General Agreement on Trade in Services: Examination of the Schedules of211 Commitments Submitted by Eastern Europe, the European Free Trade Association, and 211 Turkey. Investigation No. 332-385

摘要

On September 19, 1997, the United States Trade Representative requested that the211u001eU.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) examine the schedule of commitments 211u001esubmitted by 12 trading partners of Eastern Europe, the European Free Trade 211u001eAssociation, and Turkey under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). 211u001eThe GATS provides a framework for government regulation of trade and investment 211u001ein service industries and obligates signatories to establish schedules of 211u001ecommitments. These schedules, on an industry-by-industry basis, indicate the 211u001eextent to which signatories accord market access and national treatment to 211u001eforeign service providers. The 12 trading partners examined in this report are 211u001eBulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Poland, 211u001eRomania, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Switzerland, and Turkey. These countries 211u001eaccounted for 5 percent of total U.S. services trade in 1996, with the most 211u001esignificant U.S. export markets being Switzerland and Norway. The USITC was asked 211u001eto explain the subject countries commitments in nontechnical language as they 211u001erelate to eight service industries, and to identify potential benefits and 211u001elimitations to U.S. service providers as a result of implementation of the 211u001ecommitments.