The Ministry of Economy of Mexico installed on Tuesday the National Committee for Trade Facilitation, whose purpose is to facilitate coordination between the agencies and the various entities of the Federal Public Administration for the design, execution and evaluation of programs and actions in the field of facilitation of international trade.

It will also have the function of implementing and applying the provisions of the Agreement on Trade Facilitation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) based on applicable national and international regulations.

The National Committee for Trade Facilitation will be made up of representatives of the following Secretariats, which will have voice and vote:

• Economy.
• External relationships.
• National defense.
• Finance and Public Credit.
• Environment and Natural Resources.
• Energy.
• Agriculture and Rural Development.
• Communications and Transportation.
• Health.

National Committee for Trade Facilitation

It will act as coordinating body of the different dependencies of the Federal Public Administration that have competence and that intervene in the different aspects related to the implementation and application of the Agreement on Trade Facilitation.

The National Trade Facilitation Committee may also propose the signing of agreements and conventions between the representatives of the three levels of government and the social and private sectors in the scope of their powers, in order to complement the actions with the aim of achieving improvements in processes in foreign trade.

Additionally, it will analyze and, where appropriate, issue recommendations to improve the efficiency of processes and procedures for foreign trade in order to reduce costs and eliminate barriers to trade, in accordance with applicable national and international regulations.

Business Chambers

The Committee, through its Chairman, will invite representatives of the Bank of Mexico, the Tax Administration Service, the National Commission for Regulatory Improvement, and the Federal Commission for Economic Competition to form part of it as permanent guests (with the right to speak). .

It also considers representatives of the private sector, when deemed necessary (with the right to speak): CCE, CONCANACO, COMCE, Concamin, CNA and CAAAREM.

The chambers and business confederations cited above are illustrative but not limiting.

One more of its functions of the National Committee for Trade Facilitation will be to collaborate with the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Foreign Relations, according to the competence of its members in the design of policies, programs and actions aimed at the simplification and automation of the processes in foreign trade matters, as well as coordinating their execution, with an approach that encourages their articulation and complementarity.

Finally, the National Committee for Trade Facilitation will make the pertinent recommendations, observing the scope of the competence of each of the Federal Public Administration agencies that comprise it, with the purpose that the policies, programs and actions of the agencies that integrate it, orient themselves in a coordinated and joint way to adopt and implement trade facilitation measures.