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= General Exceptions ¢ Join Alliance for Democracy list-serves on GATS topics— Here, in Article XIV, at least measures "necessary to protect education, health, water, prisons—for information and action human, animal or plant life or health" are excepted from GATS alerts; e-mail rcaplan @igc.org. The Alliance also has Action altogether—except that the preamble has a caveat large enough to _—- Packets on each of these topics. These are available from the drive a truck through. Such measures cannot be "a disguised national office, 681 Main Street, Waltham, MA 02451, USA, tel 1- restriction on trade in services". It is just this language which has 888 466 8233 (toll-free in North America), website led the WTO tribunals to come down against environmental regu- WWW-thealliancefordemocracy.org. lations in cases brought before them. ¢ Read and discuss reports on privatisation. For starters, we While Article XIV is generally parallel to Article XX of the | recommend the following sources on these subjects: General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, it omits any mention of § Education: The Nation, September 27 1999; natural resources included in the GATT general exceptions. But, § Health: "The WTO and the GATS: What is at stake for public as we have seen in the case of water, natural resources can come health?", Public Services International, www.world-psi.org; under GATS. If the operation of a pipeline is a service, then is § Water: Blue Gold by Maude Barlow (available from IFG, tel not the operation of a coal train or a lumber truck a service? By (415) 229 9350); not exempting such services, could not GATS undercut the § Prisons: Mother Jones May/Tune 2000; oe: . exemption contained in GATT? ¢ Study the pattern of corporatisation of services in your community. What changes have taken place in the ownership and management of water, school, health and prison facilities? What have been proposed? Are any of the corporations headquartered = Schedules of Specific Commitments The member countries' schedules of spe- cific commitment were annexed to the GATS agreement at the time of its adoption. Now Now the pressure is the pressure is on countries to "liberalise" 4 outside the US? their service sector further by increasing their on countries to + Reeeers scone t . itments "liberalise" their After you identify the hot issues in your oe le XX, if a country fails to i community, hold a community forum to look ’ service sector further at the problems from both a local and global state a limitation on national treatment or . . . perspective, including the added threat market access when their schedule is com- by Increasing their which further "liberalisation" under GATS mitted, they are just out of luck. This . vac st materiale f; oo includes conditions and qualifications on commitments. aetion Be we materials from the Alliance national treatment for states or provinces and county as well as for the whole Under Article XX, if a country fails to state a limitation on national treatment or market access...they are just out of luck. ¢ Join with other organisations in your community to develop a campaign around your local issues, linking them with the expansion of GATS. oo Conclusion: It's Time for Action By promoting the privatisation and deregulation of all services, GATS rep- resents a major restructuring of the global economy and a loss of sover- eignty at local, state and federal levels. When Renato Ruggiero boasted "We are writing the constitution of a single global economy"—the "we" he was referring to being the trade ministers in bed with the corporations, not us. It is essential that citizens in the US and around the world come together in a massive movement to stop further deregulation and privatisation of these services. Editor's Note : For more information on GATS, check the following references (sourced from the WDM website, www.globalissues.org): 1) From the World Development Movement - "Stop the | GATSastrophe campaign": www.globalissues.org/ TradeRelated/FreeTrade/GATS.asp = "In Whose Service?", a report on GATS issues and concerns: There is much that can be done locally to build this movement. www-onewor!d.orgiwem/cambriefs/WT O/inwhoseservice. Here are a few ideas: . . . . + Let the US Trade Representative negotiators know that you * The WTO Campaign provides articles and reports on issues don't want water included in GATS at all. Write to US Trade related to GATS at the WTO: www.oneworld.org/wdm/ Representative Charlene Barshefsky with a copy to Chris Rosetti, | campaign/WTO.htm Director, Multilateral Services and Investment Affairs. Send your 2) From Third World Network ear a re ith Stet NW, Washington, oe A - "New GATS talks threaten democracy": www.oneworld. * Get your city/town council to pass a resolution on : rg/wdm/campaign/WTO.htm model resolution will be available shortly from the Alliance. orgiwdm/campaign/WTO.ht Contact Ruth Caplan in the Washington, DC, office on (202) 244 0561 or e-mail reaplan@igc.org. = "Not so foolproof GATS safeguards and prudential rights": www.twnside.org.sg/title/gats-cn.htm * Sign the WTO "Shrink It or Sink It" letter which calls for ~ "Clear North-South divide on services negotiations": www. gutting GATS, saying "areas such as health, education, energy and twnside.org.sg/title/serv-cn-htm other basic human services must not be subject to international free 3) From Consumers International trade rules". Contact Margrete Strand at mstrand @citizen.org for = "Consumers and the Liberalisation of Services": Aenttenalaltenala Lei a tent = General Exceptions Here, in Article XIV, at least measures "necessary to protect human, animal or plant life or health" are excepted from GATS altogether—except that the preamble has a caveat large enough to drive a truck through. Such measures cannot be "a disguised restriction on trade in services". It is just this language which has led the WTO tribunals to come down against environmental regu- lations in cases brought before them. While Article XIV is generally parallel to Article XX of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, it omits any mention of natural resources included in the GATT general exceptions. But, as we have seen in the case of water, natural resources can come under GATS. If the operation of a pipeline is a service, then is not the operation of a coal train or a lumber truck a service? By not exempting such services, could not GATS undercut the exemption contained in GATT? Now the pressure is on countries to by increasing their commitments. Under Article XX, ifa country fails to state a limitation on country. the = "In Whose Service?", a report on GATS issues and concerns: www.oneworld.org/wdm/cambriefs/WTO/Inwhoseservice. htm + The WTO Campaign provides articles and reports on issues related to GATS at the WTO: www.oneworld.org/wdm/ campaign/WTO.htm 2) From Third World Network = "New GATS talks threaten democracy": www.oneworld. org/wdm/campaign/WTO.htm - "Not so foolproof GATS safeguards and prudential rights": www.twnside.org.sg/title/gats-cn.htm "Clear North-South divide on services negotiations": www. twnside.org.sg/title/serv-cn.htm 3) From Consumers International - "Consumers and the Liberalisation of Services": www.consumersinternational.org/trade/trade_brief/services.html a copy. 22 = NEXUS APRIL — MAY 2001 “liberalise" their service sector further national treatment or www.nexusmagazine.com