The agreement between the United States of America, the United States of Mexico and Canada[1], commonly known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), is a free trade agreement between Canada, Mexico and the United States in lieu of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). [2] [3] [4] The agreement has been referred to as NAFTA 2.0[5][7][7] or “New ALEFTA[8][9],[9] since many nafta provisions have been introduced and its amendments have been found to be largely incremental. On 1 July 2020, the USMCA came into force in all Member States. In summary, the USMCA contains many provisions that advance public health and FDA regulatory approaches. Now that the agreement has come into effect, we will continue to follow what it means for the FDA, for public health and for our regulated industries. For the first time, a trade agreement will require that the U.S.-Mexico agreement be based on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which came into force on January 1, 1994. The agreement under consideration was the result of more than a year of negotiations including possible U.S. tariffs on Canada, in addition to the possibility of separate bilateral agreements. [20] Key achievements: Haute-Standard Policy and Transparency Commitments, with robust Accountability Mechanisms U.S.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has created a USMCA center to serve as a one-stop shop for information on the USMCA. The USMCA Center coordinates CBP`s implementation of the USMCA agreement and ensures a smooth transition through consistent and comprehensive guidelines for our internal and external stakeholders. The USMCA is updating and replacing the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Work on the new agreement took several years, had to be approved by both houses of Congress and required all three countries to certify that they were complying with the various measures of the agreement. Certifications were finalized earlier this year, allowing the agreement to enter into force. UsmCA rules will apply from July 1, 2020. Here is an overview of the sections of the USMCA that influence the FDA: growing objections within Member States regarding U.S. trade policy and various aspects of the USMCA have affected the signing and ratification process.
Mexico said it would not sign the USMCA if tariffs on steel and aluminum were maintained. [62] Based on the results of the November 6, 2018 U.S. election, it has been speculated that the greater power of Democrats in the House of Representatives could jeopardize the passage of the USMCA agreement. [63] [64] Bill Pascrell, a senior Democrat, argued for changes to the USMCA to pass Congress. [65] Republicans have opposed the USMCA provisions that impose labour rights on LGBTQ and pregnant workers. [66] Forty Republicans in Congress have asked Mr. Trump not to sign an agreement that includes “the unprecedented integration of sexual orientation and the language of gender identity.” As a result, Trump ultimately signed a revised version that required each nation only to “policies it deems appropriate to protect workers from discrimination in the workplace” and said the United States would not be required to introduce additional non-discrimination laws. [67] The Canadian government expressed concern about the changes that have occurred under the USMCA agreement.
[68] On December 12, 2019, the Mexican Senate adopted the revised treaty by 107 votes to 1. [89] On April 3, 2020, Mexico announced its readiness to implement the agreement and joined Canada,[15] although it requested that its auto industry have additional time to comply with the agreement. [90] An April 2019 Analysis by the International Trade Commission on the likely effects of the USMCA estimated that if the agreement were fully implemented (six years after ratification), the agreement would increase the United States.