On Monday 16 October, the European Commission published its progress report on the negotiations to modernise the EU-Mexico Global Agreement at the end of the fifth round of discussions held at the end of September in Brussels. It also published three text proposals – a chapter on the provisions for exceptions, an annex on wines and spirits and another on motor vehicles.
Overall the talks helped to produce “good progress” in all areas, explained the Commission in a press release, which also said that the talks focused on the text proposals for the trade part of the agreement, as well as on the market access offers on goods, services and public procurement that were exchanged in July.
We are aware, however, that the talks stalled on key questions in the draft global modernisation agreement – market access for certain products and opening up public procurement markets, access to energy and raw materials, as well as investment protection (see EUROPE 11880).
In 2015, the EU and Mexico decided to revise the parameters of their global agreement of 2000 in an effort to include more subjects in it (environmental protection, labour rights, intellectual property and investment).
The two parties still aim to conclude an agreement in principle by the end of this year. The sixth round of talks will take place in Mexico City from 25 November to 1 December. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)