ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS
TO THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES (2024)

Since its 2023 annual report to the Council for Trade in Services[1], the Committee on Specific Commitments (CSC) held two formal meetings, on 2 July 2024 and 1 October 2024 respectively.[2] At these meetings, the Committee considered two items: Classification and Scheduling Issues; and the Functioning of the Committee in the Context of WTO Reform.

1  classification and scheduling issues

1.1.  Two sub-items were considered under this agenda item: environmental services and CPC Version 3.

1.2.  On environmental services, at the meeting on 2 July 2024, the Committee considered a Communication (_S/CSC/W/76) from the delegations of New Zealand and the United States regarding the APEC Model Schedule of Commitments on Environmental and Environmentally Related Services. The Communication provided Members with a summary of the Informal Session of 18 April 2024 that had brought together the United States., New Zealand, and the APEC Secretariat speakers to brief the WTO on their work in the areas of environmental and environmentally related services. The Communication further proposed that Members share their experience on dealing with environmental and environmentally related services in their trade practice.

1.3.  At both the meeting on 2 July and the meeting on 1 October 2024, Members engaged in substantive discussions inspired by the Communication from New Zealand and the United States. Several delegations expressed strong interest in advancing the work on environmental services and put forward some ideas on how to proceed. Some Members further mentioned their willingness to share experience in dealing with environmental services in specific initiatives. Caution was also made at the meetings that the exercise should be Member-driven and based on written proposals from Members.  

1.4.  With respect to CPC Version 3, at the meeting on 2 July 2024, the WTO Secretariat made a presentation on the current CPC revision process highlighting significant developments in services classification. The Committee agreed to hold an information session inviting experts to provide a more in-depth review of the important changes in services classification. That information session took place back-to-back with the formal CSC meeting on 1 October.

2  functioning of the Committee in the context of wto reforM

2.1.  At the meeting on 2 July 2024, the Committee agreed to implement the 15-day convening notice and "eAgenda" for formal meetings, on a trial basis until the end of 2024.

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