During his visit to Mexico at the end

 of April 2002, Commissioner Lamy reviewed the progress achieved

 in EU-Mexico trade relations following the conclusion of the EU-Mexico

 Free Trade Area agreement in 2000. He highlighted how:

• in the 1990s trade links had declined, with
   the EU's share of Mexican trade falling from nearly 11% in 1991
   to only 6% in 1999;
• the Mexican-EU agreement had been a major
   breakthrough, since it was the quickest and most comprehensive
   agreement the EU had then signed;
• the FTA covered trade in goods, services,
   public procurement, intellectual property and competition issues;
• since the entry into force of the agreement
   EU exports to Mexico have increased 33% while Mexican exports
   to the EU have increased 50%;
• the EU's share of total Mexican trade has
   increased 20%;
• currently 82% of Mexican industrial product
   enters the EU market duty free, while duty is no longer paid on
   50% of European exports to Mexico;
• overall Mexico is now the EU's second biggest
   trading partner in Latin America.

Overall Commissioner Lamy concluded that the

 FTA agreement had allowed the EU to establish its proper position

 in trade with Mexico 'neutralising the distorting impact of NAFTA'.