Brasília, November 21, 2002 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Representatives of workers, businessmen, and the governments of Brazil and Mexico are meeting tomorrow (22) to assess the impact of NAFTA on the Mexican economy. The objective is to evaluate what might happen to the Brazilian economy as the result of an agreement with the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).

Nevertheless, the minister of Development, Industry, and Foreign Trade, Sérgio Amaral, emphasized that the two cases are not identical. Prior to NAFTA, 85% of Mexico's trade was with the US, whereas only 25% of Brazil's exports are destined for the US. "There was already great integration between the Mexican and American economies," the minister commented.

According to Amaral, Mexico's entrance into NAFTA was like the marriage of a couple who already live together. "In our case, we are not even dating. So it is much more difficult to imagine the impact," Amaral says. (DAS)