WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th August, 2018) The preliminary trade agreement announced between the United States and Mexico unlike NAFTA must include serious labor and environmental standards that can be implemented and enforced by both parties, US Senator Jeff Merkley said in a press release.
Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump told reporters that the United States and Mexico had reached a new trade agreement that will replace the current NAFTA pact.
"For more than two decades, American jobs and American workers have suffered because of major imbalances in NAFTA," Merkley said on Monday. "It's critical that any agreement include serious, enforceable labor and environmental standards to create a level playing field."
The United States and Mexico have concluded substantive discussions on new rules of origin and origin procedures, including product-specific rules for passenger vehicles, light trucks, and auto parts, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) said in a statement.
The new agreement exceeds the original 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) by establishing procedures that streamline certification and verification of rules of origin and that promote strong enforcement, the USTR added.
