North American Summit/Decentralization of Ministries

North American Summit. President Andrés Manuel Lopez announced he will meet with US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in December or January to discuss key issues.

Although the president did not say what topics will be discussed at the meeting, experts believe that the USMCA will be the central theme. This year, the US and Canada requested trade dispute talks with Mexico, arguing that due to its energy policies, Mexico is not fulfilling its obligations under the USMCA. Both countries said that Mexico is favoring state-owned companies CFE and PEMEX over private and foreign, and as a consequence is hurting investments and restricting market access. The Mexican Minister of Economy announced that the country is interested in finding a win-win solution for all countries. Experts argue that if the USMCA complaint remains unresolved, Mexico could face retaliatory tariffs.

Decentralization of ministries. President López Obrador stressed that although his goal of decentralizing the federal government ministries is still pending, the government has saved significant resources by not using luxury buildings and closing offices in other countries.

On Dec. 1, 2018, the day López Obrador took office, he made 100 commitments. No. 54 was that the federal government would be decentralized, and the ministries would be relocated to various states across Mexico to start benefiting people who are not in Mexico City. López Obrador explained that this process was voluntary and would not affect workers; on the contrary, they would have more opportunities. The president announced that 98 out of 100 goals have been met.

Government recovers archaeological pieces. President López Obrador said thousands of Mexican archaeological pieces that were sold in the country and abroad have been recovered.  “There is a whole campaign, not only for the rescue of these pieces but also to punish those who sell them. We are safeguarding our history and culture like no other government has done."

Through the federal campaign "My heritage is not for sale," in which the Ministries of Culture, National Defense and National Guard participate, archaeological pieces from Mexico have been recovered. The government has followed three strategies: voluntary surrender, confiscations and cancellation of auctions. Recently, Minister of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard reported that during the López Obrador’s government, 8,970 Mexican archaeological pieces have been recovered, 55 percent more compared to previous governments. For instance, this year, Mexico General Consulatin Barcelona closed an agreement for the recovery of 2,522 Mexican archaeological pieces. Likewise, the North American authority CBP seized 428 pieces in Portland, Ore. In addition, two large auctions in Belgium and New York were also cancelled