Argentina-Mexico: Joint Communiqué

Mexico and Argentina held the First Round of Negotiations to expand and strengthen Economic Complementarity Agreement No. 6 between Mexico and Argentina.

The First Round of Negotiations for the Expansion and Strengthening of Economic Complementarity Agreement No. 6 (ACE 6) between the United Mexican States and the Argentine Republic was held on 14-15 November 2016 in Mexico City.

The Round was based on the consensus reached between Argentine President Mauricio Macri and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto in their meeting of 29 July in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

During this first Round, the delegations exchanged their visions, interests and understandings on the goals and aspirations of both countries for this negotiation with the aim of determining methodological and procedural aspects for the coming rounds of negotiations.

The negotiation was led by the respective Heads of delegation of the two countries —Juan Carlos Baker, Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade at the Mexican Ministry of Economy, and María Cristina Boldorini, Secretary for International Economic Relations of Argentina. Secretary for Trade Miguel Braun and Secretary for Agro-industrial Markets Marisa Bircher —both from Argentina— also participated in the negotiations.

The expansion and strengthening of ACE 6 —in force since 1987— addresses the need to have an updated Agreement to consolidate bilateral trade relations and modernize the existing legal framework through the incorporation of trade rules that provide greater certainty and new opportunities for the businesses of both countries in order to facilitate and increase mutual trade.

The negotiation will cover the expansion and strengthening of the existing tariff preferences and the inclusion of new products, as well as the following aspects: access to markets, rules of origin, trade facilitation, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, trade remedies and safeguards, competition policy, regulatory improvement, government procurement, intellectual property, services, investment, and institutional matters.

The two countries agreed on a work plan to make progress in the negotiation. The next meeting will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, within the first four months of 2017.

Press Release No. 400/16 
PRESS OFFICE 
Argentine Foreign Ministry 
T: (+54 911) 4819-7377/ 7375 / 8296 / 7388 
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