13 February 2008

Doha Services negotiations enter a new phase

I welcome the release of the services text by the Chair of the Services Negotiations. This first draft represents a solid foundation for developing a full services text. I am pleased that the Chair is being ambitious in taking advantage of the significant degree of convergence in countries’ positions on a services text.

As I’ve consistently said, Australia couldn’t support a Doha package that doesn’t include an ambitious outcome on services. Our starting point must be locking in most of the market openness that is currently available to Australian services exporters, but we also need to build new market access in international markets and sectors. This is the core political message that is needed to move the services negotiations forward. The final services text needs to provide strong and clear guidance on the level of ambition we can expect in revised services offers.

Australia is continuing to work through bilateral and other processes as much as possible to make sure we get an ambitious outcome from Doha. Australia will continue to push for commercially meaningful improvements for our services exporters. I am actively pursuing an early “signalling exercise” where Ministers will signal their services liberalisation commitments. I am firmly of the view that countries are fully aware of what is required of them, and should be prepared to respond positively.

I have spoken to US Trade Representative Susan Schwab and EC Commissioner Peter Mandelson in the past 24 hours, and will be discussing further with other counterparts how to ensure the ambition on services in the Round is comparable with outcomes we are seeking on agriculture and in non-agricultural market access.

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