5. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

In 2017, NAFTA was largely occupied by the challenges of re-negotiation talks initiated by the United States and uncertainty over the future of NAFTA as a regional organization. At the NAFTA dispute settlement, the developments were mostly procedural in nature with no major award having environmental implications. This report reviews the developments in the NAFTA renegotiations, with a specific focus on the environment, and summarizes developments in dispute settlements. On 18 May, the Trump administration notified Congress that the president intended to renegotiate NAFTA. In the statement of objectives for the initiation of NAFTA negotiations, the US Trade Representative (USTR) noted that ‘the US President believes that NAFTA has not been a good deal for many American workers and businesses.’ Thus, serious effort was made to renegotiate the Agreement ‘to update its provisions to the best 21st century standards and rebalance the benefits of the deal so that each country succeeds’ (Office of the USTR, Summary of the Objectives for the Initiation of NAFTA Negotiations (17 July 2017) ). The first negotiating round was held in Washington, DC, on 16–20 August.