|
NAFTA round 7 has progress for aggies
Story Date: 3/7/2018
| |
Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 3/6/18
President Donald Trump's pledge to impose steel and aluminum tariffs may have overshadowed the NAFTA talks, but negotiators from the U.S., Mexico and Canada were able to finish a chapter long-described as nearly complete: food safety. It was one of three chapters - along with good regulatory practices and transparency - to wrap up during the Mexico City round, demonstrating slow, but steady, progress in the renegotiation.
What's the deal with food safety? The sanitary and phytosanitary chapter, which governs food safety, is the first of its kind to fast-track and prioritize requests between the U.S., Mexico and Canada related to trade and inspections, Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said. The chapter will help breakdown obstacles to agricultural trade, and it "guarantees animal and vegetable sanitation based in science," Guajardo told reporters at the close of the talks.
Small victories: Sector annexes on proprietary food formulas and chemicals were also closed this round. The annex on proprietary food formulas aims to protect the confidentiality of certain mixes and ingredients that are traded in the region. The second annex would make room for more regulatory cooperation in the use of chemicals.
NAFTA 2.0 in 2018? It remains to be seen if Trump can actually deliver on his high-profile campaign promise to have a reworked NAFTA completed this year with congressional approval. His chief trade official ticked off many things that will get in the way, including: Mexico's presidential elections in July, elections in Ontario and Quebec and the looming midterm elections in the U.S. in November, POLITICO reports.
"We continue to stress the need to act quickly," U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said Monday during a trilateral press conference with Guajardo and Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.
What's next? Negotiators from the three countries will continue to meet over the next five weeks, leading up to eighth round of NAFTA talks that will be hosted in the Washington area in April, Pro's Sabrina Rodriguez writes. The tentative start date is April 8, a source close to the negotiations said.
The goal of the intersessional meetings will be to potentially close some chapters that are close to completion, such as digital trade and energy, Guajardo said.
|
|
|
|
