On Wednesday 3 September, the European Commission published proposals for the signature and conclusion of the Modernised Global Agreement (MGA) between the EU and Mexico. The MGA, which is much less divisive than the EU/Mercosur agreement, also submitted for signature and conclusion on the same day (see other news), should easily win the support of the EU Member States and the European Parliament.
They widely welcomed the conclusion of the negotiations last January (see EUROPE 13560/1). This step was taken a few days before the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, who had already promised to impose substantial tariff increases on all his partners. Since then, tariffs have worsened, and the EU is looking for new free trade agreements to diversify its sources of supply.
“The EU’s extensive network of free trade agreements, the world’s largest, is a vital asset in ensuring we can maintain our economic edge”, said the European Commissioner for Trade, Maroš Šefčovič.
A non-sensitive agreement. The European Commission argues that Mexico does not represent a threat with regard to agriculture, as it is a net importer of food. Moreover, trade relations between the EU and Mexico were already governed by a bilateral agreement signed in 2000.
The agreement was set to be revised to remove the non-tariff barriers in Mexico that were still holding back trade, to include new provisions on respect for intellectual property and to further reduce tariffs on certain products, especially agricultural products. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)