第三节 服务贸易总协定的具体承诺(第3页)
在新一轮服务贸易谈判中,涉及服务补贴的问题主要有:服务补贴的定义;可能冲击服务贸易的补贴的判断因素;冲击贸易的服务补贴的概念;WTO现有规则对服务补贴的影响;更广义的补贴作用、发展中国家在谈判中的灵活性;是否应该增加新的规则来避免贸易冲击的效果等。[13]时至今日,关于服务贸易补贴问题的谈判尚未取得太大的进展。
(二)服务的政府采购
与货物贸易领域的政府采购不受GATT规则约束一样,政府的服务采购也不受GATS基本规则的约束,因此,各成员方的政府采购可能会构成国际服务贸易的障碍。据粗略统计,在某些服务部门中,政府采购的份额甚至会高达50%以上,而GATS规则对此并没有纪律约束,这无疑会极大降低成员所进行的服务自由化承诺的价值。因此,GATS第13条第2款规定,关于服务的政府采购问题应该在WTO协定生效之日起2年内进行谈判。GATS规则工作组于1995年12月开始讨论服务的政府采购问题,并在2003年6月30日就该问题提交一份比较全面的报告。但从目前情况看,该议题的进展非常缓慢,成员方对此主要有三种不同的主张:第一种主张认为,应该尽快将服务的政府采购纳入到多边谈判中来,应该在市场准入和国民待遇方面对政府采购进行明确的规定;第二种意见认为,GATS第13条并不包含最惠国待遇、国民待遇和市场准入方面的规则谈判,在其他领域没有得到对等利益的情况下开放更多的服务部门,这对于发展中国家来说是不能接受的;第三种意见则是在一定程度上折中了前两种意见,认为政府采购可以创造贸易机会,因此在晚些时候不应该排除有关市场准入和国民待遇规则的谈判,但需要对服务提供者有一定的保护措施。[14]
(三)服务贸易评估
GATS第19条第3款要求服务贸易委员会参照GATS的目标对服务贸易进行总体的和逐部门的评估,该项议题开始于1998年年底。成员方在2001年以前主要讨论的是GATS贸易评估机制所要实现的目标、评估所依赖的体系指标等问题,2001年《服务贸易谈判的指南和程序》通过后,讨论集中在对各成员服务贸易发展现状的评价上,焦点在于发展中国家成员是否真正从国际服务贸易自由化中得到了利益。发展中国家和发达国家对此存在着分歧:发达国家一味强调服务贸易自由化对整体经济发展的好处,发展中国家则认为自己在市场准入上的承诺并没有得到发达国家的互惠性准入,同时其参与自由化的过程给国内社会、政治和经济体制带来了很大的冲击,这在很大程度上抵消了自由贸易可能带来的利益。
除此之外,新一轮服务贸易谈判中的核心问题还包括自主性的贸易自由化待遇、经济需求标准、发展中国家成员的特殊和差别待遇等,这些问题在2005年12月的WTO香港部长级会议上均有所涉及。
从国际服务贸易的实践来看,每个国家在其有竞争力的服务部门和产品上都积极支持完全的自由化,而在其国际竞争力较弱的服务部门及产品上则或明或暗地实行贸易保护政策。由于发展中国家与发达国家经济发展水平的巨大差异及发展中国家在技术密集型、知识密集型服务部门上的劣势,致使发展中国家必然会针对保护国内服务部门进行长期的斗争。另外,虽然WTO鼓励发展中国家更多地参与服务贸易,但这一目标是通过协商达成的,是否能真正获得服务贸易的利益,完全依赖于各个成员方“讨价还价”的能力。从这个意义上讲,发展中国家作出各种积极的努力是非常有益的。
&udy
&ES-MEASURESAFFEGTHECROSS-BORDER
SUPPLYOFGAMBLIINGSERVICES
WTDS285ABR
&iguaakenstepssihemid1990stobuildupaprimarilyI-based,“remote-access”gamingindustryaspartofitseientstrategy。Ies,i-basedgamblingrohibitedagtothe1961WireunisAdthereareseveralStatespassingbylawsalsoba-basedgambling。In2003,thegressadoptedtheIllegalGambli,whichprovidesthatwhoeverduages,supervises,diresallorpartofanillegalgamblingbusinessshallbefiitleorimprisomorethanfiveyears,orboth。Atthesametime,theActrestrictedAmeriakepaymenttamblewebsitesthroughdbankats。ThemeasuresabovesoohegamingindustryofAntiguangoingtopot。
Inaunidated13March2003,AedsultationswiththeUes,andsultationswereheldon30April2003,butthesesultationsdidhedispute。tly,inaunidated12June2003,AheDSBtoestablishaPasmeetingon21July2003,theDSBestablishedaPanelpursuaofAntiguaiDS2852。On20April2005,DSBadoptedthefiheAppellateBodyandtherevisedreportofthePanel。
&othecasearethefollows:hastheUesuakenspeentsongambliiheanswerisheUespliedwithitsents?IstheUSabletoeralexs?HerearethekeypointsofthePaheAppellateBody:
V。IionoftheSpeeheUesinitsGATSSchedule
163。IhisseoftheUes’Schedule,thePawouldbeginby“examiningtheofvariouskeytermsusedintheUSSchedule。”ThePaheterm“Otherrealservices(exceptsp)”ior10。D,aswellastheterm“Eservisubsector10。A。Havingsultedthediarydefinitionsofvariouswords,thePahat“the’doesnotincludegambliedStatessubmitsthatthePaneladethisfindinghaditproperlyfollowedArticle31(1)oftheVieion。
…
