NA Trade Agreement Is in Effect

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer notified Congress that Canada and Mexico have taken measures necessary to comply with their commitments under the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), and that the Agreement will enter into force on July 1, 2020. Following that notification to Congress, the United States became the third country to notify the other Parties that it had completed its domestic procedures to implement the agreement—the final step necessary for the USMCA to enter into force.

The USMCA’s entry into force marks the beginning of a historic new chapter for North American trade. The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) applauded the implementation. It said in a statement, “USMCA successfully renegotiates the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and brings North American trade into the 21st century. We congratulate Ambassador Lighthizer and his Mexican and Canadian counterparts for this significant undertaking.”
 
It added, “The Agreement provides our industry with further opportunities to grow regionally and contribute to our competitiveness around the world. Of particular note is the high standard Cosmetics Annex, the first of its kind, which commits all three countries to good regulatory practices and eliminating trade barriers affecting the cosmetics and personal care products sector.
 
“The U.S.-Canada Appendix to the Annex uniquely recognizes the importance of regulatory alignment for products at the cosmetic-drug interface, and will bring immediate and significant commercial benefit to our member companies. 
 
“It is our hope that the USMCA Cosmetics Annex will serve as a model for all U.S. free trade agreements in the future. We look forward to continuing to work with all three governments to ensure the USMCA Cosmetic Annex and Appendix– and the entire Agreement – is fully implemented and enforced in a way that allows the cosmetics and personal care sector to realize all USMCA’s intended benefits.”