Mexican Business Leaders Applaud Investment Facilitation; Warn of Security and Legal Certainty Gaps

The Mexican private sector has responded positively to the government's recent initiative to streamline investment processes, acknowledging the reduction in red tape and enhanced fiscal flexibility as significant steps forward. Leaders from Coparmex and Concanaco-Servytur, representing a broad spectrum of businesses, have lauded these measures as "positive" and "very good," recognizing the government's effort to create a more conducive environment for both domestic and foreign capital.

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it is a very good announcement to streamline the procedures that are long and costly, as well as the announcement that there will be clear rules for tax audits, among others.

However, the optimism is tempered with a dose of realism. While the business community appreciates the move towards clearer rules for tax audits and the simplification of lengthy, costly procedures, they are keenly awaiting the practical application of these policies. More critically, persistent concerns regarding national security and legal certainty remain paramount. These are not new issues, but they are fundamental prerequisites for sustained investment, and their resolution is seen as crucial for Mexico's economic growth.

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for investment to happen, three conditions are required: security, certainty, and energy; with the plan announced today, there will be progress because renewable energy generation will increase, but two pending issues remain.

Coparmex President Juan José Sierra specifically pointed out that investment requires three core conditions: security, certainty, and energy. While the new plan addresses energy generation, particularly through renewable sources, the critical elements of security and legal certainty still require substantial attention. The call for improvements in legal certainty includes suggestions for an independent committee to vet judicial candidates and for clear legal criteria for the Financial Intelligence Unit's account freezes, which are viewed as essential complements to the announced reforms.

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there were regulations that extended response times, and that generated a direct problem for investment that was already in national territory, but also for that which sought to position itself in our country.

Concanaco-Servytur President Octavio de la Torre echoed these sentiments, noting that previous regulatory delays directly impacted investment. He welcomed the creation of a Single Window for Foreign Trade, which aims to integrate key government systems, but cautioned against mistaking digitalization for genuine simplification. The business sector's engagement in providing data on bottlenecks and procedures demonstrates their commitment to collaborating with the government, but the ultimate success hinges on effective execution and a holistic approach that addresses all critical investment factors.

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everything that was announced about reducing procedures, response times, flexibility in the SAT, a single window for foreign trade, the energy issue, among others, that is positive, we have to see how it is executed, but in principle there is already work that we have seen because they asked us for information on procedures, times, where the bottlenecks are, and a map was even created where all the conjunctures and coincidences were established.