Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for a Trans-Pacific Partnership  

On February 1, 2021, the government of the United Kingdom (UK) formally requested in a letter to New Zealand, the treaty’s depositary, its accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). 

Yesterday, Wednesday, June 2, 2021, during the fourth ministerial meeting of the CPTPP Commission, ministers and officials from the countries of the free trade area, gave the green light to the start of accession negotiations with the United Kingdom. 

It was therefore agreed that a working group would be set up to negotiate the terms of the UK’s accession to the Treaty. 

CPTPP 

CPTPP is a free trade agreement signed by 11 countries, however it only applies – for the moment – between Mexico, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Vietnam; while Chile, Peru and Brunei have not yet completed the process of adopting the treaty. 

The CPTPP allows tariffs between member countries to be reduced by up to 95%, and with the admission of the UK, the nominal GDP of the area covered by the Treaty would be almost at the same level as that of the EU. 

United Kingdom 

In this regard, UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said:

• “CPTTP membership is a huge opportunity for Britain. It will help shift our economic centre of gravity away from Europe towards faster-growing parts of the world, and deepen our access to massive consumer markets in the Asia-Pacific.

• We would get all the benefits of joining a high-standards free trade area, but without having to cede control of our borders, money or laws.”

The UK government will publish its outline approach, scoping assessment and consultation response before negotiations start in the coming weeks.
Source: Noticias Bancarias, Reuters, El Universal, GOV.UK, Aristegui Noticias.

Enacting Decree of the Trade Continuity Agreement between Mexico and the United Kingdom.

Following up with UK news, let’s not forget that  Mexico and the UK signed the Trade Continuity Agreement and the Agreement relating to Article 12 of the Trade Continuity Agreement In December 2020. 

The purpose of this agreement is to maintain preferential tariff preferences between both countries after the UK’s exit from the European Union. 

As mentioned in our Legal Alert of April 30, both agreements had to be published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) in order to become legally binding in Mexico so that goods from the UK can benefit from tariff preferences.

Yesterday, Tuesday June 1, 2021, both Agreements were finally published in the DOF, as well as several instruments necessary to guarantee the preferential access of products between Mexico and the UK, including a mechanism to return tariffs paid on UK products as of January 1st. For more information, please see  our Legal Alert of June 2, 2021. 

Working Table:  ISDS disputes ahead?

This week, Index held the “third labor forum” event in which the Mexican ambassador to Canada participated. According to the media, the Ambassador said that the government of Mexico and Canada are planning to establish a working table to avoid conflicts that could trigger a USMCA dispute settlement mechanism.

More information: Milenio.