On July 12, 2019, the 2019-2024 National Development Plan (Plan Nacional de Desarrollo, “PND”) was published in the Federal Official Gazette (Diario Oficial de la Federación, “DOF”). The PND’s purpose is to specify the national objectives, strategy, and priorities for Mexico’s comprehensive, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable development.

The principal regional projects that will be implemented during this six-year period are described below:

• The Mayan Train. This infrastructure project will have a route spanning 1,525 km and will be built through the states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo. It will connect the main cities and tourism sites of the Yucatan Peninsula, have 15 stations, and require an investment MX$120-150 billion from public, private, and social sources.
• Felipe Angeles Airport in Santa Lucia. This project will add to the airport infrastructure of the country’s central region, and a third terminal to Mexico City’s Benito Juárez International Airport will be built. The environmental impact authorization procedure of the project was favorably resolved by the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales) on July 17, 2019. However, it is important to mention that several Amparos have been filed, for which (in some cases) federal judges have ordered the definitive suspension of the works, since the project still does not have all of the environmental authorizations required in addition to the environmental impact authorization.
• Program for the Development of the Tehuantepec Isthmus. This project aims to modernize the Tehuantepec Isthmus railway, and the ports of Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz, and Salina Cruz in Oaxaca; and to offer cargo, transport, storage, and packaging services, promoting the growth of the regional economy while respecting the history, culture, and traditions of the Isthmus of Oaxaca and Veracruz.
• Several programs focused on achieving food self-sufficiency and rescuing Mexico’s agricultural activity, i.e., farming.

To read to full GT Alert on Mexico’s 2019-2024 National Development Plan, click here.