WTO SERVICES NEGOTIATIONS AND MARKET ACCESS

UNCLAS PARIS 000402

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EB/TPP/MTA/MST (WHITTEN)
STATE PASS USTR (HOOKER)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD FR WTO
SUBJECT: WTO SERVICES NEGOTIATIONS AND MARKET ACCESS
PRIORITIES: FRANCE

REF: 04 STATE 270998


1. (SBU) This message responds to reftel request for views
on the French services market with input from Embassy ECON,
FCS and Ag sections. Following is a ranking of services
sectors in France. The estimates cited below are intended as
a broad and very general gauge of market potentials and
market access conditions. As requested reftel, we have
ranked sectors with a numerical value and a high, medium or
low ranking. The numerical value reflects our assessment of
the priority U.S. service providers do/would assign (1 = top
priority; 5 = low priority for U.S. service providers). The
high, medium or low verbal ranking reflects our assessment of
how open the French market is in each sector. An openness
ranking of "high" means that we have not been made aware of
particular complaints regarding market openness. A "medium"
or "low" ranking indicates that we are aware of a desire for
some degree of improvement in market openness.

--Legal services (2/low)
--Accounting, auditing and bookkeeping services (1/low)
--Taxation services (2/high)
--Architectural services (2/low)
--Engineering and integrated engineering services (2/low)
--Urban planning and landscape architectural services (2/low)
--Computer and related services (1/high)
--Research and development services (2/high)
--Real estate services (2/medium)
--Rental/Leasing Services (1/medium)
--Advertising services (1/high)
--Market research and public opinion, polling services
(1/high)
--Management consulting services (1/high)
--Technical testing and analysis services (including energy
related testing services) (3/high)
--Services incidental to agriculture, hunting and forestry,
and fishing (4/medium)
--Services incidental to mining (5/high)
--Energy services (including land site preparation, drilling
and plugging) (4/high)
Services incidental to energy distribution (3/low)
--Placement and supply services of personnel (2/high)
--Investigation and security (2/high)
--Related scientific and technical consulting services
(2/high)
--Maintenance and repair of equipment (4/high)
--Building-cleaning services (4/high)
--Photographic services (4/high)
--Packaging services (4/high)
--Printing, publishing (2/high)
--Convention services (1/medium)
--Courier services (Express Delivery) (1/high)
--Telecommunication services (2/medium)
--Audiovisual services (2/high)
--Construction and related engineering (2/high)
--Distribution Services, including: commission agents'
services, wholesale trade services, retailing services, and
franchising (2/high)
--Educational Services, including: higher education services,
adult education, other education services (4/medium)
--Environmental services (wastewater treatment, sanitation,
protection of ambient air and climate, remediation and clean
up, noise and vibration abatement, and biodiversity
protection) (2/high)
--Insurance services (2/low)
--Banking and other financial services including securities
(retirement accounts exist, with some U.S. firms actively in
the market, e.g. Fidelity, but private sector management of
government-sourced pension funds per se is not permitted)
(1/high)
--Tourism and travel-related services, including: hotels and
restaurants, catering, travel agencies and tour operators
services, and tourist guides services (1/high)
-- Recreations and sporting services (other than audiovisual
services),including: entertainment services (including
theatre, live bands and circus services),news agency
services; libraries, archives, museums and other cultural
services; sporting and other recreational services (2/high).

Wolff