The team responsible for the Ministry of Economy began yesterday the first meetings in Washington to review the Treaty between Mexico, the United States, and Canada (T-MEC). The objective is to take advantage of the collaboration between the teams of the three countries to modernize and make more efficient the already established trade mechanisms, such as value chains, and incorporate aspects that have so far been overlooked, such as labor mobility or energy and telecommunications convergence. The idea is to transform the North American region into a more integrated zone, as envisioned when the treaty was negotiated in the 90s, which has allowed for significant increases in trade and transformed the Mexican economy.
The next stages of the review will include meetings in Ottawa, Canada, to approach representatives of the northernmost partner of the treaty. Although the review is scheduled for July 2026, numerous discussions and negotiations are expected to take place before that date. It is anticipated that visits between the countries will become more frequent and that the negotiation strategy will be defined more clearly after the presidential elections in the United States on November 3.
Mexican business organizations have begun to designate representatives from each industry who will participate in the Joint Committee, a dialogue body created with NAFTA in 1991 and reactivated in 2017 following demands from Donald Trump. Staying within the T-MEC is crucial for Mexico, given the importance of the United States as its main trading partner and supplier. Membership in this treaty has allowed trade exchanges between the three countries to reach significant figures, demonstrating the relevance of economic integration in the region since 1994, and especially in the last two years.
The Undersecretary of Foreign Trade, Luis Rosendo Gutiérrez Romano, has been participating in meetings with officials, businessmen, and financial groups both in Washington and New York. The review of the T-MEC not only involves analyzing pending issues and trade disputes, such as the controversy over genetically modified corn or the rules of origin in the automotive sector, but also seizing the opportunity to strengthen free trade principles and enhance regional competitiveness by adding elements that eliminate protectionist barriers and promote a more favorable environment for trade exchange.
