Following concerns about a recent EU-Mexico bilateral trade agreement, competition authority stakeholders have met to address certain disagreements and agree co-operation.
The first EU-Mexico bilateral trade agreement was signed by both parties earlier this year, and was welcomed for its expansion of free trade opportunities between the two parties, including the duty-free export to Mexico of certain volumes of EU products including cheese, poultry, pasta and confectionery.
Concerns were raised in a number of sectors when the trade agreement was first published. One particular sector which was affected was dairy farming, thanks to EU rules which restrict the naming of certain cheeses – including gouda and parmesan – to only those products made in certain European member states. These naming restrictions also apply to certain wines, beers, spirits, meat and fish products.
How have these concerns been addressed?
The EU’s commissioner for competition policy, Margrethe Vestager, met today with the chair of COFECE – Mexico’s competition authority – Alejandra Palacios in Brussels, Belgium, to sign a new co-operation arrangement between the two authorities, which can address any concerns moving forward.
The agreement creates a framework for dialogue between the two parties on a range of relevant topics, including the exchange of information on competition laws, policies, and multilateral initiatives, as well as the provision of training and collaboration between officials.
It goes on to strengthen co-ordination between the two authorities in their enforcement activities, when working on the same or related matters.
What has the commission said?
Vestager suggested that the agreement would constitute a vital part of efforts to support and strengthen the implementation of the EU-Mexico bilateral trade agreement, as well as serving to build a stronger relationship between the relevant authorities.
She explained: “We can all benefit from working with other competition authorities to promote fair global competition. This new framework for dialogue will give further impetus to our excellent cooperation with Mexico’s competition authority. We have now formalised the basis for this cooperation and are committed to intensifying our ties, to the benefit of consumers and companies in Mexico and the EU.”
