La liberalización progresiva del comercio de servicios: a vueltas con la formulación de políticas públicas

Abstract

The General Agreement of Trade in Services (GATS) is the main regulatory framework liberalizing global trade in services. Its core disciplines were negotiated under the influx of the services industries from de developing world. The GATS potentially cover any services sector subject to commitments obtained in a complex bargaining process that involves multiple crossed demands, offers and counter-offers. Liberalization commitments by WTO Members are trade-offs that may intrude in sensible areas such as, for example, the supply of public services. Also under GATS regulatory framework, WTO Members are negotiating new «Disciplines of domestic regulations». These disciplines not only limit state regulatory autonomy but aim to regulate the domestic rulemaking process itself (meta-regulation). These features suggest that GATS may have a major impact in public policy formation in years ahead.