. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONS/CSS/W/121
27 November 2001
(01-6059)
Council for Trade in Services
Special SessionOriginal:  Spanish
COMMUNICATION FROM COLOMBIA1
Environmental Services
The following communication has been received from the delegation of Colombia with the
request that it be circulated to the Members of the Council for Trade in Services.
_______________
I. INTRODUCTION
1. The specific commitments made by the Memb ers with regard to environmental services
follow the classification in document MTN.GNS/W/120, that is to say, they cover the followingservices:  sewage, refuse disposal, sanitation and similar services, and others.  This classification
focuses therefore, on pollution control and waste management.
2. The provision of the services mentioned has been  traditionally assigned to state enterprises
owing to the fact that (i) some of these services are of public benefit and (ii) they sometimes
constitute a natural monopoly on account of the economies of scale involved in the provision of theservice itself.
3. However, the process of economic deregulation initiated 20 years ago has led to the
privatization of services provided by state enterprises.  The idea underlying this process is that a
private enterprise management approach, in conjunction with a proper regulatory system, would lead
to more efficient management in the provision of the service and ensure wider coverage.
II. PROPOSAL
4. The provision of the services mentioned in paragraph 1 requires high levels of investment and
expertise.  Accordingly, the commercial presence of foreign enterprises in the provision of
environmental services may be beneficial for the developing countries through (i) increased
investment and contribution to capital formation, (ii) technology transfer (iii) wider coverage and (iv)
an improvement in environmental and sanitary conditions.  However, in taking on commitments to
liberalize this sector, the level of development of the Members should be taken into account.
5. If international trade in services is to become more balanced, the developed countries will
need to undertake commitments on market access concerning the movement of individuals so as to
allow the procurement of environmental services at the international level.
6. With regard to environmental services acquired on the territory of another Member the
competent authorities should take into account professional qualifications, on the basis of equivalentlevels of education, experience and examination requirements.
                                                     
1 Colombia reserves the right to amend this proposal at any time.S/CSS/W/121
Page 2
7. For the negotiation of such services it would be us eful to have a model list, with a view to the
incorporation of new services which were not envisaged in document W/120, but which would be
specific to the sector and would not duplicate activities already covered in that document.  The
proposed classification presented by the European Communities provides a useful working basis.  In
particular, Colombia proposes that the following services be included:  the implementation andauditing of environmental management systems, the evaluation and mitigation of environmental
impact, and advice in the design and implementation of clean technologies.
__________