Assumption 2. GATS Liberalises Trade in Services Where the WTO Members Have Specific Commitments

Under the GATS the WTO Members effectively pledge to uphold a predetermined level of market access and national treatment. They commit to refraining from implementing any new regulations that would inhibit market entry or impede the functioning of the service in question. This means that the WTO Memebers bind themselves to ensure certain standards of openness and fairness in its service markets.

GATS and Schedules of Specific Commitments (GATS Schedules) play a vital role in facilitating the liberalisation of trade in services, stipulating conditions regarding market access and national treatment responsibilities.

Every Member is required to have a GATS Schedule that, ideally, enhances the transparency, reliability, and predictability of particular commitments. GATS Schedules are an essential component of the GATS and each possesses its own inherent rationale.

GATS Schedules are based on Document W/120, which in turn relies on the CPCprov. The standard procedure for drafting specific commitments, known as the Scheduling Guidelines, is typically adhered to when designing these Schedules.

GATS Schedules classify trade in services into twelve distinct sectors, each further sub-divided into various subsectors. To ensure the predictability of commitments, these sectors and subsectors are designed to be mutually exclusive. Hence, services are usually classified under one specific sector and its corresponding subsector.