2009 NAFTA Commission Meeting

Ambassador Ron Kirk, United States Trade Representative; Gerardo Ruiz Mateos, Mexico’s Secretary of the Economy; and the Honorable Stockwell Day, Canada’s Minister of International Trade met on October 19, 2009 in Dallas, Texas to celebrate the North American Free Trade Agreement Fifteen year anniversary by recognizing its success as well as acknowledging the challenges that this agreement has posed to the three countries.

The leaders noted that NAFTA partners implemented all of the tariff cuts on schedule or, in some cases, ahead of schedule. As a result, trade between the three countries has blossomed. From 1993 to 2008, trade among the NAFTA countries has more than tripled, from $297 billion to $941 billion. Each day the NAFTA countries conduct nearly $2.6 billion in trilateral trade.

In this meeting the leaders also agreed to strengthen the relationship between the Free Trade Commission (FTC) and the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), and between the FTC and the North American Commission for Labor Cooperation (CLC), as they realize the importance of effective communication as a necessary condition for successful coordination. They also acknowledged the importance of addressing the problem of climate change as a unified economic block, considering that the three countries are closely tied. The first initiative in this regard was to work toward liberalizing the NAFTA rules of origin as well as examining the rules of origin for environmental goods; in order to determine whether liberalization of the rules of origin for such products would facilitate additional trade, taking into account discussions at the WTO.

Among other efforts, the leaders discussed ways to improve trade on the textile and apparel sector, as well as increasing cooperation between the three governments regarding steel policies. Other initiatives included promoting the NAFTA agreement as a source to small and medium-sized enterprises, which are considered a key source for innovation, job creation and export growth in each of the NAFTA countries.

As final remarks, the leaders recognized the importance of the working groups as a tool for addressing specific issues of mutual interests. Also they agreed that through NAFTA many companies have used the private commercial dispute resolution procedures and that encouraging alternative dispute resolution mechanisms is a main goal to ensure the future success of NAFTA. The leaders agreed that the 2010 Commission Meeting would take place in Mexico.

About NAFTA:
U.S., Canada and Mexico launched the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) fifteen years ago. Since its inception, trade and investment flows have increased, investment has grown, and the three economies have become more competitive. The benefits of expanding trade have flowed to businesses, farmers, workers, and consumers.

The Dallas Regional Chamber maintains an active NAFTA Task Force through its International Business Council. The Task Force identifies opportunities for North Texas business in the NAFTA region, and supports the Chamber’s efforts to attract Canadian and Mexican businesses to North Texas. For more information on the Chamber’s initiatives in the NAFTA and international space, please visit www.dallaschamber.org/global or contact Anakarina Pina at (214) 712-1968.