The European Union – Mexico Political Relations
The 2000 Global Agreement
Bilateral relations between the EU and Mexico are governed by the Economic Partnership, Political Cooperation and Cooperation Agreement (Global Agreement) signed in Brussels on 8 December 1997. The entry in force of the agreement on 1st October 2000 provided the EU and Mexico with a framework for both deepening and strengthening political dialogue, trade and cooperation.
This Agreement is based on democratic principles and on the respect for human rights, which are an "essential element" that "underpins the domestic and external policies of both Parties". It also institutionalizes a regular political dialogue at the highest level and extends bilateral cooperation that existed in the 1991 Framework Agreement.
The Global Agreement has created a comprehensive free trade area between Mexico and the EU, covering trade in both goods and services. In the years following the entry into force of the Agreement, bilateral trade between the EU and Mexico grew by more than 140 %. As a consequence, Mexico has become one of EU’s most important commercial partners in Latin America, with significant growth potential. The EU is Mexico’s second trading partner after the USA.
The EU and Mexico legal, institutional and operational framework
High-Level Political Dialogue:
In legal terms, the Global Agreement institutionalizes a regular, high-level political dialogue between Mexico and the European Union through a number of fora in which their relations are coordinated, monitored and given political impetus "covering all bilateral and international matters of mutual interest":
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Summits are held every two in order to raise the political profile of their bilateral relations and to maintain regular contacts at the highest level.
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The VI EU- Mexico Summit was held on the 17th June 2012 in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur. The Leaders highlighted the maturity of their relation in the framework of their Strategic Partnership. They stressed the reliability and the depth of the aforementioned relation as well as the convergence in positions in multiple issues of the international agenda, such as:
• Promoting economic growth and job creation in the framework of the G20 Summit,
• Promoting legal certainty in Latin America in order to foster the development of foreign investment,
• Strengthening the multilateral trading system.
Their talks also focused on:
• Climate Change
• The Río +20 Summit
• Human Rights
• The Arms Trade Treaty
Finally the Leaders welcomed the launch of a Policy Dialogue on Public Security and Law Enforcement, which has allowed both parts to explore actions such as the exchange of experiences, information and best practices between public security and law enforcement authorities of both sides.
The Leaders reiterated their commitment to continue facilitating the building of institutionalized channels and mechanisms of dialogue with the civil society of Mexico and the EU that enrich the bilateral relation.
Joint statement 
[118 KB] 
Joint Councils at Ministerial level, which take place every two years, usually within the framework of the EU-Rio Group Ministerial Meeting.
The seventh meeting of the Joint Council between the European Union and Mexico was held in Mexico City on the 09th of February 2012.
Both parties reiterated the importance of the Strategic Partnership and highlighted the advances in the implementation of the Joint Action Plan, particularly with regard to the High Level Dialogues. They also addressed the strengthened cooperation at the multilateral level in order to face challenges of common interest such as the fight against transnational organized crime, Climate Change and environmental protection.
Joint communique of the VII Joint Council European Union – Mexico.
- Joint Committees at highlevel officials, which are held once a year.
The XI meeting of the EU- Mexico Joint Committee took place in Brussels on the 26-27th of October 2011 in the framework of the Global Agreement. During this meeting high level officials had the opportunity of discussing the state of bilateral relations in four main areas: The Strategic Partnership, Political Dialogue, Cooperation and Trade.
Joint Declaration [159 KB]
Inter-Parliamentary Relations
The EU and Mexico have also established an active inter-parliamentary dialogue in the framework of the EU-Mexico Joint Interparliamentary Committee, which meets twice a year. The XIV Meeting of the Joint Inteparliamentary Committee was held in Strasbourg, France 23rd -24th May 2012.
During the Meeting the legislators exchanged views on the political, economic, and social situation both in Mexico and in the European Union, the G20 Summit, the fight against drugs and organized crime, Human Rights and the protection of Human Rights defenders.
Due to the electoral scenario in Mexico this is the last time that the group will meet in its present configuration, therefore they also took the opportunity to analyze the achievements of the Joint Parliamentary Committee since its creation and future of EU–Mexico relations.
The next meeting of the Joint Interparliamentary Committee will be held in Mexico during the first semester of 2013.
Joint declaration [4 MB]
Civil society
The European External Action Service, in co-ordination with the Mexican Government and with the collaboration of the European Economic and Social Committee, established an EU-Mexico Civil Society Forum in order to promote the participation of civil society in the relations between the two parties. The aim of this forum is to encourage dialogue in order to further enrich the relations between Mexico and the European Union in all three pillars of the global agreement: political dialogue, cooperation and trade.
The Fifth EU-Mexico Civil Society Forum took place on 25-26 October 2012 in Brussels, Belgium. During the working sessions, the three areas of the Global Agreement were analyzed and a variety of topics were discussed.
The Forum also took stock of progress made by the Mexican government and civil society towards the constitution of a civil society joint consultative mechanism in the framework of the Global Agreement between the European Union and Mexico.
The next Forum will take place in Mexico in 2014.
Further information:
Speech by EEAS Director for the Americas at Opening Ceremony
Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs- Social Participation Office
Background Information
Joint reply from the European Union's and Mexico's Governmental Institutions to European and Mexican civil society organizations that participated in the fourth forum of dialogue which took place on the 25-26th of October, 2010Back to Political & economic relations