PHOENIX – United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced that the United States, Canada, and Mexico have signed an addendum to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Free Trade Commission (FTC) Decision No. 5 on North American Competitiveness that will strengthen coordination across all three countries on emergency response.
“The COVID-19 pandemic underscored how important it is to have established procedures for coordination before an emergency situation,” said Ambassador Tai. “This agreement is the next step to strengthen North American competitiveness and resilience and reflects our steadfast commitment to work together under the USMCA to deliver for our workers and businesses.”
FTC Decision No. 5 established a trilateral Sub-Committee on Emergency Response under the USMCA North American Competitiveness Committee to coordinate North American efforts to maintain regional trade flows during emergency situations. With this addendum, the USMCA Free Trade Commission (FTC) has adopted the procedures for coordination and consultation between the USMCA Parties in response to an emergency situation impacting North American trade flows.
In addition, pursuant to paragraph nine of FTC Decision No. 5, Ambassador Tai and Canada’s Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade, and Economic Development Mary Ng announced the release of U.S. and Canadian internal mechanisms to coordinate on North American trade flows in emergency situations.
Resources
Addendum to FTC Decision No. 5
U.S. Interagency input on Internal Coordination on North American Trade Flows in Emergency Situations
United States, Canada, and Mexico Joint Statement of the Fourth Meeting of the USMCA Free Trade Commission
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