The U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) office issued a statement on Wednesday, verifying that USTR Ambassador Jamieson Greer met with Mexican Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard and agreed to discuss bilateral trade relations amid the upcoming USMCA Joint Review.
According to the press release, both sides recognized substantial progress in recent months and agreed to continue intensive engagement to address non-tariff barriers.
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was a featured topic during the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference in Savannah, Georgia. The USMCA entered into force on July 1, 2020.
USMCA Background
The USMCA requires the Free Trade Commission, which comprises governmental representatives from all three countries, to meet on the sixth anniversary of entry into force to conduct a joint review of the agreement. That date is slated for July 1, 2026. They can evaluate any recommendations for submitted actions and formulate any appropriate responses.
Each governmental party must confirm if it wishes to extend the agreement’s term. Also, if a participating party wishes to make a recommendation for the Commission to take action, it must do so at least one month before the joint review meeting occurs, which would be by June 1.
The press release added, the two countries’ leaders agreed to begin formal discussions on possible structural and strategic reforms in the context of the first USMCA Joint Review. This includes stronger rules of origin for key industrial goods, enhanced collaboration on critical minerals, and increased external trade policy alignment to defend workers and producers in the United States and Mexico and to combat the relentless dumping of manufactured goods in the region.
This has long been a concern for fruit and vegetable farmers in the Southeast.
Bob Redding, who works for the Redding Firm and serves as a lobbyist for agricultural groups in Washington, D.C., discussed the USMCA at the Southeast Regional Conference.
“These next six months to 10 months are going to be critical from our perspective about communicating with Congress and encouraging them to talk to the U.S. Trade Rep as well as the President (Trump) and the president’s team. We’ve already been meeting with staff at the White House and the U.S. Trade Representative’s office. We’re going to need to keep the information and education going over the next few months,” Redding said.