9. Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Abstract

The CEC was created in 1994 under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), concluded by Canada, Mexico, and the United States as a side agreement to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). On 1 July 2020, the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) entered into force in the three countries. The Environmental Cooperation Agreement (ECA) took effect upon entry into force of the USMCA. The USMCA and ECA replace NAFTA and NAAEC, respectively, and serve as the new framework agreements for the continuation of the CEC under the modalities previously in place. The CEC’s mission is to facilitate collaboration among the three countries and encourage public participation to foster conservation, protection, and enhancement of the North American environment. The CEC is composed of a Council, Secretariat, and Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC). The Council is composed of cabinet-level environmental officials from each of the ECA Parties. It governs the CEC, defines the strategic priorities for collaborative work, and approves the overall program and budget. The CEC Secretariat is headquartered in Montreal. It is headed by an executive director, who oversees implementation of a cooperative work program on North American environmental matters and the processing of public submissions on enforcement matters. A nine-member JPAC acts as an advisory body to the Council on matters within the scope of the ECA (more information can be found at ˂https://www.cec.org>).