That the review of the T-MEC comes to fruition is not only in the interest of the government, but also of private initiative; figures from the Business Coordinating Council (CCE) indicate that this treaty contributes more than 50% of the GDP.
The business sector began to move its pieces. In the first instance, the creation of seven working groups for the 2026 review was already agreed: access to markets and rules of origin; trade in services; commercial remedies; investment protection and resolution mechanisms; MSMEs, competitiveness and investment attraction; commercial disciplines and remaining chapters, and labor.
Judith Garza, coordinator of the Cuarto de Junto, explained that within each of these groups the 34 chapters of the T-MEC were included via subgroups.
What was done was like having a Champions League for each of the groups and then it was defining the strategies that were going to outline the chapters so that they fell into each of these seven groups, which in principle were only six, but due to the importance of the labor issue, it was decided to create only one group. for this one.
“We already have all this ready, we return to touch base with all the organizations, with all the sectors, to do clearing work, the reorganization, to have all the members and to continue managing it as a super institutional mechanism, where all the “Those who participate are supported by some association or chamber.”
There has also already been a first round of consultations with some sectors to begin to identify possible “irritating” issues in Mexico, the United States and Canada, as well as the opportunities to have as a first framework from the technical perspective, not from the political.
As part of this Together Room mechanism, each of the members has to sign confidentiality letters for all the information that revolves around the negotiations.
The Cuarto de Junto is the mechanism in which the private sector participates, accompanying the Mexican government in negotiations for all technical issues and has operated for 30 years.
Waiting for Ebrard’s call
In the last months of the administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the Cuarto de Junto advanced in this part of the organization to begin work.
“Right now we are in that process, we are about to start, the Ministry of Economy is about to define the date to have the first meeting with the Cuarto de Junto, start the dialogues and see how we are going to support from our side all the work that they “They are going to be developing as a public sector.”
For the coordinator of Cuarto de Junto, from the business sector, the integration that has been achieved in recent years can lead Mexico to equal conditions in the review with the United States, a certain dependency was created from NAFTA.
But there are also more political, more social aspects, in which there are many differences, and commercial aspects are combined with this, equality is lost there, so a way must be found to separate them, Garza acknowledged in a presentation in the annual convention of the Mexican Institute of Foreign Trade Executives (IMECE).
Next year will be crucial for the review of the T-MEC, and the Ministry of Economy will face this process with a smaller budget, since the program of negotiation, administration and defense of treaties and international trade and investment agreements of the agency that it heads Marcelo Ebrard suffered a cut of 97 million pesos .
According to what Ebrard expressed, the negotiation of the treaty begins in mid-2025, which begins with an evaluation. But talks with Trump will begin in February.
“Knowing him, you better hurry up, right? So, we are going to do it and we are prepared,” said Ebrard.
The Secretary of Economy highlights that although more than 80% of Mexican exports go to the United States, the bulk of these are made by companies from other countries.
Former USMCA negotiators point out that the work done by both the Mexican government and the business side will be crucial in the new relationship with Donald Trump.
