Benefits of liberalisation unproven?
We are convinced of the benefits of liberalisation of services for developing countries. Economic growth has been greater in those countries that have opened their markets than in those that have remained closed. Research undertaken by a number of organisations including the World Bank and the UN into the effects of liberalisation on developing countries have shown that liberalisation in infrastructural service sectors, such as those requested by the European Community, often lead to significant increases in economic growth. Without such economic growth sustainable poverty reduction cannot be achieved. We see it as important that the GATS negotiations deliver benefits to developing countries not just through their own liberalisation but also as a result of other WTO Members making commitments in areas of export interest to developing countries.
