US, Canada, Mexico Unite to Fully Implement USMCA

The USMCA Free Trade Commission (FTC) called for greater efforts to fully implement the agreement, with the goal of maintaining North America's high competitiveness. The agreement is scheduled to be reviewed in 2026 and experts emphasize that its outcome will depend on the relationship between the United States and Mexico under their new governments.

The FTC met almost four years after USMCA went into effect, this time in Phoenix, United States. Among the attendees were Mexico's Minister of Economy Raquel Buenrostro, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, and Canada's Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development Mary Ng. 

The representatives discussed the future of USMCA, highlighting the importance of Committees redoubling their efforts to fully implement the agreement to sustain a robust, inclusive, and growing North American economy. They also agreed to address concerns regarding policies and practices of non-market member countries that undermine USMCA and negatively impact workers, particularly in sectors like automotive. This commitment came after the US made another appeal to Mexico in 2023 to review alleged labor violations at an automotive plant in Aguascalientes.

In bilateral talks with Mexico, both the United States and Canada expressed concerns about the policies implemented by President Lopez Obrador. Tai emphasized the need to move forward with consultations under USMCA on Mexican energy policies and enforcement of environmental laws related to fisheries. She also expressed concern about competition in Mexico's telecommunications market. Meanwhile, Canada expressed concern about Mexico’s renewable energy and mining policies, and stressed the importance of protecting the North American steel and aluminum market.

Canada will host the fifth meeting of the USMCA Free Trade Commission in 2025, while the agreement is scheduled to be reviewed in 2026. Experts anticipate that the new revision will likely focus on China's influence in the region, energy and environmental policies. However, the outcome of these discussions will depend on the results of the elections in the United States and Mexico, as it will decide how the bilateral relationship between the two countries will be in the coming years.

Experts note that under President Biden's administration, Mexican perspectives toward the United States have significantly improved. However, in recent months, Mexico has been labeled by Trump as an enemy and a real threat to national security.