In a Federal Register notice published on May 23, 2017 the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced they are requesting trade comments and other relevant information on the modernization of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
NAFTA was implemented January 1, 1994 and gradually eliminated duties and restrictions between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, save for certain Canadian agriculture products. On May 18, 2017 the USTR notified Congress of the President’s intention to negotiate the NAFTA terms with Canada and Mexico.
USTR is requesting input related to the following topics:
- “General and product-specific negotiating objectives for Canada and Mexico in the context of a NAFTA modernization
- Economic costs and benefits to U.S. producers and consumers of removal of any remaining tariffs and removal or reduction of non-tariff barriers on articles traded with Canada and Mexico
- Customs and trade facilitation issues that should be addressed in the negotiations
- Appropriate modification to rules of origin or origin procedures for NAFTA qualifying goods
- Relevant environmental issues that should be addressed in the negotiations”
Comments must be submitted by June 12, 2017
The Federal Register notice can be accessed at:
