OAS

 
Mexico-Northern Triangle
Text of the agreement
  Background and Negotiations
   

Discussions towards a free trade agreement between Mexico and the Central American countries began in January 1991, when the presidents of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua and Mexico signed the Declaration of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, which provided a framework for trade relations between Central American countries and Mexico. At the second Tuxtla Gutierrez Summit, held in 1996 in San José, Costa Rica, countries reaffirmed their commitment to the creation of a free trade zone and agreed to continue working on the bilateral or regional free trade negotiations.

At this second Tuxtla Summit, the presidents of Mexico and the three Northern Triangle countries -- El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras -- pledged, within the Joint Declaration and Plan of Action, their intent to restart their free trade agreement negotiations. The Mexico-Northern Triangle free trade agreement was signed on 29 June 2000.

Documents relating to the negotiations
29 June 2000 Signing of the Mexico-Northern Triangle Free Trade Agreement SpanishPDF
17 July 1998 Joint Declaration and Plan of Action of the third Tuxtla Gutiérrez Summit Spanish
16 February 1996 Joint Declaration and Plan of Action of the second Tuxtla Gutiérrez Summit SpanishPDF
11 January 1991 Declaration of Tuxtla Gutiérrez SpanishPDF
11 January 1991 Act of the Heads of State of the Republics of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the United Mexican States SpanishPDF
11 January 1991 Agreement of Tuxtla Gutierrez between the presidents of Central America and Mexico SpanishWord
Source: Presidencia de la República de México; Secretaría de Integración Económica Controamericana (SIECA)

  Entry into Force
   

The Mexico-Northern Triangle free trade agreement entered into force on 15 March 2001 between Mexico and El Salvador and Guatemala and on 01 June for Mexico and Honduras.

Documents relating to the entry into force
14 March 2001 Mexico. Decree promulgating the free trade agreement between the United Mexican States and the Republics of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras SpanishPDF
29 June 2000 Joint Declaration SpanishPDF
Source: Secretaría de Economía de México; Secretaría de Integración Económica Controamericana (SIECA)

  Implementation of the Agreement
   

Article 18-01 of Mexico-Northern Triangle Agreement establishes an Administrative Commission to oversee the implementation and operation of the Agreement. The Commission will meet at least once per year in an ordinary session and in an extraordinary session under party request.

Documents relating to the implementation of the agreement
17 May 2011 New agreement on textiles comes into force under the Mexico-Northern Triangle FTA Spanish PDF
31 October 2007 Fourth meeting of the FTA Administrative Commission Spanish PDF
13 December 2005 Northern Triangle and Mexico make progress in reviewing the Free Trade Agreement SpanishPDF
15 August 2005 Third meeting of the Administrative Commission SpanishPDF
13 April 2004 Resolution modifying language on customs issues Spanish Word
14 March 2001 Resolution on customs issues Spanish Word
20 August 2001 Agreement on the regulation of the operation of the committee on regional integration on inputs of the Mexico-Northern Triangle FTA according to the Administrative Commission of that agreement SpanishPDF
Source: Ministerio de Economía de El Salvador; Sistema Integral de Información de Comercio Exterior (SICEX), México
   
Decisions of the Free Trade Agreement Administrative Committee
19 April 2011 Decision Nº. 19. Granting a temporary waiver for the use of materials produced or obtained outside the free trade area for the purpose of  applying preferential tariff treatment to certain synthetic or artificial staple fibers Spanish PDF
28 February 2008 Decision Nº 18. Rules of Operation of Annex 3-20 of the Mexico-El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras FTA Spanish PDF
31 October 2007 Decision Nº 17. List of arbitrators established in chapter XIX Dispute Resolution, article 19-08 (List and qualifications of the arbitrators) of the Mexico-El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras FTA SpanishPDF
04 May 2006 Decision Nº 16. Related to the duration of quotas established in Decision Nº15 of the Administrative Committee SpanishPDF
12 August 2005 Decision Nº 15. Acceleration of tariff elimination and establishment of quotas for certain products included in the tariff elimination program between Mexico and El Salvador SpanishPDF
12 August 2005 Decision Nº 14. Amount of remuneration and expenses payable to the arbitrators and assistants for the dispute settlement process between El Salvador and Honduras as complaining parties and Mexico as respondent, established in accordance with chapter XIX of the Mexico-El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras FTA SpanishPDF
12 August 2005 Decision Nº 13. Understanding related to the billing by an operator located in a non-party country of traded goods under the Mexico-El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras FTA SpanishPDF
12 August 2005 Decision Nº12. Modifications to Annexes 6-03, 6-20 and 6-26 SpanishWord
14 April 2005 Decision Nº11. National treatment and market access Spanish Word
  Decision Nº 10. National treatment and market access SpanishPDF
15 October 2003 Decision Nº 09. National treatment and market access SpanishPDF
01 December 2003 Decision Nº 08. Market Access and verification of imported footwear SpanishPDF
29 July 2003 Decision Nº 07. National treatment and market access SpanishPDF
16 January 2003 Decision Nº 06. List of arbitrators established in chapter XIX Dispute Resolution, article 19-08 (list and qualifications of the arbitrators) of the Mexico-El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras FTA SpanishPDF
16 January 2003 Decision Nº 05. Establishment of the Secretariat for the Mexico-El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras FTA SpanishPDF
23 November 2001 Decision Nº 04. Market access for goods SpanishPDF
06 July 2001 Decision Nº 03 SpanishPDF
06 July 2001 Decision Nº 02 SpanishPDF
06 July 2001 Decision Nº 01. Approval of the rules of operation for the Committee of Regional Integration of Inputs SpanishPDF

  Dispute Resolution
    Chapter XIX of the Mexico-Northen Triangle FTA regulates the dispute settlement mechanism.
   
Related Documents to Dispute Resolution
14 August 2006 El Salvador vs. Mexico: Measures related to health registration and access to medicines In Spanish PDF
Source: Secretaría de Economía de México

  Related Articles and Studies
   
Marzo 2013

Ministerio de Economía, Guatemala. Evaluación de las relaciones comerciales entre Guatemala y México a doce años de entrada en vigencia del Tratado de Libre Comercio Spanish PDF New

June 2004 Secretaría de Economía de México. Comercio antes y después del TLC México-Triángulo del Norte Spanish PDF
June 2004 Secretaría de Economía de México. Triángulo del Norte Spanish PDF
March 2004 SIECA. Las relaciones Comerciales México-Centroamérica en el Marco de los Acuerdos de Tuxtla Spanish PDF

  Sources
     
 

Spanish version 
Recent Developments
  March 2013. Assessment of trade relations between Guatemala and Mexico at twelve years of the Mexico-Northern Triangle FTA New!

Contents
 
   

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