1. The GATS Waiver – some key issues
Achim Seiler, Trade Consultant and Capacity Building Specialist, Kathmandu
EU-Project: Trade and Private Sector Development (TPSD)
TPSD is implemented by
in cooperation with
and

2. Preferential Access Offers (I)
Australia
Canada
China EU
Hong Kong
Japan
New Zealand
Norway
Korea
Singapore
Switzerland
Taiwan
Horizontal
Mode 3 X
Mode 4
Source: Trade Insights No 13

3. Preferential Access Offers (II)
Australia
Canada
China EU
Hong Kong
Japan
New Zealand
Norway
Korea
Singapore
Switzerland
Taiwan
Sectors
1. Business X
2. Communication
3. Construction
4. Distribution
5. Education
6. Environment

4. Preferential Access Offers (III)
Australia
Canada
China EU
Hong Kong
Japan
New Zealand
Norway
Korea
Singapore
Switzerland
Taiwan
Sectors
7. Financial X
8. Health
9. Tourism
10. Recreation
11. Transport
12. Other

5. Steps to make use of the Waiver (I)
Obtain, analyse and distribute services trade data
Host national and regional awareness-raising workshops
Establish inter-agency services coordinating mechanisms
Build a coalition of services industries
PPP-dialogue on services
Facilitate training for export-ready SME services suppliers
Conduct services trade promotion activities
Participate in international services fairs
Undertake competitiveness self-assessment process
Kick-start on an ongoing response to the waiver

6. Steps to make use of the Waiver (II)
Obtain, analyse and distribute services trade data
analyze existing services trade flows
identify potential growth prospects
identify services export potential
provide for a trade intelligence distribution mechanism

7. Steps to make use of the Waiver (III)
Host national and regional awareness-raising
Workshops
Hold regular workshops with stakeholders on the importance and opportunities in services trade
Discuss the latest international developments and how to maximize the export potential
Invite business representatives and trade promotion organizations from preference-granting countries
- Development good practice principles to foster enabling business environments for services (exports)

8. Steps to make use of the Waiver (IV)
Establish inter-agency services coordinating
mechanisms
Ensure that all relevant government agencies come
together under one coordinating umbrella
Determine whole-of-government strategies with respect to the services sector
Incorporate the potential benefits from the LDC services waiver into the national development plans
- Develop and implement a roadmap for services exports

9. Steps to make use of the Waiver (V)
Build a coalition of services industries
Group local business champions together into various different business support platforms
Bring together services providers and services users from business (including manufacturers), government policy makers and regulators, and academic researchers to support evidence based discussions.
Advocate on behalf of services associations with the government or at international level
Provide export-focused services to the members

10. Steps to make use of the Waiver (VI)
Public-private dialogue on services
- Improve the business environment for services exports
- Enhance transparency and efficiency at the regulatory
level
- Whole-of-government engagement in developing industry
competitiveness roadmaps for all services subsectors
- Foster collaboration and best practice exchanges to
overcome barriers and promote services growth

11. Steps to make use of the Waiver (VII)
Facilitate training for export-ready SME services
suppliers
- Provide training courses on human resources, client
relationship building, reputation, on-line functionality,
access to finance, standards conformance, marketing,
branding, transfer and adaptation of technology,
intellectual property protection, innovation coaching,
investment partnerships, entry into international value
chains
- Support LDC services centres of excellence in specific
services sub-sectors

12. Steps to make use of the Waiver (VIII)
Conduct trade promotion activities
Business matchmaking and associated regulatory advocacy
Hosting and participating in anchor events and conferences
Attracting inward foreign investment (regulatory one stop shops and visa facilitation
Promoting local clusters of services excellence

13. Steps to make use of the Waiver (IX)
Participate in international services fairs
Organize trips of business delegations to key preference-granting countries
Participate effectively in international services fairs
Gather and disseminate export success stories
Put into practice newly learned services export promotional skills

14. Steps to make use of the Waiver (X)
Undertake competitiveness self-assessment process
Investigate constraints imposed by the complexity of the
business environment, by duplication and opaqueness of
regulation, by restrictions on access to finance, by
rigidities and other inefficiencies in employment laws, by
burdensome regulatory compliance costs and by
regulatory regimes which allow insufficient scope for
business flexibility to adjust to rapid change
Weakness of regulatory institutions and
governance frameworks for services

15. Thank you