Trade Cases

North American Steel Producers Release Industry Priorities for NAFTA

June 5, 2017

Six leading steel groups in Canada, Mexico and the United States are today urging their respective governments to ensure that negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) include key tenets that would result in growing consumption of steel in North America and increasing intra-NAFTA trade and market share for NAFTA producers.

In a joint policy statement that they have sent to their respective governments, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA), the Canadian Steel Producers Association (CSPA), CANACERO (the Mexican steel association), the Committee on Pipe and Tube Imports (CPTI) and the Specialty Steel Industry of North America (SSINA) outlined five recommendations for upgrading NAFTA. They include:

Strengthening rules of origin and enhanced regional value content requirements;
Promoting trade enforcement cooperation and coordination;
Establishing enforceable currency disciplines;
Establishing disciplines on the conduct of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs); and,
Improving customs procedures operation and coordination; and upgrading border infrastructure.

“NAFTA has provided significant benefits to U.S., Canadian and Mexican steel industries. It has resulted in strengthened North American manufacturing supply chains, especially with key customer groups like the North American automotive industry. It has contributed to increases in exports, investments, and helped the steel industry remain globally competitive. While we view NAFTA as a successful agreement, after 23 years it can be modernized and strengthened,” the groups stated. “We welcome the opportunity to work with our respective governments to re-examine and modernize the agreement.”

(Note: The above is a press release from the six associations; the text of the joint statement can be accessed here.)