The EU - Mexico FTA expansion put on a fast track
Friday 03 February 2017
The negotiations on the expansion of the current EU and Mexico free trade agreement (FTA) have been put on a fast track by Cecilia Malmström (EC Commissioner for trade) and Ildefonso Guajardo (Minister of Economy of Mexico). This week, alongside Trump’s sweeping crackdown on immigration policies, the EU and Mexico agreed to speed up the FTA negotiating rounds to 3-7 April and 26-29 June 2017. IndustriAll European Trade Union is concerned that the fast track expansion of this agreement will only deliver a limited quality agreement and will miss out on addressing essential issues such as human and labour rights and sustainable development. Speeding up the process could leave aside the principles of fair trade, only promoting free competition, to the detriment of workers along global supply chains.
IndustriAll European Trade Union call on the European Commission and the Mexican Government to conduct these negotiations transparently and based on consultation with civil society, specifically the democratic trade union movements of Mexico and the EU. IndustriAll Europe, representing the voice of millions of European industrial workers, know too well that the revision of this agreement may bring significant impact on workers in both the European Union and Mexico. Therefore, we urge the EU to deliver an updated FTA with ambitious chapters on human and labour rights and on sustainable development. Any future trade agreement the EU envisages concluding must fully reflect the core values of the European social model.
Background
- Industriall Europe’s position on the EU & Mexico FTA expansion
- The EC six proposals and Report on the latest negotiating round.
Article written by Alice Nguyen
