Interfacing the Temporary Movement of Workers in 'Mode 4 of GATS' with Bilateral Migration Agreements

American Society of International Law (ASIL) Proceedings, Vol. 104, 2010

NCCR Working Paper No 2011/07

Posted: 26 Mar 2011

Date Written: March 21, 2011

Abstract

During the last decade, bilateral migration agreements have seen a renaissance as instruments for managing labor migration. This contribution discusses their rise in the context of post-9/11 immigration law reforms in many migrant destination countries in Europe. It considers to what extent these bilateral agreements correct the multilateral liberalization of the temporary movement of persons in the so-called “mode 4” of the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and its high-skill bias. We observe a fragmentation of international migration law into different types of agreements dealing with migration. Underlying this fragmentation is the desire to maintain the flexibility to choose a type of agreement depending on whether the movement of persons shall be fast-tracked and facilitated or restricted and contained. This selectivity, however, may exacerbate an unjustified discrimination between migrant worker categories in terms of nationality-, skill- or age levels. When drawing conclusions for the development of an international law of economic migration, it may be advisable to identify legal principles, which may reduce the discriminatory effects such selectivity may have. Human rights guarantees and the most-favored nation clause of the WTO/GATS are advanced as such catalysts for building coherence among migration-related agreements.

Keywords: international migration, General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), World Trade Organization (WTO), bilateral migration agreements, human rights, discrimination, temporary movement of persons

JEL Classification: F02, F12, F13, F15, F20, F22 F02

Suggested Citation

Panizzon, Marion, Interfacing the Temporary Movement of Workers in 'Mode 4 of GATS' with Bilateral Migration Agreements (March 21, 2011). American Society of International Law (ASIL) Proceedings, Vol. 104, 2010, NCCR Working Paper No 2011/07 , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1791594

Marion Panizzon (Contact Author)

World Trade Institute ( email )

University of Bern
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Bern, CH-3012
Switzerland
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HOME PAGE: http://https://www.wti.org

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