U.S. officials push for 5-year termination clause in NAFTA renegotiation
The United States is seeking to insert a so-called sunset clause into a new NAFTA, a controversial proposal that would automatically terminate the deal after five years unless all three member countries agree to extend it.
That idea has been quietly floated for months by U.S. officials who finally made it public Thursday.
It prompted swift resistance. Canadian and Mexican officials brushed it off almost as soon as it was publicly revealed, calling it a bad idea that would create economic instability and scare businesses away from long-term investments.
The priority was announced by Donald Trump’s commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross. He confirmed the U.S. will seek some automatic-termination clause to ensure the agreement can be constantly reevaluated and improved.
“The five-year thing is a real thing that would force a systematic re-examination,” Ross told a forum organized by the website Politico. “You’d have a forum for trying to fix things.”
Ross said U.S. trade czar Robert Lighthizer, who is leading the NAFTA talks for his country, agrees with him that it’s a good idea. But Ross conceded it’s unclear the other NAFTA countries will ever accept it.
He reiterated his goal of reaching a deal by the end of wthe year. Afterwards, he said, it will become harder to nail down a deal in 2018 as Mexico and the U.S. have national elections, the U.S. fast-track law is up for renewal and Canada has provincial elections. If there’s no deal, he said the president is serious that he might terminate NAFTA.
“It’s a very real thing,” Ross said of the president’s threat. “But it is not the preferred option.”
Canada’s David MacNaughton told reporters he’s been hearing this idea for months in closeddoor chats. He said he’s never understood the logic behind it, since NAFTA already has a clause allowing any country to withdraw if it really wants to.
But an automatic-sunset clause is designed for something you intend to end, like a law designed to expire, MacNaughton said. That’s the opposite of a trade agreement — whose inherent goal, he said, is to project long-term predictability.