Environmental Services and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS): Legal Issues and Negotiating Stakes at the WTO

Environmental services is one of the salient topics in the services negotiations which are taking place in the World Trade Organization (WTO), under the aegis of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA). The importance attached to this sector contrasts with its quasi inexistence during the first multilateral negotiations on trade in services, which took place in the context of the Uruguay Round (1986–1994). Various reasons can explain the sharper profile acquired by this sector.