166。Wehavethreereservationsaboutthewayinwhieldetermiheofthew”iedStates’Schedule。First,totheextentthatthePanelsimplyequatesthe“”withthemeaningofwordsasdefiiohisis,ioomeiapproadly,thePaohavedueregardtothefactthatitsrecoursetodiariesrevealedthatgambliing,atleastis,beohemeaningsofthew”。Thirdly,thePaoexplainthebasisforitsreeaningsoftheFrendSpanishwords“déportivos”and“sportifs”iofthefactthattheUes’Scheduleexplicitlystates,ihatit“isauthentiglishonly。”
…
176。WedohePaohavedo,simplybyrequestiionandcirofthesedodusingthemiheiroffers,thepartiesiioedthemasagreementsoriedtothetreaty。Ihereareindistothetrary。…
178。InouropihePaegW120andthe1993SgGuidelinesas“text”fortheiioedStates’GATSSchedule。Agly,wesetasidethispartofthePanel'sexaminationof“text”。Thereis,however,additioreferredtobythePahepartitsthatwemustsider,heremaiheUes’Scheduleofspeents;(ii)thesubstantiveprovisioS;(iii)theprovisionsreemeheGATS;and(iv)theGATSSembers。
186。Overall,wefinditsignifitthattheentriesmadebymanyMembersior10oftheirSchedulestextadditiofoundintheheadingsandsub-headiheUes(andusedinW120)。SuchMembersdisaggregatedtheirehefivesubsetifiedinW120asfallingwithior10。Thistextdoesnot,however,provideadefiothequestioheUes’Schedule,gambliingservicesfallwithintheofthew”,withintheoftheterm“otherrealservices”,orelsewhere。
213。Basedabove,werejeitedStates’argumentthat,byexg“sp”servithesmitmentior10。D,theUesexcludedgambliihescopeofthatent。Agly,weuphold,albeitfordifferehePanel'sfinding,inparagraph7。2(a)ofthePahat:
&edStates’SdertheGATSincludesspeentsongambliingservidersubsector10。D。
Ⅵ。ArticleⅩⅥoftheGATS:MarketAccess
214。ArticleⅩⅥoftheGATSsetsoutspecificobligatiohatapplyinsofarasaMemberhasuaken“specificmarketaents”ihefirstparagraphofArtiemberstoaccordservidservicesuppliersofotherMembers“nolessfavorabletreatmentthanthatprovidedforuerms,limitationsandsagreedandspeitsSchedule。”ThesedparagraphofArticleⅩⅥdefines,insixsub-paragraphs,measuresthataMember,haviakenaspeent,isnottoadoptormaintaiherwisespeitsSchedule”。Thefirstfoursub-paragraphsquaionsoaccess;thefifthsub-paragrapheasuresthatrestrictorrequirespecifictypesoflegalentityorjoihroughwhichaservicesuppliermaysupplyaservidthesixthsub-paragraphideioincapital。
218。TheUesappealsboththePanel'siionraphs(a)and(c)ofArticleⅩⅥ,asliofthoseprovisionstothemeasuresatissue。WehavealreadydetermihePanelshouldnothavemadefindiicleⅩⅥwithrespecttostatelawsbetiguahadaprimafacierespeeasures。HavingalreadyreversedthePanel'sfihesestatelaws,wesiderthemfurtheriofthispartoftheUes’appeal。Agly,ouranalysisbelowislimitedtoareviewofthePanel'siionraphs(a)and(c)ofArticleⅩⅥ:2,aswellastoitsappliofthatiothethreefederalstatutesatissueinthiscase。
250。ThestriterpretationofArticleⅩⅥ:2(cedbytheUeswouldimplythatonlylimitationsthatexpressrefereoscouldfallwithinthescopeofthatprovision。Undersuterpretation,sub-paragraph(otple,alimitationexpressedasapertageordescribedusingwordssuchas“amajority”。Itisherneorappropriateforustodraw,i,theliativeandqualitativemeasures,adosohere。Yetwearesatisfiedthataprohibitiononthesupplyofservirespectofwhichafullmarketaeakenisaquaiononthesupplyofsuchservices。
