Under the updated agreement, 99% of the products are ultimately exchanged duty-free between the two parties. For the remaining 1%, including exports of milk and meat on both sides, tariffs can be eliminated over time. The agreement also renegotiates the rules of origin for motor vehicles to reach a maximum of 45% for non-native materials. In March 2000, Mexico and Israel signed a free trade agreement to increase bilateral trade by tens of millions of dollars. The agreement helps Israeli exporters compete with U.S. products in Mexico and promote joint projects in communication, agriculture, infrastructure and planning services. The free trade agreement covers trade in goods, public procurement, protection measures and dispute settlement, as well as enhanced cooperation between the two countries. In the years that followed, Colombia and Mexico adapted and expanded the agreement, with additional provisions on market access and rules of origin. As Mexico`s largest exporter, Colombia accounts for more than $3 billion in exports each year. More information on the specific rules for regional trade agreements between WTO members is available on the WTO website, which is available on the www.wto.org website. The current global agreement between Mexico and the EU contains provisions on domestic treatment and market access for goods and services; Public procurement DPI; Investments Financial services Standards telecommunications and information services; Agriculture; Dispute resolution and other provisions.
The agreement also contains chapters on cooperation in a number of areas, including mining, energy, transport, tourism, statistics, science and technology and the environment14. The EU agreed to remove tariffs on 82% of imports from Mexico when the agreement came into force and to remove the remaining tariffs until 1 January 2003. Mexico said it was ready to remove tariffs on 47% of imports from the EU after the implementation of the agreement and to remove the remaining tariffs until 1 January 2007. In the areas of agricultural products and fisheries, the signatories agreed to eliminate tariffs at 62% of trade within ten years.15 Tariff negotiations for certain sensitive products, including meat, dairy products, cereals and bananas, have been postponed. Most non-tariff barriers, such as quotas and import/export licences, were removed when the agreement was implemented. With regard to public procurement, Mexico has expressed its readiness to apply provisions similar to those of NAFTA to allow the EU to enter the Mexican market, while the EU has declared itself ready to comply with WTO rules16 on services.16 In the area of services, the agreement goes beyond the WTO`s general trade in services agreement (GATS). It immediately granted European service companies “NAFTA equivalent” access to Mexico in a number of areas, including financial services, energy, telecommunications and tourism.17 In April 2018, the EU and Mexico reached an “agreement in principle” on the trade side of a modernised global agreement between the EU and Mexico. The public procurement chapter (Chapter V, Articles 56-68) is the most comprehensive that EFTA states have concluded with each partner in this area. At the 115th Congress, issues of concern about trade and economic relations with Mexico could be related to a possible renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and its implications, Mexico`s foreign trade policy with other countries, the promotion of Mexico`s intentions, multilateral or bilateral free trade agreements with Asian and Pacific countries, economic conditions in Mexico and the labour market, and the status of Mexican migration to the United States. This report provides an overview of Mexico`s free trade agreements, the reasons