Joint report on informal discussion on environmental services in the context of the DDA

The following communication, dated 9 February 2005, from the delegations of Australia, the European Communities, Japan, New Zealand, the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu and the United States is being circulated to the Members of the Council for Trade in Services.

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In Doha, Ministers agreed to negotiations on the liberalisation of international trade in environmental services. This recognises the contribution which increased trade in environmental services can make to support policies aiming at improving the global and local environment, by facilitating investment and transfers of environmental technologies and knowledge.

With this communication, the group of Members intends to inform the wider membership of the issues they discussed and invites Members to consider, in the appropriate fora, some of the questions which arise from the discussion.

Discussions centred around three broad groups of questions: cross-border provision of environmental services, the classification of environmental services, and questions related to the scheduling of commitments in environmental infrastructure services.