European Services Forum
Encyclopedia
The European Services Forum (ESF) is a network of representatives from the European services sector committed to actively promoting the liberalisation of international trade in services. It was created in April 1999 in order to give recommandations to the European Commission
in the GATS
negotiations of the World Trade Organization
.
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
in the GATS
General Agreement on Trade in Services
The General Agreement on Trade in Services is a treaty of the World Trade Organization that entered into force in January 1995 as a result of the Uruguay Round negotiations...
negotiations of the World Trade Organization
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
.
Members
There are many categories of services. The full list can be found on the web site http://www.esf.be/new/?page_id=89. Among the categories having the greater number of entries are insurance, la finance, telecommunications, and employers' organizations.Insurance
- Lloyd's of LondonLloyd's of LondonLloyd's, also known as Lloyd's of London, is a British insurance and reinsurance market. It serves as a partially mutualised marketplace where multiple financial backers, underwriters, or members, whether individuals or corporations, come together to pool and spread risk...
(Great Britain)- it is not a commercial company but a stock market
- Zurich Financial ServicesZurich Financial ServicesZurich Financial Services AG is a major financial services group based in Zurich, Switzerland.-History:The Company was founded in 1872 as subsidiary of the Schweiz Marine Insurance Company under the name Versicherung Verein...
(Switzerland) - Comité Européen des AssurancesComité Européen des AssurancesComité Européen des Assurances is the European insurance and reinsurance federation. Through its 33 member bodies — the national insurance associations — the CEA represents all types of insurance and reinsurance undertakings, eg pan-European companies, monoliners, mutuals and SMEs...
(CEA)- composed of insurrance associations of many European countries http://www.cea.eu/index.php?page=cea-members
- Bureau International des Producteurs d’Assurances et de Réassurances (BIPAR)
- composed in particular of insurrance intermediaries associations of many European countries http://www.bipar.eu/AboutBIPAR/Memberassociations/tabid/276/language/en-US/Default.aspx
Finance
- Commerzbank AGCommerzbankCommerzbank AG is the second-largest bank in Germany, after Deutsche Bank, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main.-Activities:Commerzbank is mainly active in commercial bank, retail banking and mortgaging. It suffered reversals in investment banking in early 2000s and scaled back its Securities unit...
(Germany) - Deutsche BankDeutsche BankDeutsche Bank AG is a global financial service company with its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. It employs more than 100,000 people in over 70 countries, and has a large presence in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and the emerging markets...
(Germany) - Goldman SachsGoldman SachsThe Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
(United States) - Royal Bank of ScotlandRoyal Bank of ScotlandThe Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...
(RBS) (Great Britain) - Standard Chartered BankStandard Chartered BankStandard Chartered PLC is a multinational financial services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom with operations in more than seventy countries...
(Great Britain) - International Financial Services London (IFSL) (Great Britain)
- European Banking FederationEuropean Banking FederationThe European Banking Federation is an organization of the European banking sector, representing interest of over 5000 European banks in 31 countries with combined assets of over 30,000 billion Euro and around 2.4 million employees...
(EBF)- represents the interests of about 5000 European banks of all sizes.
- European Association of Co-operative BanksEuropean Association of Co-operative BanksThe European Association of Co-operative Banks is the supranational body for co-operative banks, with member national governing bodies in 23 countries and an associate member in Switzerland....
(EACB)- Deutsche ZentralgenossenschaftbankDZ BankDZ Bank AG is an acronym for Deutsche Zentral-Genossenschaftbank . DZ Bank is the fourth largest bank in Germany by asset size and the central institution for more than 900 co-operative banks and their 12,000 branch offices...
(Germany) - Crédit AgricoleCrédit AgricoleCrédit Agricole S.A. is the largest retail banking group in France, second largest in Europe and the eighth largest in the world by Tier 1 capital according to The Banker magazine. It is also part of the CAC 40 stock market index....
(France) - OP-Pohjola GroupOP-Pohjola GroupOP-Pohjola Group comprises 229 independent member co-operative banks and the Group's statutory central institution, OP Bank Group Central Co-operative.The subsidiaries of the OP Bank Group Central Co-operative and their products include:...
(Finland) - And other smaller banks
- Deutsche Zentralgenossenschaftbank
- European Savings Banks Group (ESBG)
Telecommunication
- British Telecommunications plcBT GroupBT Group plc is a global telecommunications services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest telecommunications services companies in the world and has operations in more than 170 countries. Through its BT Global Services division it is a major supplier of...
(Great Britain) - Deutsche Telekom AG (Germany)
- France TelecomFrance TélécomFrance Telecom S.A. is the main telecommunications company in France, the third-largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It currently employs about 180,000 people and has 192.7 million customers worldwide . In 2010 the group had revenue of €45.5 billion...
(France) - TelefónicaTelefónicaTelefónica, S.A. is a Spanish broadband and telecommunications provider in Europe and Latin America. Operating globally, it is the third largest provider in the world...
(Spain) - Telenor GroupTelenorTelenor Group is the incumbent telecommunications company in Norway, with headquarters located at Fornebu, close to Oslo. Today, Telenor Group is mostly an international wireless carrier with operations in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Asia, working predominantly under the Telenor brand...
(Norway) - European Public Telecommunication Network Operators' Association (ETNO)
- European Satellite Operators Association (ESOA)
Employers' organizations
- Confederation of Danish IndustriesConfederation of Danish IndustriesThe Confederation of Danish Industry is the voice of corporate Denmark. On the behalf of 10,000 member companies, DI works to provide the best conditions for Danish businesses in order to improve the opportunities for growth and overall competitiveness....
(DI) (Denmark) - Confederation of Finnish IndustriesConfederation of Finnish IndustriesThe Confederation of Finnish Industries is the largest business organisation in Finland. It was formed in the beginning of 2005 when two private sector organisations, Palvelutyönantajat and Teollisuuden ja Työnantajain Keskusliitto , united...
(EK) (Finland) - Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC) (Ireland)
- Mouvement des Entreprises de FranceMouvement des Entreprises de FranceThe Mouvement des Entreprises de France or MEDEF is the largest union of employers in France. It was formerly known as the Conseil National du Patronat Français or CNPF .It has more than 700,000 member firms, 90% are from SME, with fewer than 50 employees...
(MEDEF) (France) - Svenskt NäringslivConfederation of Swedish EnterpriseThe Confederation of Swedish Enterprise is a major interest organisation for business and industry in Sweden. It has 48 member associations representing close to 55.000 member companies with more than 1.5 million employees....
(Sweden)