There has been a very important development in the current round of international trade negotiations, reviewed in "ICOM News" 2002/1 10 months ago. In a draft paper for submission to the March 2003 Geneva meeting of the World Trade organisation (WTO), on 5th February 2003 the European Commission has responded to the various requests for the liberalisation of the provision of services within the EU under the WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). Service liberalisation negotiations with the EU had been requested by 27 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Korea, Egypt, Hong-Kong, India, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritius, Mexico, New Zealand, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Uruguay, USA). These proposals, submitted to the EU under the "Doha Round" of GATS world trade negotiations, had included requests for the opeing up to foreign commerical competition of a number of major publicly-provided or regulated public services, including education, health services, and cultural and media services and production. The EU makes it clear in its response that it is not prepared to open negotiations on many of these requests, and instead insists "that services of collective interest in the EU, such as education and health, are preserved. In this way we ensure that the WTO is used to defend and promote the European model." However, The EU will offer to negotiate GATS liberalisation in financial, computing, telecommunication and postal services, transport, distribution and retailing, travel agencies, professional services including accountancy, architecture and engineering services (which would include museum and exhibition design), and on liberalising the temporary movement of natural persons in relation to trade and service provision. It therefore seems clear that there will be no question of compulsory liberalisation (or privatisation) within the education and culture sectors within the present GATS "round" (i.e. through 2005). However, in relation to the issue of free trade in goods, it is believed that certain powerful groups of international dealers in art and antiquities have not given up their aim of eventually overthrowing nall ational heritage protection and export control etc. laws as constraints on trade. Patrick Boylan - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Change ICOM-L subscription options, unsubscribe, and search the archives at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/icom-l.html