The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was inspired by the success of the European Economic Community (1957-93) in eliminating tariffs to stimulate trade among its members. Proponents argued that creating a free trade area in North America would bring prosperity by increasing trade and production, which would create millions of well-paying jobs in all participating countries. (c) all discriminatory surcharges on distilled spirit drinks shall be eliminated immediately on the date of entry into force of this Agreement. Differential increases on the costs of service referred to in point (a) shall be permitted. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a treaty between the United States, Canada and Mexico; it entered into force on 1 January 1994. (Free trade had existed between the United States. and Canada since 1989; NAFTA expanded this agreement.) On that day, the three countries became the largest free market in the world – the combined economies of the three nations at that time were worth $6 trillion and directly affected more than 365 million people. NAFTA was created to remove barriers to agriculture, production and services; removing investment restrictions; and the protection of intellectual property rights. This should be done taking into account environmental and labour concerns (although many observers have been at the expense of the three governments since the entry into force of the agreement have been negligent in ensuring measures to protect the environment and safety at work). Small businesses were among those expected to benefit most from the reduction of trade barriers, as it would make it cheaper to operate in Mexico and Canada and reduce bureaucracy for importing or exporting goods. On January 29, 2020, President Donald Trump signed the agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Canada has yet to pass it in its parliamentary body starting in January 2020. Mexico was the first country to ratify the agreement in 2019. Supporters supported NAFTA because it opened Up Mexican markets to U.S. companies like never before. The Mexican market is growing rapidly, which promises more export opportunities, which, in turn, means more jobs. However, proponents have struggled to convince the American public that NAFTA will do more good than harm. Their main efforts have focused on convincing citizens that all consumers benefit from as wide a choice as possible of products at the lowest possible price, which means that consumers would be the biggest beneficiaries of the reduced trade barriers. ==The Chamber of Commerce, which represents the interests of small businesses, has been one of the most active supporters of NAFTA and has organized the owners and employees of small and medium-sized enterprises to support the agreement. This support was key to countering the efforts of the organized workforce to end the deal. Controversy over the treaty`s environmental provisions remained high in the late 1990s. Indeed, North American trade interests have attempted to weaken an important NAFTA secondary agreement on environmental protection and enforcement. This agreement – one of the few provisions welcomed by environmental groups – allows groups and ordinary citizens to accuse Member States of failing to enforce their own environmental laws.

A trinational commission for environmental cooperation is responsible for investigating these allegations and making public reports. .