APEC Capacity Building Webinar – Services Domestic Regulation

Tuesday 17 August, 2021. APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation)  Capacity Building Webinar: hosted by USTR. “Translating APEC’s Non-Binding Principles for Domestic Regulation for the Services Sector into Practice – A Focus on Domestic Regulations in Trade Agreements” 

While services trade liberalization tends to focus on the lowering of market access and discriminatory barriers, there are also significant barriers to services trade caused by opaque, unpredictable, and overly burdensome domestic policy environments.

Industry Professor and TIISA Network Director Jane Drake-Brockman presented and moderated during this highly informative and interactive webinar

Session 1 

Initial Findings of the Study on APEC’s Non-Binding Principles for Domestic Regulation of the Services Sector – A Focus on Domestic Regulations in Trade Agreements

This session aimed to disseminate key findings on costs and trends related to services domestic regulations principles and disciplines in the Asia-Pacific. In particular, the presentations will share how APEC economies can lower trade costs by streamlining domestic regulations, and how the APEC Non-binding Principles for Domestic Regulation of the Services Sector compares to a selection of trade initiatives, including: the World Trade Organization (WTO) Joint Statement Initiative on Domestic Regulations (JSI); the Comprehensive and Progressive Transpacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP); the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP); the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA); and the European Union-United Kingdom Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA).

Moderator – Jane Drake-Brockman, Industry Professor, Institute for International Trade, The University of Adelaide

Sebastian Benz, Trade Policy Analyst, Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)

Felipe Sandoval, Senior Services Specialist, US-SEGA

Session 2

This session aimed to increase APEC economies’ awareness of good practices in domestic regulation of the services sector, including ongoing plurilateral talks on the JSI, which seeks to remove regulatory barriers for services providers on a global scale. Considering the numerous points of convergence between the JSI and the APEC Non-binding Principles as found in the study, this session will present the reachable opportunities the JSI provides to APEC economies in streamlining and clarifying procedures and requirements for authorization, thereby reducing services trade costs and increasing economic inclusivity.

Moderator – Thomas Fine, Director, Services and Investment, Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), United States

Jane Drake-Brockman, Industry Professor, Institute for International Trade, The University of Adelaide

Markus Jelitto, Counsellor, Trade in Services and Investment Division, World Trade Organization (WTO)

Session 3

Approaches to Transparency under Regional Trade Initiatives

Further development of transparency disciplines remains the most significant challenge in the Asia-Pacific region. While economies have been willing to agree on a more general non-binding set of principles, their approaches to transparency under regional trade initiatives do not always converge. This session aims to reflect on areas of regulatory divergence on transparency, discussing the effects of this regulatory divergence on the domestic provision of services and cross-border trade in services, as well as potential opportunities for future initiatives to support regulatory harmonization

Moderator – Felipe Sandoval, Senior Services Specialist, US-SEGA

Deborah Elms, Founder and Executive Director, Asian Trade Centre

Christine Bliss, President, Coalition of Services Industries

Professor Jane Drake-Brockman presented:

“How to Enhance Services Competitiveness, Cut Services Trade Costs and Expand Inclusive Services Business Opportunities for Developing APEC Economy SMEs”

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Stakeholder Perspectives on an Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement

Jean Monnet Network; Trade & Investment in Services Associates Policy Research Outreach Series 2021

With the announcement of the agreement in principle by Prime ministers Boris Johnson and Scott Morrison on 15 June 2021, the focus now turns to how to maximise the benefits of the agreement and the future of Australia-UK services trade.

Industry participants from TheCityUK, the UK Professional and Business Services Council, Universities UK and the Australian Services Roundtable will participate in an interactive business discussion on the prospects for enhanced trade relations under the agreement.

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Moderator
Gabriel Gari, Reader in International Economic Law, Queen Mary University of London

Guest Speakers
Ben Rake, UK Department for International Trade (tbc)
Edwina Stevens, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (tbc)

Business Discussants
John Cooke, TheCityUK
James Angus Bond, President, Australian Services Roundtable (Citi)
George Riddell, UK Professional and Business Services Council (EY)
Jane Drake-Brockman, Director, Australian Services Roundtable (IIT)
John Richardson, Director, Australian Services Roundtable (Cox)
Stephanie Harries, Universities UK (UUK)

Event co-hosted by
Queen Mary University of London
Institute for International Trade, The University of Adelaide
UK Professional and Business Services Council
Australian Services Roundtable
TheCity UK

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Digital Trade Integration (DTI) project

Webinar: 1 July 2021.

The Digital Trade Integration project aims to launch a network on digital trade which will work on the creation of (1) digital trade restrictions and (2) an index of digital trade integration. Digital trade has risen to the top of the international policy agenda given its sharp increase over the past decade and the sensitivity arising from related issues such as privacy, cybersecurity, freedom of expression, censorship, hate speech and disinformation.

These policies are potentially restrictive for digital trade and include regimes for intermediary liability, restrictions on data flows and data processing, requirements to provide access to source code and other IPR-related policies, and requirements for online payments.        

Professor Jane Drake-Brockman (TIISA Director) was a co-speaker as part of session 1 “Presentation of CIVICA members and partners”.

For each topic, there was a 5 minute presentation and 15 minute open discussion. Based on the discussion, a policy-brief will be prepared highlighting the main issues that deserve further discussion as part of the CIVICA project.

