(2004/C 33 E/032)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0169/03

by Wilhelm Piecyk (PSE) to the Commission

(29 January 2003)

Subject:   Lack of democratisation in GATS negotiations

In 2000, a new round of negotiations on the liberalisation of trade in services (General Agreement on Trade in Services) began. At the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha in 2001, clear deadlines were set for initial requests for market access in other countries, and for the submission of offers to other countries. In early July 2002, the EU submitted its initial requests for improved market access in services sectors to 109 members of the WTO, and itself received numerous requests from third countries seeking further access to the EU services market. Initial offers of service sector liberalisation by individual countries are due to be published in late March 2003.

There has been widespread criticism that the negotiations, which are now at a decisive stage, continue to be insufficiently democratic. It is claimed that the negotiations are not conducted transparently or monitored democratically. Neither national parliaments nor the European Parliament are in any position to monitor the conduct of negotiations, let alone bring their influence to bear on them.

What action does the Commission intend to take to improve the democratic credentials of the GATS negotiations and give the negotiations greater transparency?