Open Source Content Management

On July 27, 2020, the Regulation of Sanitary Control for the Medical Production, Research and Use of Cannabis and its Pharmacological Derivatives was published on the webpage of the National Regulatory Improvement Commission (CONAMER). Its primary purpose would be to establish the sanitary regulation, control, promotion and oversight of the raw material, molecular compounds, pharmacological derivatives and medicines of cannabis for production, scientific, industrial and medical purposes.

On July 24, 2020, the “Ruling concluding the suspension of the time periods in the proceedings carried out before the National Hydrocarbons Commission (“CNH”)” (the “Ruling”), was published in the Official Federal Gazette (“DOF”).

On July 16, 2020 and, subsequently, on July 24, 2020, the official communications SS/17/2020 and SS/19/2020, respectively, issued by the Plenary of the Superior Chamber of the Mexican Court of Administrative Justice (TFJA), were published in the Official Federal Gazette (DOF), in which the suspension of activities and terms was extended due to the health contingency caused by COVID-19.

Today a draft inter-institutional ruling among the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Health and the Federal Consumer Protection Agency (PROFECO) was published on the webpage of the National Regulatory Improvement Commission (CONAMER), related to the verification of compliance with the modification of the “NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010, General labeling specifications for prepackaged food and non-alcoholic beverages-commercial and health information”, which would require the inclusion of a new front warning label system on prepackaged food and non-alcoholic beverages beginning on October 1, 2020.

On July 22, the President of Mexico announced the presentation of a bill reforming the Social Security Law, in order to strengthen the Pension System through an increase in the amount of the pensions and an increase in the percentage of workers that will have access to a guaranteed pension.

Yesterday the Commission of Labor and Social Welfare, and of Legislative Studies of the Chamber of Deputies approved the bill reforming and adding various provisions to the Federal Labor Law regarding Telework, which has become relevant due to the health emergency we are experiencing and was not included in the labor reform of May 1, 2019.

Today, it was published in the Official Federal Gazette (“DOF”) the Ruling by which the suspension of legal terms for the National Energy Control Center (“CENACE”) is extended for the fifth time (the “Ruling”).

On July 3, 2020, a new official communication issued by the Mexican Industrial Property Institute (IMPI) was published in the Official Federal Gazette (DOF) establishing the following, among other things:

The Standards Office (DGN) and the Federal Commission for Protection from Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS), published on the page of the National Commission for Regulatory Improvement (CONAMER) the draft of the “Ruling establishing the criteria for the implementation, verification and oversight, as well as the evaluation of conformance with the Amendment of the Official Mexican Standard NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010, General labeling specifications for prepackaged food and non-alcoholic beverages-Commercial and health information, published in the Official Federal Gazette on March 27, 2020 (Implementation Ruling).”

As part of the process of implementing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), in force as of July 1, 2020, the enactment of a new General Import and Export Taxes Act (GIETA) and amendments to the Customs Act (CA) was published in the Official Federal Gazette.

On July 1st,2020, the National Water Commission (“CONAGUA”) published in the Federal Official Gazette the “Ruling establishing temporary and extraordinary measures to guarantee the supply of National Waters to population centers for domestic and public urban use, in light of the health emergency generated by the SARS-Cov-2 (COVID-19)” (“Ruling”).

The Board of the Commission in its session held on June 25, which was published in the Official Gazette on June 30,1 decided that the initial (March 23 to April 17), the second (April 20 to April 30), the third (May 6 to May 29), the fourth (June 1 to June 12) and the fifth (June 15 to June 30) suspension of terms will be extended. In this regard and effective as of July 1, all times and terms will be suspended until July 10, 2020, excepting those related to merger control procedures and the issuance of opinions or decisions in the granting of licenses, concessions, permits and similar procedures.

In preparation for the entrance into force of the Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican States and Canada (USMCA) on July 1, 2020, today the promulgating executive order was published in the Official Federal Gazette, which contains the full text of the agreement, its Protocol of Amendment and various parallel agreement.

On December 9, 2019, the “Decree amending the Income Tax Law, the Value Added Tax Law, the Special Tax on Production and Services Law, and the Federal Tax Code” was published in the Official Federal Gazette” (“Decree”). Among other modifications, article 27 of the Federal Tax Code (“CFF”) was reformed incorporating four parts with various sections.

Today, June 17, 2020, the official communication SS/14/2020, issued by the Plenary of the Superior Chamber of the Mexican Court of Administrative Justice (TFJA) was published in the Official Federal Gazette (DOF), which extended the suspension of activities and terms, and therefore said Court will remain closed and the deadlines will be suspended until June 30, 2020.

Today, the “Fourth Ruling modifying the first article of the Ruling that declares the suspension of the time periods in proceedings carried out before the Administrative Units of the National Energy Control Center (“CENACE”)”, from Thursday, March 26 through Sunday, April 19, 2020”. (the “Ruling”), was published in the Official Federal Gazette.

The Board of the Commission in its session held on June 8, which was published in the Official Gazette on June 12,1 decided that the initial (March 23 to April 17), the second (April 20 to April 30), the third (May 6 to May 29) and the fourth (June 1 to June 12) suspension of terms will be extended. In this regard and effective as of June 15, all times and terms will be suspended until June 30, 2020, excepting those related to merger control procedures and the issuance of opinions or decisions in the granting of licenses, concessions, permits and similar procedures.

Due to the COVID-19 contingency, on June 11, 2020, the official communication by which the Mexican Copyright Institute (INDAutor) extended the initial suspension of activities and terms that ran from March 26 to June 15, 2020 was published in the Federal Official Journal (DOF). In terms of this new official communication, the INDAutor will remain closed and the deadlines will be suspended until further notice.

On June 8, 2020, the Plenary of the Federal Judicial Council (“CJF”) entered the Decrees 12/2020, 13/2020 and 14/2020 (“CJF Decrees”) which state the work structure that the Federal Judiciary will adopt during the period from June 15-30, 2020, and also address the electronic processing of proceedings.

Last June 6, 2020 Mexico joined the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs.

Beginning on June 6, 2020, the national petitioners may make use of the Hague System to protect their industrial drawings and models in the territories of up to 89 countries, through a single international petition and the payment of a set of fees. Foreign petitioners now have the option of selecting Mexico to protect their industrial drawings and models under the Hague System.