World Trade Organization

|World Trade                                                                                     |RESTRICTED                             |
|Organization                                                                                   |                                       |
|                                                                                               |                                       |
|                                                                                               |S/C/W/39                               |
|                                                                                               |12 June 1998                           |
|                                                                                               |(98-2436)                             |
|                                                                                               |                                       |
|Council for Trade in Services                                                                   |Original:   English                   |

POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES

BACKGROUND NOTE BY THE SECRETARIAT

I. Introduction

THIS NOTE HAS BEEN PREPARED AT THE REQUEST OF THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES.   IT PROVIDES   BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES, FOR DISCUSSION IN THE COUNCIL AS PART OF THE INFORMATION EXCHANGE PROGRAMME. THE WORK CONTAINS BASIC AND GENERAL INFORMATION ON TRADE IN THESE SERVICES IN ORDER TO FACILITATE FURTHER DISCUSSION OF RELEVANT ISSUES AND SHOULD NOT THEREFORE BE CONSIDERED EXHAUSTIVE.   NEITHER POSTAL NOR COURIER SERVICES WERE ADDRESSED AS SUCH IN THE COURSE OF THE URUGUAY ROUND SECTORAL TESTING EXERCISES AND WERE NOT THE SUBJECT OF ANY PREVIOUS BACKGROUND NOTE.   ASIDE FROM INFORMATION AND DATA MAINTAINED BY THE UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION, FEW OTHER COMPREHENSIVE SOURCES OF DATA WERE IDENTIFIED, PARTICULARLY ON COURIER SERVICES.

In the GATS Services Sectoral... [continues]

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