Promoting competitiveness: Committee presents policy recommendations to Fox.(AMCHAM AT WORK)

Continuing to push forward its agenda for improving Mexico's global competitiveness, AMERICAN CHAMBER/MEXICO recently presented a series of policy recommendations to Dr. Eduardo Sojo, the head of President Fox's Office for Public Policy. The early April meeting of the Quadripartite Committee for North American Competitiveness at Los Pinos brought together the Mexican and U.S. governments along with AMCHAM and the Mexican private sector, represented by the Consejo Coordinador Empresarial (CCE).

During the previous four months, a high-level working group of AMCHAM and CCE executives collaborated in an effort to develop recommendations designed to increase Mexico's attractiveness as a destination for foreign direct investment. Taking advantage of the opportunity to speak directly with Dr. Sojo and representatives of the Economy, Foreign Relations and Finance Secretariats, as well as the heads of the Federal Regulatory Improvement and Competition Commissions, Chamber leaders presented their recommendations and discussed steps for their implementation.

Among the concrete actions that AMCHAM recommended were several designed to create a more competitive transportation and logistics industry. These included ideas about providing financing for modernization of the nation's trucking fleet, investing in railroad infrastructure, fostering multimodal transportation and redefining the role of the customs broker.

Other recommendations were focused on regulatory improvement and simplification; specifically, suggestions designed to make it easier to open a business and comply with regulatory obligations. Also, the working group recommended the promotion and use of international standards, as well as creating certified company programs in administrative and regulatory matters.

Other AMCHAM/CCE working groups presented preliminary reports on the development of recommendations designed to address Customs reform, the opening of the energy sector, dealing with concerns about the rule of law and adopting information technology initiatives throughout the country's private and public sectors.

Gary Deaton (gdeaton@amcham.com.mx) is AMCHAM's National Director of Services.

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