摘要: |
On September 19, 1997, the United States Trade Representative requested that the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) examine the schedule of commitments submitted by 12 trading partners of Eastern Europe, the European Free Trade Association, and Turkey under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). The GATS provides a framework for government regulation of trade and investment in service industries and obligates signatories to establish schedules of commitments. These schedules, on an industry-by-industry basis, indicate the extent to which signatories accord market access and national treatment to foreign service providers. The 12 trading partners examined in this report are Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Switzerland, and Turkey. These countries accounted for 5 percent of total U.S. services trade in 1996, with the most significant U.S. export markets being Switzerland and Norway. The USITC was asked to explain the subject countries commitments in nontechnical language as they relate to eight service industries, and to identify potential benefits and limitations to U.S. service providers as a result of implementation of the commitments. |