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The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is a trade agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada. It was signed on November 30, 2018, and entered into force on July 1, 2020. The USMCA replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which had been in effect since 1994.
The USMCA aims to improve trade between the three countries through:
Some benefits of this agreement include increased trade and improved labor standards.
Key differences from NAFTA include stricter rules for automobile manufacturing, such as increased regional value content requirements and wage regulations. USMCA also introduced provisions for digital trade, reflecting the significant growth of e-commerce since NAFTA's establishment in 1994. Improved labor and environmental protections are embedded, and more access to the Canadian dairy market for U.S. farmers has been granted. Furthermore, the USMCA added a 16-year "sunset" clause for automatic expiry (with a review every six years), and revamped the dispute settlement mechanism, enhancing its effectiveness.
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