ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the services that can in principle be traded by private agents. The Treaty of Rome is fairly brief on services. It reflects awareness of the wide variety in products of the service branches. With increasing productivity and low income elasticities, the shares of the agricultural and manufacturing sectors first stagnated and then dropped, making room for the quickly expanding service sector. The common market for services was scheduled by the EEC Treaty to be realised by 1970, but this has proved impossible. The Commission has tried to bring about a common European market for insurance services, but for a long time has found it very difficult to convince national governments. Growth of Internet subscriptions and services is even more vigorous. Within a couple of years mobile services are expected to overtake fixed line services in terms of sales volume; the same is expected to be the case for Internet-related services with respect to voice telephony.
