The Hindu Business Line : India files request on maritime under GATS

INDIA has submitted its "initial request" on maritime services to specific countries under the ongoing mandated negotiations of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).

Confirming this move, a senior Department of Commerce official said India is likely to soon submit its initial request on tourism. An initial request has already been made on Medical, Dental and Health Services.

The method of negotiations that had been adopted in the case of services under the WTO is the request-offer approach. The Doha Ministerial Declaration had required members to submit initial requests by June 30, 2002, and make initial offers by March 31, 2003, in order to further the negotiations under GATS.

In June this year, India made specific requests on medical, dental and health services to the quad countries — the EC, the US, Japan and Canada (mode 1 and mode 4), Far-East countries (all four modes), West Asia and certain African countries (all four modes).

About 80 per cent of the world's trade in services occurs through only two modes — mode 1 (cross-border supply of services) and mode 3 (establishment of commercial presence) out of the four modes of supply of services.

While mode two related to consumption abroad like tourism services, etc., mode 4 related to movement of natural persons.

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