International Legal Regulation of Trade in Services

Abstract Herein presented master thesis is dedicated to the contemporary theme of international legal regulation of trade in services. Current economic cooperation between the states is characterized by a rapid acceleration of development of international trade relations. If in 2000 the share of trade in services in world trade was 19%, so in 2016 it was already 23%. Therefore, international legal regulation of this sphere has to take into account the specified rate of development and meet needs of participants of trade in services. In this research paper the author analyzes the formation, current state as well as problems and trends of the development of international legal regulation of trade in services. The first part of the research is dedicated to the process of formation and development of international legal regulation of trade in services before adoption of the General agreement on trade in services, process of holding multilateral negotiations according to the conclusion of GATS as well as problems of definition of "service" in international trade law. In the second part the author analyzes the basic principles of the GATS, its scope and admissible exceptions from the GATS. The third part discovers the general obligations and specific commitments of member states of the World Trade Organization under the GATS. The GATS has ensured the rules and principles of international trade for all member states of the WTO. The GATS contains not only the general obligations of countries applied to all imported services but also specific commitments which are included in the Schedule of each state and apply only to defined, selected by states, service sectors. It is necessary to estimate the importance of GATS in the liberalization of international trade in services within the WTO as well as integration associations which take into account the provisions of the GATS. Thus, the GATS has made a strong impact on the development of national legislation of states.