Weekly Report September 11th, 2026
Hot Topics EBRARD HEADS TO WASHINGTON AFTER “USEFUL” SHEINBAUM-LUTNICK CALL Mexico’s Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard traveled to Washington after a virtual meeting between President Claudia Sheinbaum and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The talks, originally planned in person, were held remotely after Lutnick’s flight was disrupted. Ebrard, who attended the call, called the exchange “cordial” and “very useful” for ongoing commercial negotiations. Sheinbaum said discussions proceed on two tracks: the Commerce Department under Lutnick and the U.S. Trade Representative’s office under Jamieson Greer, with whom she has already met twice. Mexico’s team includes Ebrard, Ambassador Roberto Lazzeri and other officials. Topics cover tariffs imposed outside the USMCA and the treaty review itself. Sheinbaum declined to announce progress until results are certain. The meeting took place amid tense rhetoric, including comments by President Trump about what Mexico “has to offer.” Ebrard said he would keep advancing the talks in Washington. Source: Milenio, Yahoo-news.
SENATOR HUMBERTO SUÁREZ TO CHAIR SENATE USMCA FOLLOW-UP COMMISSION The Mexican Senate approved a Political Coordination Board agreement changing commission leadership. Senator Carlos Humberto Suárez Flores of the Green Party (PVEM) will chair the Commission for Follow-up on the Implementation and Review of the USMCA. The same agreement named Gabriel Elizondo Pérez (PRI) to head the Federalism Commission and Claudia Edith Anaya Mota (PRI) as secretary of the Public Security Commission. Angélica Montes Rentería (PVEM) joined Rural Development as secretary. The standing commission is charged with parliamentary oversight of the treaty’s implementation and the 2026 review process, a central file in Mexico’s talks with the United States and Canada. Source: Mexican Senate
MEXICO AND WASHINGTON RACE FOR TARIFF DEAL BEFORE U.S. ELECTIONS Mexico hopes to close a deal this year that would cut U.S. tariffs on autos, aluminum and other goods. Ambassador Roberto Lazzeri said new investments are on hold and supply chains are tightly linked; both sides are “quite aligned” on the overall goal. Section 232 and 301 tariffs, he argued, distort markets without shifting share to the United States. Ebrard was due to speak with USTR Jamieson Greer, with another round expected in late September. Sources say both governments want an interim bilateral pact before the November 3rd midterms, after U.S.-Canada talks collapsed. Mexico is taking a conciliatory approach and ships more than 80 percent of its exports north. Possible terms include tariff relief in exchange for more U.S. content in vehicles and tighter screening of Chinese investment. In late August, Lazzeri stressed that security cooperation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio rests on “respect for our sovereignty” and “cooperation without subordination,” the same formula Mexico applies to trade talks. Time is short for Mexico’s economy and for Trump’s political calendar.
Source: bloomberglinea.com, reuters.com, LaJornada
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Hot Topics VELASCO PITCHES MEXICO AS RELIABLE INVESTMENT DESTINATION IN NEW YORK Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco took part in Mexico Investment Week in New York, an event co-organized by the Foreign Ministry with more than 500 business leaders and investors. He highlighted Mexico’s advantages: a domestic market of more than 130 million consumers, macroeconomic stability, preferential access to over 50 countries, a strategic location between two oceans, a sophisticated industrial base and a young, increasingly skilled workforce. “Mexico is a country that delivers results,” he said, calling it a reliable destination under the Plan Mexico framework. The program covered private capital, energy, infrastructure, red-tape reduction and state-level opportunities. Velasco leads a delegation that includes Ambassador Roberto Lazzeri, Altagracia Gómez and Consul Marcos Bucio, and planned meetings with investment funds. He separately said Mexican diplomacy is “going very well,” including with countries where relations had been strained, such as Peru, and stressed protection of Mexican nationals in the United States. Source: Excelsior-com
