The Modernisation of the European Union-Mexico 'Global Agreement'

Tyrimas 23-10-2014

Signed in 1997 and in force since 2000, the Economic Partnership, Political Coordination and Cooperation Agreement, known as the 'Global Agreement', is the cornerstone of the legal framework for relations between the European Union (EU) and Mexico. Currently, the EU and Mexico are exploring possible ways to update and modernise the Agreement, to factor in the transformations that have occurred in the past decade and half. The study addresses how the EU-Mexico relationship has evolved since the entry into force of the Agreement in 2000 and evaluates the results achieved within each of its three main areas (political dialogue, cooperation and trade), as well as in the EU-Mexico Strategic Partnership from 2008. Against that background, it assesses the options for updating the Agreement and provides specific recommendations in this regard. The study focuses in particular on the EU-Mexico Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), the forum for institutionalised interparliamentary dialogue between the European Parliament and the Mexican Congress. The study examines the JPC's role in monitoring the implementation of the Global Agreement and EU-Mexico relations in general, and sets out recommendations to improve the Committee's performance and to strengthen its participation in the process of modernisation of the Agreement.