La Jornada: Agreement with the EU gives certainty to investment and trade: Ebrard

The world is moving towards protectionism and trade fragmentation, but Mexico and the European Union chose the opposite path, officials agreed when inaugurating the Mexico-European Union Business Summit yesterday in Mexico City, the eve of the signing of the Modernized Global Agreement, which will take place this Friday at the National Palace.

When opening the event, the Secretary of Economy, Marcelo Ebrard, highlighted that it is unusual that in a time with so much uncertainty an agreement is reached for the next 30 or 40 years, alluding to the protectionist policy of the United States, a country with which on May 27 negotiations for the revision of the Mexico-United States-Canada Treaty will officially begin, about which he did not want to talk.

“Next week we would talk about the agreement with the United States and Canada, because we are going to have formal conversations; today I am going to focus on what has to do with the European Union,” he noted.

It is expected that the president Claudia Sheinbaum, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the head of the European Council, António Costa, will participate in the signing of the Modernized Global Agreement and an interim trade agreement.

The interim agreement will allow the commercial components that are the exclusive competence of the European bloc to be immediately applied, while the 27 national parliaments ratify the complete instrument.

Ebrard pointed out that Mexico and Europe need each other and must navigate together the changes that artificial intelligence, digitalization and the new global financial architecture will bring; However, he highlighted that concluding this pact is an important signal for companies and markets. “This agreement can give us certainty for three or four decades,” he highlighted.

For his part, the Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security of the European Union, Maroš Šefčovič, highlighted that the bilateral exchange of goods and services reaches 120 billion euros and, since the entry into force of the original agreement, in 2000, this trade has multiplied by four.

He highlighted that the European Union is Mexico’s second export destination and the second largest investor in the country, with nearly 11 thousand European companies established in national territory and a contribution of approximately 5 million jobs.

The president of the Mexican Business Council for Foreign Trade, Sergio Contreras, explained that in 2025 Mexico achieved a record of exports of 664 billion dollars, and in the first quarter of 2026 they added 175 billion, which projects an annual close of close to 730 billion.

The ambassador of the European Union in Mexico, Francisco André, defined the agreement as a direct response to the geopolitical reconfiguration. Faced with the global trend towards fragmentation, he said, the commitment of both parties is cooperation. This demonstrates “that it is possible to build these relationships based on what is essential: trust, clear rules and mutual benefits. With this agreement we send a very clear message to everyone.”