1.2.4. Liberalisation of service markets

The importance of the service sector has steadily grown over the last couple of decades. In the most advanced economies, its share of the gross national product accounts for 67,2% of gross national product (for the OECD members as of 2001, OECD 2004). Many service activities have been liberalised on the level of the nation-state since the 1980s. These efforts have been complemented by efforts to liberalise the international trade in services. The General agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) that is part of the WTO is probably the most important of these agreements.