Overview

• The Economy Ministry, backed by the national business council CCE, began October consultations with 30 industries and will hold forums across all 32 states to assemble a national position.
• U.S. trade official Jamieson Greer said future engagements will probably be bilateral, while Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard maintained the process remains trilateral with high bilateral content.
• President Claudia Sheinbaum said the exercise is a scheduled review rather than a renegotiation, calling the agreement binding law for the three countries.
• Automakers forecast a complicated review with likely pressure to tighten rules of origin due to Asian content, and industry groups plan to file comments in the U.S. process and engage in Washington.
• Industry leaders raised concerns over a newly applied 25% U.S. tariff on heavy vehicles taking effect Oct. 1 and noted Mexico’s proposed tariffs of up to 50% on non-FTA imports to protect about 320,000 auto jobs, as Ebrard also told senators that 85% of Mexico–U.S. trade is already tariff-free.