Mexico

U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Tuesday issued final implementation instructions for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, one of the last moves the agency says will help ensure a smooth transition from NAFTA once the new deal enters into force on Wednesday.

The 138-page interim final rule provides long-awaited guidance to auto producers by describing criteria they must meet to obtain preferential tariff treatment under the deal.

Not all importers hurt by the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic were able to take advantage of the Trump administration’s move in April to temporarily delay some duty payments, a senior U.S. Customs and Border Protection official said on Tuesday.

A handful of complaints likely will be filed under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s rapid-response labor enforcement mechanism soon after the pact enters into force in July, according to several analysts and trade lawyers.

A group of 25 House Ways & Means Committee Democrats on Monday lambasted the Trump administration for missing a deadline to establish a task force on forced labor required under by the U.S. bill implementing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

The U.S., Mexico and Canada continue to weigh North American auto industry requests to delay beyond July 1 the implementation of regulations that will guide the application of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s auto rules of origin, according to private-sector representatives familiar with the talks.

Commerce Secretary Ross called the plan “another affirmation of our commitment to use all available tools to combat circumvention and evasion of duties.”

The White House on Tuesday formed an interagency committee to help facilitate the enforcement and monitoring of labor obligations outlined in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.