G20 Trade Ministers Meet in the US as Mexico’s Ebrard Talks With Washington and the EU
ECONOMY · MEXICO
Key Facts
- —The country Mexico sends most of its exports to the United States under the USMCA, the North American trade pact now under formal review.
- —What happened Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard arrived in Milwaukee for the G20 trade ministers’ meeting on 30 September and 1 October 2026, Mexico’s Economy Secretariat said. He has already met Greer.
- —Who is involved Host Jamieson Greer, the US Trade Representative, and Maroš Šefčovič, the EU trade commissioner. The G20 covers about 85% of world output and 75% of trade (Economy Secretariat).
- —What it means for you Mexican cars still pay a 25% US tariff, against 15% for European, Japanese and Korean cars (AMIA, 29 September). Any relief would reach exporters, auto jobs and prices.
- —Still open What Ebrard and Greer agreed, if anything. The fourth USMCA negotiating round has slipped to October with no date published.
G20 trade ministers opened two days of talks in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday 30 September, with Mexico at the table. Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, who leads Mexico’s trade policy, arrived to join the plenary sessions and meet key partners.
The United States holds the rotating G20 presidency this year, and its trade representative, Jamieson Greer, is the host. For Mexico the timing is awkward: its own trade negotiations with Washington are still open, and several US tariffs still bite.
Who Ebrard is meeting
Mexico’s Economy Secretariat, which runs trade and industry policy, said Ebrard would meet representatives of the country’s main trading partners. El Sol de México and Por Esto reported that Greer is among them.
The meeting has taken place: La Silla Rota reported that the two men met in Milwaukee, and Infobae ran a photo from Ebrard’s X account of him receiving Greer. The secretariat has not said what they discussed, and no joint statement had been published by Wednesday afternoon.
Ebrard is also due to hold talks with Maroš Šefčovič, the European Commission’s trade chief, Infobae reported. Mexico is trying to widen its trade ties beyond North America, Por Esto noted.
What is on the G20 agenda
The Office of the US Trade Representative set three themes for the meeting, according to El Sol de México. They are excess industrial capacity, forced labour in supply chains and changes to the most-favoured-nation principle.
Wednesday morning also brought a ministerial session of the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity. The overcapacity debate matters to Mexico because its steel, car and electronics plants are tightly linked with US and Canadian factories.
Analysts do not expect a deal. “Don’t expect any breakthroughs in Milwaukee,” Josh Lipsky of the Atlantic Council told AFP, as reported by France 24.
AFP reported that Washington is investigating 16 partners over excess capacity, which could lead to new tariffs. Greer told a roundtable on Tuesday that the administration “is not anti-trade”.
Why cars and steel matter to Mexico
The meeting falls in the middle of the review of the USMCA, the trade pact between Mexico, the United States and Canada. Infobae reported that Ebrard linked the delay of the fourth negotiating round to his Washington and Milwaukee commitments.
That round had been expected in late September, as set out in US-Mexico Trade Talks Resume Monday: What Expats Need to Know. It is now due in October, with no date published.
AMIA, the Mexican carmakers’ association, set out the car gap to El Universal on 29 September. Mexican vehicles pay a 25% US tariff, against 15% for European, Japanese and South Korean cars.
There is a cushion: importers can claim back the share of US-made content in each vehicle. AMIA wants a 15% rate that also discounts North American content, leaving an effective duty of about 4% to 5%.
Investment has kept flowing despite the tariffs, as Mexico Nearshoring Explained: Record FDI, the USMCA Review and What Could Stop It sets out. The risk is that a long stalemate slowly erodes that advantage.
What Is Not Yet Known
It is not known whether Ebrard and Greer discussed the car or steel tariffs in Milwaukee. The Economy Secretariat is expected to report on the bilateral meetings once the ministerial ends.
Greer is due to give a press conference when the meeting closes on Thursday 1 October. AMIA hopes for progress on cars by mid-October, before the US mid-term elections in November.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Marcelo Ebrard Mexico’s foreign minister?
No. He was foreign minister from 2018 to 2023. Since October 2024 he has been Economy Secretary, the post that handles trade negotiations with the United States.
Where and when is the G20 trade ministers’ meeting?
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on 30 September and 1 October 2026. It is hosted by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, as the United States holds the G20 presidency this year.
Will the meeting cut US tariffs on Mexico?
That is unlikely at the meeting itself, which is a multilateral forum. Tariff changes for Mexico are negotiated bilaterally and in the USMCA review, whose next round is due in October.
Sources: El Sol de México, 30 September 2026; Infobae, 30 September 2026; La Silla Rota, 30 September 2026; Por Esto, 30 September 2026; France 24 / AFP, 30 September 2026; El Universal, 29 September 2026. Statements by Mexico’s Economy Secretariat as reported by these outlets.
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