  
  
S/C/N/ 983 
15 November  2019 
(19-7826) Page: 1/2 
Council for Trade in Services  Original:  English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION PURSUANT TO ARTICLE III:3 OF THE  
GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TRADE IN SERVICES  
The following notification, dated  5 November  2019, from the delegation of the European Union , is 
being circulated to Members of the Council for Trade in Services . 
 
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The following notification is made pursuant to GATS Article III:3 and relates to measures adopted 
by the European Union in 2018. Given that there is no common understanding among WTO Members 
on when a measure "significantly aff ects trade in services" within the meaning of GATS Article III:3 
and that the European Union cannot make a positive determination on this issue, it is therefore 
notifying measures that may be relevant to trade in services without prejudice to the interpret ation 
of the phrase "significantly affect trade in services" in Article III:3.  
 
 
1  MEMB ER NOTIFYING : 
The European Union  
2  NOTIFICATION UNDER : 
Article III:3 of the General Agreement on Trade in Services  
3  DATE OF ENTRY INTO FORCE : 
3 December 2018  
 
3.1  Duration:  
Not applicable  
 
4  AGENCY RESPONSIBLE FOR ENFORCEMENT OF THE MEASURE : 
Member States of the EU & EU institutions  
 
5  DESCRIPTION OF THE MEASURE*: 
a) Full title:  
 
Regulation (EU) 2018/302 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 February 2018 on 
addressing unjustified geo -blocking and other forms of discrimination based on customers' 
nationality, place of residence or place of establishment within the internal market and amending 
Regulations (EC) No 2006/2004 and (EU) 2017/2394 an d Directive 2009/22/EC . Text with EEA 
relevance.  
 
 
 
                                                
* Including international agreements, recognition measures or other types.  S/C/N/ 983 
- 2 - 
  b) Brief summary of the content with a focus on the potential effect on services trade:  
 
The Regulation introduces rules preventing unjustified geo -blocking and other forms of 
discrimination based, direct ly or indirectly, on the customers' nationality, place of residence or place 
of establishment. In particular it defines specific situations where traders are prevented to block 
access to on -line interfaces or reroute to different websites without customer' s consent, to apply 
different conditions to recipient of services in specific situations and to discriminate payment means 
on the basis of the residence, nationality or place of issuance or establishment of the bank issuing 
the payment mean.  
 
The Regulati on applies also to third country service providers providing services within the Union, 
which are therefore prevented to automatically reroute or block access to websites or discriminate 
EU customers and payment means on the basis of the nationality/reside nce. 
 
6  MEMB ERS SPECIFICALLY AFFECTED, IF ANY : 
None 
7  TEXTS AVAILABLE FROM : 
EU Official Journal:  
https://eur -lex.europa.eu/legal -content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32018R0302  
 
 
 
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