rui martins da cruz

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of the services sector for international trade and its possible impact on the domestic economies of GATS/WTO member countries. To this end, the work is divided into two areas. Firstly, a general overview of the participation of trade in services in international trade transactions will be presented at the WTO, as well as seeking to demonstrate its role in the economies that drive contemporary world trade. This research also presents an overview of the context that made it possible for services to be traded internationally, as well as the processes by which the debates on liberalising this sector originated, the development of these negotiations and the implications of this new scenario for trade in general. The priority of this research was to verify the viability of international trade in services and its possible effects on the economies involved, especially in relation to recently industrialised countries.