GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TRADE IN SERVICES (GATS), EU LAW AND PUBLIC SERVICES REGIME

One of the main objectives of two key actors in international trade, World Trade Organization and European Union, undoubtedly, is to provide facilities in trading activities such as countries’ mutual privatization of services, opening of investments, exemption or reduction of custom tax and charges. It can be s7een that the concept of service is quite broad under the General Agreement on Trade in Services- as the Agreement states that “services” includes any service in any sector except services supplied in the exercise of governmental authority”. According to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, services of general economic interest are the shared values of the Union and they have an important role in promoting social and territorial cohesion of the Union and the Member States. In this article, firstly, the definition of public service is dealt with in the classical approach. Afterwards, new approaches to this concept are considered. In the second of the article, the features of public service in the European Union Law are scrutinized.