Overview
- The EU and Mexico formally signed the updated 'Global' agreement in Mexico City on Friday, May 22, concluding more than a decade of talks and putting a long-negotiated text into political process.
- The deal expands the 2000 goods-only pact to cover services, public procurement, digital trade, investment and agriculture while removing or reducing many tariffs.
- Mexico will open markets to a wide range of EU farm and industrial products with some tariff-free access limited by quotas, and the agreement protects European geographical indications such as Parma ham and Bavarian beer.
- The European Commission pledged about €5 billion in linked investments for Mexican projects and an interim trade arrangement was also signed to smooth implementation before full ratification.
- The agreement now requires domestic approvals in Mexico and a simple majority vote in the European Parliament, with the trade committee chair citing a possible vote in July, while business groups back the deal and NGOs warn it expands corporate rights without enough social and environmental safeguards.