The Mexican Automotive Industry Association (AMIA) has called for the establishment of an emergency protocol to facilitate trade under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
“We strongly suggest the development of an emergency protocol for trade facilitation during contingencies such as health, natural, or security disasters, such as the 2020 pandemic, to avoid disruption of North American supply chains,” said AMIA.
Emergency protocol
This proposal was presented in a letter sent by Rogelio Garza, executive president of AMIA, to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, as part of consultations for the review of the USMCA, scheduled for July 1, 2026.
Garza stressed that, as part of the review process, the Parties should consider additional trade facilitation measures that increase efficiency in the movement of goods.
“Although Chapter 7 of the USMCA (Customs Administration and Trade Facilitation) includes a series of actions to improve customs procedures and crossings in the region, delays and complexities in customs administration in the three countries still persist, hindering an efficient supply chain in the automotive industry, especially given that vehicle components cross borders several times,” he said.
Logistics and regional integration
From his perspective, the review should focus on increasing the necessary infrastructure and human resources, as well as prioritizing measures that accelerate the use of interoperable technology to streamline border crossings, improve logistics efficiency, and, consequently, meet tight production deadlines throughout the regional automotive ecosystem.
The Mexican automotive industry has become increasingly integrated with the automotive industries of the United States and Canada, deepening its supply chains, which has strengthened complementarities and increased the competitiveness of the North American industry vis-à-vis other regions of the world.
“We believe that the future of the automotive industry in North America should continue to be an integrated activity, composed of complementary operations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and we reaffirm our interest in strengthening the foundations for such integration,” said Garza.
AMIA is the organization that represents original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) based in Mexico. Its members account for approximately 4.5% of Mexico’s GDP, 32% of the country’s total exports, and more than 3.5 million direct and indirect jobs in the country.