A total of 72 economies — comprising 70 WTO members and two acceding members (Timor-Leste and Comoros) — are committed to implementing the new disciplines on services trade regulation. Ecuador is the latest WTO member to have confirmed its commitment, requesting to become a participant in the Declaration on the Conclusion of Negotiations on Services Domestic Regulation.
With the latest additions of Albania, Canada, El Salvador, and the Republic of Korea, these disciplines are now in force for 49 WTO members. Additionally, eight more members will notify the entry into force of these disciplines upon completing their domestic procedures. These members include Chile, Costa Rica, Georgia, Japan, Kazakhstan, North Macedonia, Paraguay, and Ukraine.
The disciplines on services domestic regulation aim to mitigate unintended trade-restrictive effects related to licensing requirements and procedures, qualification requirements and procedures, and technical standards. By promoting transparency, predictability, and due process, they aim to create a more conducive regulatory environment for business activities. This is particularly beneficial for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises as well as women entrepreneurs.
These disciplines will be part of WTO members' schedules of specific commitments and will be applied on a “most-favoured nation” basis. This means that all WTO members will benefit from them. Research by the WTO indicates that implementing these measures could reduce services trade costs by 10 percent for lower-middle-income economies and 14 percent for upper-middle-income economies. The overall savings are estimated at USD 127 billion.
If all WTO members implement these disciplines fully, significant welfare and trade increases are projected globally. By 2032, global real income is expected to rise by at least 0.3 percent (USD 301 billion), while global service exports are projected to increase by 0.8 percent (USD 206 billion).
The full list of schedules incorporating these disciplines can be accessed through provided links.