On January 11, 2021, the Ministry of the Economy published on the website of the National Commission for Regulatory Improvement (CONAMER) the preliminary draft of the "Agreement creating, on a permanent basis, the National Committee for Trade Facilitation" (hereinafter the "preliminary draft").

Through said preliminary draft, the National Committee for Trade Facilitation is intended to be established on a permanent basis, which will have the purpose of facilitating the coordination among government offices and authorities for the design, execution and evaluation of programs and actions regarding trade facilitation.

Likewise, the preliminary draft establishes that the Committee will be composed of the following agencies (who will have the right to a voice and vote): Ministry of the Economy (who will chair the Committee), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Communications and Transport and the Ministry of Health (hereinafter the "Ministries").

Furthermore, the draft establishes that the Committee, through its president, may invite several representatives of certain government entities such as the Bank of Mexico, the Tax Administration Service, the National Commission for Regulatory Improvement and the Federal Commission for Economic Competition (who will have the status of permanent guests with the right to speak), as well as several representatives of the private sector from the Chambers and Business Confederations (who will also have the right to speak).

  1. To act as a coordination entity for the different Federal Public Administration agencies that have jurisdiction and that intervene in the different aspects related to the implementation and application of the Agreement of Trade Facilitation.
  2. To assist the Ministry of the Economy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to the jurisdiction of their members, in the design of strategies, programs and actions focused on the simplification and automatization of processes in the foreign trade sector, as well as to coordinate their execution, with an approach that promotes their coordination.
  3. To propose issues related to matters concerning the implementation and application of the Agreement of Trade Facilitation, as well as to approve issues related to the implementation and application of such Agreement.
  4. To prepare and approve the National Trade Facilitation Agenda, through which the issues related to the implementation of the Agreement of Trade Facilitation are established.
  5. To propose the signing of agreements and arrangements between the representatives of the three government levels and the social and private sectors within the scope of their jurisdiction, in order to combine actions with the objective of achieving improvements in the processes of foreign trade.
  6. Analyze and, if necessary, issue recommendations to improve the efficiency of processes and procedures of foreign trade in order to reduce costs and eliminate barriers to trade, in accordance with applicable national and international regulations.
  7. To analyze the regulatory framework in matters of foreign trade and, if applicable, to issue recommendations before the corresponding authorities, in order to be considered for its improvement.

Finally, in the second transitory article of the draft, it is established that this Committee must be installed within 35 business days following the entry into force of this agreement; however, it is important to note that since it is a preliminary draft, the date of its publication is not yet known.

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