FORMATION OF THE NORTH-AMERICAN FREE-TRADE AGREEMENT (NAFTA)

Development of both productivity and the technological progress lead - in the world-wide economy - to the formation of integration blocks of the individual national economies. The internal character of the integration block reflects the degree of economic development of its participants and predetermines the quality of their cooperation. Present international economic relations recognize the formation of three economic centres in the world: European Communities, North-American region and Japan followed by the far-east countries. The formation of the North-American integration group possess some characteristic features not present in the other blocks. Its special characteristics are derived from the close integration of relatively balanced economies of the USA and Canada to which Mexico, being one of the newly industrialized Latin-American countries, is to be joined in the course of 15 years. The integration of these countries might be hindered by many obstacles that should be tackled with in the sphere of agriculture, textile, metal and automobile industries primarily. For the final desicion about the existence of the NAFTA a crucial problem remains to be solved, namely the problem of human resources and ecology.