Liberalisation in services is fundamental to the realisation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), which is planned to be achieved by 2015. ASEAN leaders have taken this firm decision, and services liberalisation and related domestic reforms are to be implemented by then. Hence, the real challenge to achieving the AEC is not one of negotiating trade commitments on “paper” under AFAS, even though this continues with the 8th package under way, but rather ensuring that all ASEAN Member States (AMS) engage in real or “on the ground” liberalisation to remove barriers to services trade in time for the AEC to be in place from 2015.