Speaker of the US House of Representatives Paul Ryan advised the Trump administration this week that an “actual paper on the accord” would be necessary by May 17 to assure a 2018 vote on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) deal. The speaker has since clarified that he was referring to a notification of intent to sign the NAFTA agreement and not necessarily the full, final text.
Mexico’s trade officials said that the deadline was too close but maybe possible. Mexico has offered a concession of 70 percent on parts of origin for automobiles imported into the US, but representatives state continued difficulties with salary requirements and the sunset clause.
Moises Kalach, part of the Mexican negotiating team, noted that while every effort will be made to negotiate, they may shift to work on persuading the US and Canada on maintaining the present NAFTA agreement and will continue discussions “without the pressure from a calendar.”