Commercial and International Cultural Cooperation Agreements
Mexico with the objective to promote the supply and reception of international development cooperation has signed a large number of bilateral agreements for educational and cultural cooperation, with countries from all over the world.
Also, regarding the economic sphere and its connection to cultural industries, trade policy has worked in promoting the competitiveness of the Mexican economy in order to achieve sustained economic growth and accelerate job creation, through various international trade agreements and negotiations which the Secretariat of Economy manages. This is in order to liberalize the provision of services, promote and protect investment, facilitate the mobility of people, protect consumers and establish the conditions for fair competition.
In cultural cooperation agreements, the parties agree to grant administrative facilities for the entrance of human resources, goods and services.
In respect of commercial agreements on August 20, 2015, Mexico reported to the World Trade Organization (WTO) the preferential treatment that shall be granted to services and service providers of the least developed countries (LDC). In this notification, Mexico granted preferential treatment in different sectors and modes of supply of particular interest to the LDC's exports, especially in the sector of leisure, culture and sport services, giving preferential treatment in the following areas, however , noted that there is no definition of good or cultural service per se; some of the sectors concerned are the following:
- Entertainment services (including theatre, bands, orchestras and circuses).
- News Agency services.
- Libraries and other cultural services.
- Sports and other leisure services.
Such preferential treatment guaranteed (according to XVI article of the General Agreement on Trade in Services) that the services and service providers of cultural recreation and sports operate in conditions of non-discrimination and prevent Mexico from imposing quantitative restrictions to the provision of service or requirements of a specific type of legal entity or strategic alliance.
Achieve sustained economic growth, accelerate job creation. As well as strengthen the international development cooperation.
The information about budget is not available.
On this regard, the recent trade agreements signed between Mexico and Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua); Panama; the countries of the Pacific Alliance (Chile, Colombia and Peru) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), reflect, throughout their provisions on cross-border services trade, investment and mobility of people, a legal framework favorable for the sector of leisure, cultural and sports services. It is emphasized that the agreements include the obligations contained in the World Trade Organization (WTO).
However, since the statistics on international services trade in Mexico are quite disaggregated and since there is still no definition of good or cultural service in our trade agreements of the last four years, it is not possible to specify the quantitative information of the preferential treatment in commercial matters; however, work is being carried out for the achievement of the coordination of the cultural and economic sectors in order to promote and provide follow-up to the international trade practices of goods and cultural services.