Negotiations for a trade agreement with Mexico will be extended to reach a technical closure

The closure of the negotiations for the weekend was expected, but there are pending issues such as Camarón and Banana.

AlthoughUntil Friday the end of the ninth round of negotiations was expectedFor a commercial agreement with Mexico, it extended:"It has not been closed and will resume virtually and in person according to the planning and coordination of the two countries,"The Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Industries and Fisheries reported on Monday May 30.

During the week ofMay 23 to 27, 2022 This round of negotiations was held in Quitoof the productive integration agreement between Mexico and Ecuador. But at the end of the week it was known that there were pending issues, such as the conditions of entering the Mexican market of star products of Ecuador, such as shrimp, tuna and banana. These did not finish closing, soConversations will continue.

Bruno Leone, president of the National Fishery Chamber,He commented that agreements such as bananas, shrimp and tuna have not yet been reached. As for tuna, he said that Ecuador currently already has aPartial Agreement 29That allows, through flexible rules, a commercialization with Mexico, a country that is a tuna deficit. However, in the negotiations now, before the agreement is signed,Mexico has tried to establish certain standards for planted fishing and standards on the most closed rule of origin.This, which would be to harden the conditions, according to Leone would beA setback for marketing,So there is no agreement.

The negotiating teams of both countries held high -level technical meetings, in which significant advances were achieved with the closing of the agreement, addressing issues of access to markets, rules of origin, sustainable fishing, commercial defense, institutional issues and in terms of services and investment, which marked substantial advances to achieve adequate technical closure.

In this round, which was attended by the Undersecretary of Foreign Trade of Mexico, Luz María de la Mora, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade of Ecuador, Daniel Legarda, In addition to the respective negotiating chiefs, the commitment to achieve a technical closure of the negotiations was reiterated.

This meeting was held according to the instruction of the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and the president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso Mendoza, to strengthen the economies between the two countries through the conclusion of the Productive Integration Agreement.

In the negotiation roundOfficials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the National Fisheries Commission of Mexico, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Ecuador, participated,Government institutions that have permanently accompanied the various instances of the process.

Also, under the modality of the attached room, representatives of the private productive sectors of both countries were present.

For Ecuador the arrival to aFree trade agreement with MexicoIt also marks a milestone for the inclusion of the country in thePacific Alliance, together with Colombia, Peru, Chile and Mexico.