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PRESS/TPRB/295 
11 February 2008 
 
(08-0287) 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW: MEXICO 
Significant progress but higher productivity is required  
Since its previous review in 2002, Mexico’s has continued with the gradual and unilateral 
liberalization of its trade regime. It has also concluded new free-trade agreements, conducting 85 
per cent of its trade with preferential partners. Mexico’s economic performance has been solid and 
several sectors of its economy have achieved hi gh levels of development, according to a WTO 
Secretariat report on the trade policies and practices of Mexico.  
 
Nevertheless, some barriers to trade and investme nt persist, while per capita income has risen 
only modestly and alleviating poverty remains a challenge. Steps to speed up productivity growth 
would seem necessary, such as increasing competition in the domestic market, and the 
rationalization of the MFN tariff and of special fiscal regimes.  
The report notes that further structural reforms would contribute to reducing bottlenecks in areas 
such as energy, telecommunications and transport. Resolving these long-standing issues would help Mexico to take advantage of  the significant progress already attained in order to accelerate 
growth and achieve higher living standards. 
 The WTO Secretariat report, along with a policy st atement by the Government of Mexico, will be 
the basis for the fourth TPR of Me xico by the Trade Policy Review Body of the WTO on 11 and 13 of 
February 2008.  
The following documents are available in MS Wo rd format on the WTO web-site. They can be 
downloaded at http://www.wto.org/english/ tratop_e/tpr_e/tp295_e.htm  
 
• Secretariat reports 
> Contents and summary observations  > Economic environment  
> Trade and investment regimes  
> Trade policies and practices by measure  > Trade policies by sector  
> Appendix tables  
• Report by Government of Mexico 
• Chairperson’s concluding remarks  PRESS/TPRB/295 
Page 2 of 2 
 
 • Minutes of the meeting (available appr oximately six weeks after the meeting). 
Note 
Trade Policy Reviews are an exercise, mandated in the WTO Agreement, in which member 
countries’ trade and related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. Significant 
developments that may have an impact on the global trading system are also monitored. For each 
review, two documents are prepared: a policy stat ement by the government of the member under 
review, and a detailed report written independently by the WTO Secretariat. These two documents 
are then discussed by the WTO’s full membership in  the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB). These 
documents and the proceedings of the TPRB’s meetings are published shortly afterwards.  
 
Print copies of the TPR publications are available for sale from the WTO Secretariat, Centre William 
Rappard, 154 rue de Lausanne, 1211 Genève 21 and through the on-line bookshop at https://secure.vtx.ch/shop/boutiques/wto_index_boutique.html  or follow this path :  
www.wto.org >resources > publications > trade policy reviews  
 The TPR publications are also available from our co-publisher Bernan Press , 4611-F Assembly 
Drive, Lanham, MD 20706-4391, United States 
Next reviews: 
Brunei Darussalam: 25 and 27 of February 2008 
Madagascar: 2 and 4 April 2008 
Mauritius: 23 and 25 April 2008 
 
For a full list of previous trade policy reviews and the full programme of future reviews go to 
http://www.wto.org/english/trat op_e/tpr_e/tpr_ e.htm#reviews 
or follow this path : www.wto.org > trade topics > trade policy reviews 
 
END