With the departure of Luz María de la Mora from Economy, the rude win

With the request for the resignation of Luz María de la Mora as Undersecretary of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Economy, the rude won and the technicians lost, experts in trade negotiations agreed.

De la Mora’s departure occurs at a crucial time in terms of international negotiations, as the start of a dispute settlement panel on Mexico’s energy policies within the framework of the Treaty between Mexico, the United States and Canada (T-MEC) is latent. ).

While these two North American trading partners consider that Mexico violates the T-MEC with recent changes in its energy legislation, for the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador they imply a key part of its comprehensive strategy to strengthen Pemex and the Commission. Federal Electricity (CFE).

“I recognize the experience and extensive career of Luz María de la Mora. The exit of it sends a signal to our main trading partners. At a crucial moment where Mexico is facing a commercial complaint by the United States government, it cannot be improvised,” commented Ildefonso Guajardo, who as Secretary of the Economy of Mexico led the T-MEC negotiations from August 2017 to December 2019.

A week ago, Tatiana Clouthier resigned as Secretary of Economy, and was replaced by Raquel Buenrostro, who previously served as head of the Tax Administration Service (SAT) and was relentless there in collecting taxes, with “aggressive practices of tax audit”, according to the United States Department of Commerce, including multimillion-dollar charges to large companies.

Guajardo also told reporter Ivette Saldaña, from El Universal, on Thursday: “They say they put Buenrostro because she is tough; but that is not a matter of negotiation. The negotiation has already taken place, there is an agreement, a treaty; what it is about is to demonstrate that we did not violate what he accuses us of. More than negotiation, it is an effort to reason”.

In mid-June, the US ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, said that the United States was working with the Mexican government on disputes with companies in the energy sector involving more than $30 billion in US investment.

Currently there is a discrepancy between the Secretaries of Economy and Energy on how much to give in to avoid lifting the energy panel in the T-MEC.

Nahle does not want to give up anything: Clouthier

After her resignation as Secretary of the Economy, Clouthier revealed in an interview with Enrique Galván Ochoa, of La Jornada, that the Secretary of Energy, Rocío Nahle, “does not want to give up anything” in the process of settling disputes with the United States and Canada in the energy industry.

Tatiana Clouthier was identified within a faction of high-level officials within the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador who is recognized for adopting rather moderate positions on certain government issues.

In the faction with more radical positions, for example, Rocío Nahle, head of the Ministry of Energy and one of the main promoters (along with Manuel Bartlett, director of the Federal Electricity Commission) of the reform to the Law of the Electricity Industry, which was explicitly pointed out by the United States for allegedly violating the commitments acquired by Mexico in the T-MEC.

Automotive panel failure, ready

In addition, conjuncturally, this Wednesday the resolution of the panel that Mexico and Canada filed against the United States on automotive rules of origin, also within the framework of the T-MEC, was privately announced. The ruling will be made public later.

Another international trade expert, who requested anonymity, said that De la Mora’s departure in itself sends a signal in the context of energy negotiations. “What they do is behead the negotiating team, which is a pawn in a game of chess; the only thing we know is that this pawn has left the game”.

In addition, it has transpired that the Undersecretary of Industry and Commerce of the Ministry of Economy, Héctor Guerrero, presented his resignation, while other officials were dismissed in recent days, including Marcos Ávalos, head of the International Commercial Practices Unit (UPCI). ), and Eduardo Montemayor, General Director of Standards.

Until Thursday night, the Ministry of Economy did not confirm De la Mora’s request for resignation, nor the departures of the other officials mentioned.

Along the same lines, one more comment was made by the former Mexican ambassador to the United States, Arturo Sarukhan, regarding the request for the official’s resignation: “It is enormously worrying, in the context of the consultation process requested by the United States and Canada in terms of Mexican energy policy under the T-MEC, as well as the commercial and economic agenda with the United States in general.

For her part, the director of Economic Analysis at the Grupo Financiero Base, Gabriela Siller, stated that, if Luz María de la Mora’s departure is confirmed, we would be facing a “very bad sign for the Mexican economy”, by registering in full consultation process of the T-MEC on energy matters.

Mexico’s earrings in foreign trade

• A dispute settlement case under the T-MEC on rules of origin of the automotive industry.
• Another case of dispute resolution on certain energy policies of Mexico under the T-MEC.
• The ratification of the modernization of the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and Mexico (TLCUEM).
• The negotiation of free trade agreements with Ecuador, the United Kingdom and South Korea.
• The Pacific Alliance continues with the process of trade negotiations with Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
• The Mexican government intends to negotiate the expansion of its trade agreements with Brazil and Argentina.
• Negotiations for the entry of the United Kingdom into the Comprehensive and Progressive Treaty of Trans-Pacific Association (TIPAT).

economic diplomacy

They would dispense with a high-level profile

With her departure from the Ministry of Economy – in case she does not return to another public assignment – ​​Luz María de la Mora could, at least for a break, have a long career in public service in high-level positions.

The official has a doctorate in Political Science from Yale University, United States; She is a teacher from the University of Carleton, Canada, and graduated from the International Relations career at the Colegio de México (Colmex). She has a diploma in Foreign Trade from the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM).

She was Head of the Economic Relations and International Cooperation Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) of Mexico, as well as Head of the International Negotiations Coordination Unit at the Ministry of Economy.

He also served as Representative of the SE of Mexico to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium, and as Alternate Representative of Mexico to the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI) in Montevideo, Uruguay.

She was Economic Counselor in the Mexican Commercial Office at the Mexican Embassy in Washington, DC, and a member of the Mexican negotiating team for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), specifically in the automotive sector.

roberto.morales@eleconomista.mx