RUBIO SAYS CARTELS CONTROL VAST AREAS OF MEXICO; SHEINBAUM CALLS IT CAMPAIGN TALK Speaking in Ecuador, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Mexico has done “more than ever” against cartels “but it is not nearly enough.” He claimed “extensive territories” are controlled by criminal organizations, that politicians, judges and journalists are routinely killed, and that the threat “will have to be confronted one way or another,” even if cooperation remains the preferred path. The remarks contrasted with his earlier praise of close cooperation with Sheinbaum. Sheinbaum replied that Rubio’s comments form part of the U.S. electoral campaign ahead of November and asked that Mexico not be used as a campaign issue. She rejected the idea that cartels are “out of control,” pointed to U.S. drug demand and southbound gun trafficking, and defended “coordination without subordination.” “We do not interfere in their election and they should not interfere in Mexico. Sovereignty is not negotiable,” she said, also citing U.S. problems with fentanyl. Source: Infobae, Elpaís
CANADA IMPOSES C$27.6 BILLION IN RETALIATORY TARIFFS AS U.S. TRADE FEUD DEEPENS Canada’s retaliatory tariffs of 15% to 50% on U.S. goods worth C$27.6 billion took effect, covering dairy, farm equipment, paper, appliances, electronics, furniture, motorcycles and clothing. Duties on U.S. steel, aluminum and iron doubled to 50%. Ottawa called the move a dollar-for-dollar reply after Washington imposed 50% tariffs and bans on Canadian wine, hockey sticks, dairy, motorcycles and alcohol following the collapse of talks. President Trump also urged a boycott of Bombardier aircraft. Economists say the macroeconomic hit is modest: the new measures affect only a sliver of Canada’s more than $527 billion in 2025 exports to the United States. The damage is concentrated in specific sectors, especially alcohol, and in business uncertainty. Ottawa has announced support packages for firms and workers. Existing 25% Canadian tariffs on U.S. autos remain in place as the North American trade rift widens. Source: cbc.ca, CNBC
2027 BUDGET TARGETS 3.9% DEFICIT; BUSINESS GROUPS WANT TIGHTER FISCAL DISCIPLINE Mexico’s 2027 economic package projects a public deficit of 3.9% of GDP, down from 5.8% in 2024, and growth of 1.5% to 2.5%. Spending is set at 10.64 trillion pesos (up 1.1% in real terms) and revenues at 10.63 trillion. Tax revenues would rise 3.9% in real terms to 6.2 trillion. Social programs and physical investment each receive 2.6% of GDP. Pemex is projected to post a 95 billion-peso financial surplus, supported by an 81 billion-peso transfer. Tighter fiscal controls would apply to firms with revenues above 50 million pesos. The Business Coordinating Council welcomed the move toward sustainable finances but called for disciplined execution, a broader tax base, a crackdown on evasion and fixes at state firms. Coparmex praised the absence of new general tax hikes yet warned of extra pressure on some companies and said it will watch security spending. It backed SME incentives, noting small firms account for about 70% of formal jobs. Source: ElEconomisa., MSVNoticias
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Legislative and Regulatory Issues: LABOR
LABOR II
ENVIRONMENT
INITIATIVE WITH DRAFT DECREE BY WHICH FRACTION IX OF ARTICLE 15 OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY LAW AND FRACTION VII OF ARTICLE 132 OF THE FEDERAL LABOR LAW ARE AMENDED
INITIATIVE WITH DRAFT DECREE BY WHICH VARIOUS PROVISIONS OF THE FEDERAL LABOR LAW ARE AMENDED AND ADDED
INITIATIVE WITH DRAFT DECREE BY WHICH VARIOUS PROVISIONS OF THE GENERAL LAW ON ECOLOGICAL BALANCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ARE AMENDED
Submitted by: Sen. Ana Karen Hernández Aceves (PT)
Purpose: To harmonize the Social Security Law and the Federal Labor Law in order to establish as an obligation of employers the issuance and delivery, in the case of workers with a permanent or regular position, and of temporary or casual urban or rural workers, of a written certificate of the number of days worked and the wages received, weekly or biweekly, according to the periods worked and in accordance with what the respective regulations establish .
Submitted by: Sen. Emmanuel Reyes Carmona (MORENA)
Purpose: To establish the right of workers to digital disconnection outside their working hours, as well as during rest days, vacations, leaves, and licenses. During those periods they shall not be required to attend to, respond to, or carry out calls, messages, emails, communications, instructions, or requests related to the performance of their services, made through electronic devices, digital applications, technological platforms, or any other means of remote communication.
Presented by: Sen. Gilberto Hernández Villafuerte (SLP PVEM) Purpose: In the case of works and activities that require authorization from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, it is established that the Ministry must analyze and consider the opinions, comments, and proposals submitted by interested parties during the public consultation process, and issue a reasoned and well-founded response regarding them.
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