Please click the links below to download or read more information:

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CIVICA – AI Revolution

E-Payments in Asia

Danielle Flonk – Think Piece “Content Control”

Data Flows – Assessing Restrictions

WEBINAR: Stakeholder Perspectives on an Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement: Services, Innovation and our Shared Digital Future

Jean Monnet Network; Trade & Investment in Services Associates
Policy Research Outreach Series 2021

WATCH WEBINAR HERE 

Event co-hosted by:
Institute for International Trade, The University of Adelaide Queen Mary, University of London Australian Services Roundtable
TheCityUK
UK Professional and Business Services Council

Date: Monday 21 June, 2021
Time: 5.00 – 6.00pm (Adelaide) | 5.30 – 6.30pm (Sydney) | 08.30 – 09.30am (London)
(1.0 hour event)

Moderator:
Gabriel Gari, Reader in International Economic Law, Queen Mary, University of London

Guest Speakers:
Chief Services Negotiator for Australia, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
UK Chief Services Negotiator, Department for International Trade

Business Discussants:
James Angus Bond, President, Australian Services Roundtable (Citi)
John Cooke, Chairman, Liberalisation of Trade in Services (LOTIS) Committee, TheCityUK
George Riddell, Director of Trade Strategy, UK Professional and Business Services Council (EY)
Jane Drake-Brockman, Industry Professor IIT-TIISA & Director, Australian Services Roundtable

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ARTNeT Webinar: How to Cut Services Trade Costs: WTO Joint Initiative on Services Domestic Regulation

Services value-added now accounts for almost half of all world trade. But costs of trading services are twice as high as trade costs for goods. This is partly due to regulatory divergence, as well as opaque regulations and cumbersome procedures.

A large group of WTO members have jointly initiated negotiations to address these cost factors by developing disciplines on services domestic regulation.

If adopted by WTO Ministers in 2021, these disciplines will be the first and only outcome on services since the conclusion of negotiations on telecom and financial services in 1998. OECD estimates for the APEC region suggest this could cut services trade costs by an average of 8% across all services sectors.

Presenter:
Jane Drake-Brockman, Industry Professor, Institute for International Trade, University of Adelaide

Comments:|
Markus Jelitto, Counsellor, Trade in Services and Investment Division, WTO Secretariat,

Geneva Moderator:
Mia Mikic, ARTNeT

Download PDF presentation 

Watch full webinar here

 

 

Webinar: Services Domestic Regulation

The Institute for International Trades (IIT’s) Jean Monnet Network; Trade & Investment in Services Associates (TIISA) invite you to join leading experts for an interactive webinar discussing the following topic: WTO Joint Initiative on Services Domestic Regulation 

Services trade accounts for half of global trade but the costs of trading services are twice as high as trade costs for goods. Most of these costs arise from regulatory divergence, as well as opaque regulations and cumbersome procedures.

Through the WTO Joint Initiative on Services Domestic Regulation, a group of more than 60 WTO members are developing disciplines to mitigate the unintended trade restrictive effects of measures relating to licensing and qualification requirements and procedures, as well as technical standards.

Event co-hosted by

Institute for International Trade, The University of Adelaide

Australian Services Roundtable

European Services Forum

Asia Pacific Services Coalition

Date:

Thursday 6 May, 2021

Time:

Adelaide – 6.00pm
Bangkok – 3.30pm
Geneva – 10.30am
Hong Kong – 4.30pm
Jakarta – 3.30pm
Manila – 4.30pm
Singapore – 4.30pm
Sydney – 6.30pm
Taipei – 4.30pm
Tokyo – 5.30pm

Moderator

Stuart Harbinson, Hong Kong Services Coalition, Geneva Representative

Key Note Speaker

Jaime Coghi Arias, Coordinator of the JI on Services Domestic Regulation; Deputy Department Representative, Delegation of Cost Rica to the WTO

Discussants

Prewprae Chumrum, Bureau of Services and Investment Negotiations, Thai Ministry of Commerce tbc

Pascal Kerneis, Managing Director, European Services Forum, Brussels

Kiyotaka Morita, Deputy Director, International Affairs Bureau, Keidanren

Roy Chun Lee, Deputy Executive Director, Taiwan WTO and RTA Centre, Chinese Taipei

Devi Ariyani, Executive Director, Indonesian Services Dialogue

Jason Lee, Director, International Policy & Engagement, Singapore Business Federation

Jane Drake-Brockman, Industry Professor & Director, Australian Services Roundtable

Eduardo Pedrosa, Secretary-General, Pacific Economic Cooperation Council

Patrick Chua, Philippine Services Coalition & Coordinator, Asia Pacific Services Coalition

Markus Jelitto, WTO Secretariat

Event Sponsor GLOBAL SERVICES COALITION 

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Policy Brief: Services Trade Governance in the Digital Economy

Hildegunn Kyvik Nordås  – Senior Associate at CEP (Council on Economics Policies)

Services are at the frontier of the transformation to a digital economy. R&D as well as information and communication technology drive the transformation and make services more tradable across borders. The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) governing global services trade was designed in the 1980s, before the Internet became a commercial marketplace. This policy brief argues that the architecture of the GATS needs to be reformed to serve its purpose of setting and implementing the rules of global trade in services. It also draws lessons from recent free trade agreements and discusses the role of national governments and regulatory bodies, trade agreements, and the World Trade Organization (WTO) in governing services trade.

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