251。Inthiscase,themeasuresatissue,byprohibitingthesupplyofservirespectofwhichamarketaeaken,amounttoa“zeroquota”oionsoroutputwithrespecttosuchservices。Assuch,theyfallwithinthescopeofArticleⅩⅥ:2(c)。
252。ForallofthesereasohePanel'sfinding,inparagraph6。355ofthePahatameasureprohibitingthesupplyofserviceswherespeentshavebeeakenisalimitation:
…withinthemeaningofArticleⅩⅥ:2(c)becauseittotallypreventstheservicesoperationsaputthroughoneormoreorallmeahatareinmode1。Inotherwords,suresultsia”ononeormoreorallmeansofdeliveryinmode1。
265。heldthePanel'sfindingthattheUes’ScheduletotheGATSincludesaspeeofgambliihatSchedule,theUeshasinsorowofthemarketanforsubsector10。D。IandfiveniionofourReport,holdthePanel'sultimatefinding,inparagraph7。2(b)(i)ofthePahat,bymaintai,theTravelAdtheIllegalGambliheUesasistentlywithitsobligatioicleⅩⅥ:1andArticleⅩⅥ:2(a)and(c)oftheGATS。
292。ArticleⅩⅣoftheGATS,likeArticleⅩⅩoftheGATT1994,platesa“two-tieranalysis”ofameasurethataMemberseekstojustifyuprovision。ApanelshouldfirstdetermihegedmeasurefallswithintheseraphsofArticleⅩⅣ。Thisrequiresthatthegedmeasureaddressthepartiterestspethatparagraphandthattherebeasuffiexusbetweenthemeasureaprotected。Therequirednexus—reeof”—betweenthemeasureaisspethelaheparagraphsthemselves,throughtheuseoftermssuchas“relatingto”ao”。WherethegedmeasurehasbeenfoundtofallwithiheparagraphsofArticleⅩⅣ,apanelshouldtheherthatmeasuresatisfiestherequirementsofthechapeauofArticleⅩⅣ。
311。If,however,theplainingpartyraisesaWTO-talterhat,iherespondingpartyshouldhavetaken,therespondingpartywillberequiredtodemosgedmeasurehelessremains“necessary”iofthatalternativeor,inotherwords,whytheproposedalter,infact,“reasonablyavailable”。Ifarespondingpartydemohealter“reasonablyavailable”,ioftheisorvaluesbeiheparty'sdesiredlevelofprote,itfollowsthatthegedmeasuremustbe“necessary”withiermsofArticleⅩⅣ(a)oftheGATS。
327。WefindthattheWireAct,theTravelAdtheIGBAare“measures…oprotectpubliaintainpublicorder”,withinthemeaningraph(a)ofArticleⅩⅣoftheGATS。
369。Thus,our—thatthePaerrinfindingthattheUeshasnotshownthatitsmeasuressatisfytherequirementsofthechapeau—relatessolelytothepossibilitythattheIHAexemptsoicsuppliersofremotebettingservicesffromtheprohibitio,theTravelAdtheIGBA。Intrast,thePanel'soveralluhechapeauwasbroaderinscope。Asaresultofourreversalofowofindingsonwhielreliedforitsinparagraph6。607ofthePa,wemustmodifythat。WefiheUeshasedthat—ioftheexisteheWireAct,theTravelAdtheIGBAareappliedtlywiththerequirementsofthechapeau。PutanotherholdthePaonlyinpart。
372。Therefore,wemodifythePanel'sinparagraph7。2(d)ofthePa。WefitheUeshasdemoheWireAct,theTravelAdtheIGBAfallwithinthescraph(a)ofArticleⅩⅣ,butthatithasnotshowoftheIHA,thattheprohibitiohesemeasuresareappliedticservicesuppliersofremotebettingservicesf。ForthisreasonalohattheUeshasablishedthatthesemeasuressatisfytherequirementsofthechapeau。Here,too,weupholdthePaonlyinpart。