On December 2, 67 member countries of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) concluded their negotiations on Services Domestic Regulations (SDR).
- The SDR aimed at making it easier for foreign service providers to access, understand and follow the procedures for getting authorisations or licenses for operating in the host country and be assured of legal certainty, predictability, regulatory quality and facilitation.
- It only deals with procedures.
- Under the SDR, besides other disciplines, the participating countries are required to consolidate relevant information on a single online dedicated portal, develop technical standards through open and transparent processes, base measures relating to authorization on objective and transparent criteria and ensure that procedures are impartial, adequate and do not unjustifiably prevent fulfillment of authorisation requirements.
- Many countries that are not parties to the negotiations are already implementing many of these disciplines.
- It is the first WTO deal on services in over two decades.
- This is the first time that a WTO text contains a provision on non-discrimination between men and women in authorisation procedures for service suppliers and is designed to boost female participation in services trade.
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