Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 3/7/18

The U.S. Trade Representative used this week’s conclusion of the seventh round of talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to call on all participants to act more quickly to reach a framework for moving forward.
Trade Rep. Robert Lighthizer said U.S., Canadian and Mexican negotiators “have not made the progress that many had hoped for” in the latest round of talks, closing only three of the 30 “chapters” needed to complete what he called NAFTA 2.0. The latest talks in Mexico City left the remaining chapters left to settle at about 24, Lighthizer said in a statement released at the end of the meetings.

Looming elections
Lighthizer noted that Mexico is scheduled to select a new president on July 1, elections are scheduled later this year in Ontario and Quebec in Canada, and the mid-term U.S. congressional elections are set for November. The various elections complicate the work of the negotiators in terms of the “political headwinds” that could affect any ratification or final approval, he said. 
U.S. laws require public disclosure of the proposed final agreement, additional consultation and the filing of a variety of reports before Congress can vote on the proposal. The current Congress won’t be able to consider the new NAFTA plan unless the outstanding issues are resolved soon, he added.

Representatives from Canada, Mexico and the United States are scheduled to launch the next round of NAFTA negotiations in Washington, D.C., next month.

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