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According to the WTO, over a fifth of world trade consists of transactions in
services. The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) was created to
extend the multilateral trading system to services, in the same way the
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) provides such a system for trade
in goods. Given its reach, the treaty’s significance continues to grow.
This academically rigorous yet highly accessible book guides the reader
through an ocean of literature and interpretative possibilities embodied in
GATS. In doing so, it provides a road map of the various interpretative
possibilities and dilemmas posed by the treaty. The work advances a legal
analysis of GATS, based on its historical and institutional roots, while at
the same time taking into account its objectives and prospects, as well as the
balance of interests involved.
In total, this timely book presents a thorough legal analysis of GATS that
will serve as a comprehensive yet highly useful guide to the agreement.
List of Abbreviations.
Acknowledgements.
Introduction.
Part 1 The General Agreement on Trade in Services: History, Structure and
Basic Principles.
Chapter 1 The General Agreement on Trade in Services.
Chapter 2 The Framework of GATS.
Chapter 3 GATS Interpretation.
Part 2 GATS in Details.
Chapter 4 GATS Scope of Application.
Chapter 5 GATS Rules of Origin.
Chapter 6 The Most Favoured Nation Principle.
Chapter 7 Schedules of Specific Commitments.
Chapter 8 National Treatment.
Chapter 9 Market Access.
Chapter 10 Economic Integration Agreements.
Chapter 11 GATS and Competition Rules.
Chapter 12 Administrative Standards and Recognition of Professional
Qualifications.
Chapter 13 Transparency.
Chapter 14 GATS and the Developing Countries.
Chapter 15 The Safety Valves of GATS.
Chapter 16 GATS Sector-Specific Instruments.
Chapter 17 The Legal Instruments for GATS Enforcement.
Concluding Remarks.
Bibliography.