One of the most important developments that the energy reform has brought to Mexican law is the creation of a new institution known as the National Agency for Industrial Security and Environmental Protection in the hydrocarbons sector. Due to its lengthy name, in April 2015, it was announced that such agency will be officially identified as the Security, Energy and Environment Agency (ASEA for its Spanish acronym). The constitutional reform of December 2013 ordered Congress to create a decentralized agency of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT for its Spanish acronym), with technical and administrative autonomy, and a certain degree of budget autonomy. Contrary to the National Commission of Hydrocarbons (CNH for its Spanish acronym) and the … read more

NAFTA Political leaders in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. continue to review the possibility of either renegotiating or withdrawing from the North America Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. Businesses in all three countries are doing their best to try to predict what could happen if the NAFTA were to be renegotiated or terminated. Uncertainty arising from such questions continues to affect their current operations, as well as their future trade and investment plans. The Mexican government has announced that it has entered into a 90-day consultation period during which it will liaise with Mexican business and industry to develop a sensible course of action to take in a proposed NAFTA renegotiation. In addition, Canadian and US leaders have recently met … read more