WORLD TRADE S/C/N/25
27August 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-3369)
Original: English Council forTrade inServices
JOINT COMMUNICATION FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES AND
THEIR MEMBER STATES AND THE REPUBLIC OFPOLAND
Notification Pursuant toArticle V:7(a) ofthe
General Agreement onTrade inServices
Thefollowing jointcommunication hasbeenreceived from thedelegations oftheEuropean
Communities andtheirMember States andtheRepublic ofPoland. Thisjointcommunication constitutes
thenotification oftheEurope Agreement establishing anassociation between theRepublic ofPoland,
oftheonepart,andtheEuropean Communities andtheirMember States, oftheother part.
_______________
PursuanttoArticleVparagraph7(a)oftheGATS,theEuropeanCommunitiesandtheirMember
States,ontheonepart,andPoland,ontheotherpart,herebynotifythe"economicintegrationagreement"
asinstituted bythe"Europe Agreement" concluded between themselves. Theformal notification, made
inaccordance withthe"guidelines fornotifications under theGeneral Agreement onTrade inServices",
asadopted bytheCouncil forTrade inServices, isattached tothecommunication.
Tofacilitate theexamination bytheMembers, therelevant provisions ontrade inservices in
thisagreement havebeenidentified inthenotification. ThefulltextoftheEurope Agreement where
theseprovisions canbefound, intheiroriginal version, isavailable attheWTO Secretariat. TheEurope
Agreement ispublished intheOfficial Journal oftheEuropean Communities (L358,volume 36,
31December 1993) andinthePolish Official Journal Dziennik Ustaw no11of27January 1994.
1. Members notifying :
TheEuropean Communities andtheirMember States (15), andPoland
2. Notification under:
Article Vparagraph 7(a).
3. Date ofentry intoforce:
01.02.94
Duration :
unlimited period.S/C/N/25
Page2
4. Agencies responsible forimplementation andenforcement ofthemeasures:
Association Council, Parties 'legislative, regulatory andjudicial authorities.
5. Description ofthemeasures:
(a) Provisions intheEurope Agreement which arerelevant totheGATS:
- Article 1:"Objective";
- Article 6:"General principles";
- TitleIV:Chapter 1:"Movement ofworkers"; Chapter 2:"Establishment";
Chapter 3:"Supply ofservices between theCommunity andPoland and
Chapter 4:"General provisions";
- Title V:Chapter 1:"Current payments andmovements ofcapital";
Chapter 2:"Competition andother economic provisions" andChapter 3:
"Approximation oflaws";
- TitleVIonEconomic cooperation andinparticular Articles 73onInvestment
promotion andprotection, 81onTransport, 82onTelecommunication, 88on
Tourism, 89onSmall andMedium sized enterprises and90onInformation
andAudiovisual media;
- TitleIX:"Institutional, general andfinalprovisions".
(b) These provisions oftheEurope Agreement constitute anagreement liberalizing trade
inservices between theEuropean Communities andtheirMember States, ontheone
part,andPoland, ontheother part,inthesense ofArticle V,paragraph 1,given that:
- itprovides foruniversal sectoral coverage ofallservices activities, subject
toagradual coverage ofsome services 'activities (seeArticle 44para1(i)),
thetemporary exemption under Article 51(i.e.establishment inairtransport
services, inland-waterways transport services andmaritime cabotage transport
services) andtheexception under Article 53.These exclusions arefully
consistent withtheexceptions provided forunder theGATS andmore in
particular withtheAirTransport Annex, Articles I3(b), XIVandXIVbis;
- itprovides fortheliberalization oftrade through allmodes ofsupply: "cross
border" trade, "consumption abroad", "commercial presence" (with orwithout
movement ofnatural persons) aswellasthrough "presence ofnatural persons"
(seeinparticular Articles 37,41,42,44,48,52,55,56and59);
- itprovides fortheabsence orelimination ofsubstantially alldiscrimination
through elimination ofexisting discriminatory measures andprohibition ofnew
ormore discriminatory measures (seeinparticular Articles 37,44,45,55,
56,62,111and113);
- thetime-tablefortheprogressiveeliminationofexistingdiscriminatorymeasures
isreasonable: atransition period ofamaximum of10years (seeArticles 6
and44);S/C/N/25
Page3
- thedegree ofliberalization oftrade inservices between theCommunity and
theirMember States ontheonepartandPoland ontheother partgoesbeyond
therequirements anddisciplines oftheGATS inmany respects. Toachieve
fullnational treatment, additional disciplines andmeans ofliberalization are
foreseen suchas:mutual recognition ofqualifications; approximation oflaws;
behaviour ofmonopolies andexclusive service providers; restrictive business
practices; payments, transfers andfreemovement ofcapital.
(c) Consideration should alsobegiven, pursuant toArticle Vparagraph 2ofGATS, to
therelationship ofthisagreement tothewider process ofeconomic integration between
theEuropean Communities andtheirMember States ontheonepartandPoland on
theother partprovided forunder theEurope Agreement. Accordingly, economic
integration isnotonlytaking place inthefieldofservices, butalsoinrespect oftrade
ingoods andintheeconomic relations ingeneral. Inaddition, thisAgreement will
help achieving theobjective ofPoland tobecome amember oftheEuropean
Community.
6. Members specifically affected, ifany:
None. TheEuropean Communities andtheirMember States ontheonepart,Poland onthe
otherpart,havenegotiatedtheirScheduleofSpecificCommitmentsandlistsofMFNexemptions
during theUruguay Round. Theentry intoforce oftheEurope Agreement didnotimply any
modification oramendment inthese lists. TheAgreement aimsatfacilitating trade between
theContracting Parties; noprovisions result inraising thelevel ofrestrictions oftrade in
services inrespect ofanyother WTO Member.
7. Thefulltextoftheagreement isavailable from:
- theWTO Secretariat;
- theEuropean Commission;
- Poland.