In Mexico we have lived first-hand negotiations or “pre-negotiations” towards the review of the most relevant commercial treaty for us and our northern neighbors for several months. We must say that the pre-negotiator team of the Government of Mexico has done a great job for not only stopping the bands and onslaught of the United States government, but also achieving a cordial relationship, a fluid and friendly dialogue and even the occasional praise of President Trump towards President Sheinbaum.
However, not the entire private sector has run with the same fate. Those who export to the United States outside the T-MEC rules had been severely punished with up to 25% additional tariff (depending on the percentage of American content that has the good to import), however a few days ago this number has been reduced to 10% along with reciprocal rates for everyone, except China. Those who do not run with the same fate are the automotive, acerero and aluminum sectors, which have their own tariff for the simple fact of being cars produced outside the United States (25%), or steel and aluminum (25%) of origin other than the American.
In response to this economic reconfiguration, the Government of Mexico has worked in an response presented on April 3, which consists of 18 action plans in different sectors and roads to strengthen the domestic market. In contrast, the same government has recently published guidelines and rules of operation that affect the operations of different companies in the agroindustrial and consumption sector, only for giving only some examples:
1. Guidelines to regulate the advertising of food and non -alcoholic beverages with at least one nutritional seal.
Since March 12, the Federal Commission for Protection against Health Risks (COFEPRIS) has launched new guidelines to regulate the advertising of non -alcoholic foods pre -packaged in Mexico, especially those with warning stamps in its frontal labeling among which stand out:
– The restriction of the dissemination of advertisements on radio, television and cinema at certain schedules with children’s audience.
– Prohibition of use of children’s characters, animations, cartoons, celebrities, athletes or pets.
– The mandatory inclusion of advertising warning stamps must show visible and clearly these stamps in the advertising of these products.
Flexibility measure: As of March 19, the guidelines were published in the National Regulatory Improvement Commission (CONAMER). However, after requests from various key organizations and actors on reformulating the guidelines, a public consultation process On these guidelines in the Conamer, where comments and observations have been presented for and against the current project.
There is a possibility that these guidelines are modified or even the publication of them is pause until new notice. Only April 9 was requested not to raise this discussion for changes that the text has had.
