Brussels, 16/06/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 14 June, the European and Mexican negotiators concluded the first round of talks to update the economic partnership, political coordination and cooperation agreement (global agreement) between the EU and Mexico, which has been in force since 2000.
During this two-day round of talks, discussions focused on the methods and organisation of the work, but also the content of the updated agreement. The second round of negotiations is to be held in Mexico in autumn 2016. In the meantime, inter-sessional working sessions will be held.
The update of the global agreement aims to bring EU-Mexico relations into line with the new realities in terms of trade and investment flows at global level and to reinforce coordination on foreign policy issues to better meet the current global challenges - threats to security, migration, tackling epidemics and climate change.
The EU and Mexico agreed to make use of the opportunity to innovate in the design of a multi-dimensional framework that promotes bilateral, regional, bi-regional and triangular cooperation arrangements and contributes to the new international development cooperation architecture under the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the Addis Ababa Agenda, according to a joint press release by the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the Mexican government.
As regards trade and investment, the update of the global agreement will be based on the most recent bilateral trade agreements concluded by the EU and Mexico, “with a view to securing better rules for all the highest possible level of liberalisation”, the text adds.
At their June 2015 summit, the EU and Mexico agreed to update the 1997 global agreement, which has governed their cooperation in political and trade matters since 2000 (see EUROPE 11334). The commissioner for trade, Cecilia Malmstrom, and the Mexican secretary for the economy, Ildefonso Guajardo Villareal, began these negotiations on 30 May (see EUROPE 11571).
In a study published on 13 June, the Dutch think tank, Transnational Institute, and its American counterpart, Institute for Policy Studies, warned of the risks of reinforced protection for investors in the framework of the future updated agreement (see EUROPE 11571). (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)