Marcelo Ebrard, head of the Ministry of Economy (SE) , and Jamieson Greer, United States Trade Representative (USTR) , met this Monday, April 20, to continue with the second round of review of trade issues of the Treaty between Mexico, the United States and Canada (USMCA) , where various topics were discussed, such as rules of origin and the automotive and steel industries.
The agenda included a meeting between Mexican and U.S. authorities and representatives of the automotive industry, who discussed Section 232 (steel, aluminum, automobiles and auto parts) with Greer, although it was not specified whether they reached any agreement.
Participants from the automotive sector included Rogelio Garza, president of the Mexican Automotive Industry Association (AMIA) ; Francisco Garza, president of General Motors Mexico; Rodrigo Centeno, president of Nissan Mexicana; Klaus von Moltke, president of BMW Mexico; Miguel Barbeyto, president of Mazda Mexico, among others.
The automotive sector is one of the key industries in the trilateral trade agreement. In the period from January to March 2026, 969,294 cars were manufactured in Mexico , a 0.5% increase compared to the same period last year, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) .
During the same period, 795,631 vehicles were exported, a 2.5% year-over-year increase . The United States was the main buyer of cars manufactured in Mexican plants, accounting for 75.8%, or 602,887 units. Canada followed with 97,801 vehicles—12.3% of exports—reflecting the integration of this sector in the three countries that make up the USMCA.
Authorities from both countries also held a meeting with representatives of the steel sector , including Pedro Rivera González, CEO of Compañía Minera Autlán; Salvador Quesada Salinas, CEO of the National Chamber of the Iron and Steel Industry (Canacero) ; Máximo Vedoya, CEO of Ternium México; and Joseph Woldenberg, executive chairman of the Board of Directors of Tubacero, among others.
Ebrard indicated that representatives of that industry raised with Greer what is happening as a result of Section 232, without elaborating further on the matter.
Steel is one of the products on which Donald Trump, the President of the United States, imposed tariffs of 50%, so that sector will be a key issue in the review of the USMCA, scheduled for July 1.
Jamieson Greer also met with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum at the National Palace.
“It was a very cordial dialogue. Obviously, the meeting consisted of a very brief review of where we stand. We’re going to have conversations, and he explained the topics we’re going to discuss, from rules of origin to Mexican sugar exports . Many topics were covered because the Secretary of Agriculture (Julio Berdegué) was also present,” explained Marcelo Ebrard.
Other topics that were reviewed included intellectual property “and the main issues at that time. The treaty review process, I would say, is going very well.”
The Mexican official explained that there were two additional meetings. One was with the Business Coordinating Council (CCE) of Mexico, which stated that ideally the treaty should move forward.
The other meeting was with the American Chamber of Commerce , which indicated that it is important for Mexico and the United States to become more integrated. “We need to replace the things we import from Asia with domestic production between our two countries as soon as possible,” Ebrard said.
He specified that the second round of review could end next Wednesday “because there are many issues to review.”
He pointed out that after these two conversations, the first of which was last March in Washington DC, they would move on to the next phase, which is formal negotiations .
“We estimate that formal negotiations will begin the week of May 25th. To be on schedule, we will maintain very close communication, as we are doing now. And surely by the end of May, we will both be going to Washington and they will be coming to Mexico for the negotiations,” he emphasized.
It is worth remembering that the USMCA has a validity of 16 years, and article 34.7 – the so-called sunset clause – indicates that a review must be carried out six years after it was implemented, where the three countries will evaluate its functioning to see if it continues for another 16 years.
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