirements do not constitute unnecessary barriers to trade in services, the Council for Trade in Services shall, through appropriate bodies it may establish, develop any necessary
47、disciplines. Such disciplines shall aim to ensure that such requirements are, inter alia: (a) based on objective and transparent criteria, such as competence and the ability to supply the service; (b) not more burdensome than necessary to ensure the quality of the service; (c) in the case of licensing procedures, not in themselves a restriction on the supply of the service. 5. (a) In sectors in which a Member has undertaken specific commitments, pending the entry into force of disciplines developed in these sectors pursuant to paragraph 4, the Member shall not apply licensing and qualifica
