Norway seeks to modernise 25-year-old trade agreement with Mexico

“Mexico is an important trading partner for Norway, but our trade agreement is 25 years old. Much has changed since it entered into force. We want a modern agreement that better supports trade and Norwegian businesses,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide.

The free trade agreement between Mexico and the EFTA countries Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland was signed in 2000 and entered into force the following year. Work to modernise the agreement began in 2016, but there has been a long break in negotiations. The EFTA countries and Mexico have now agreed to resume this work.

“An updated agreement will strengthen our cooperation with Mexico, an important foreign policy partner for Norway in Latin America. At a time when the international trading system is under pressure, trade agreements help maintain rules-based economic relations. This benefits small, open economies like Norway’s,” said Eide.

The current agreement provides duty-free access for industrial goods and almost all Norwegian seafood products. A modernised agreement will improve conditions for trade in services, investment and digital trade, and update provisions on the environment, sustainability and labour rights.

Trade in goods between Norway and Mexico totalled around NOK 7.3 billion in 2025. Norway exported goods worth NOK 2.2 billion and imported goods worth NOK 5.1 billion. Fertilisers, seafood, nickel, machinery and machine parts are among Norway’s main exports to Mexico.