Coparmex expresses concern over extinction of autonomous organizations

Mexico City. The Employers’ Confederation of the Mexican Republic (Coparmex) expressed its “deep concern” regarding the approval of the ruling that extinguishes seven autonomous organizations by the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies.

The private sector organization headed by José Medina Mora indicated that the “measure, justified under the argument of austerity, seriously compromises democratic stability and the balance of powers,” since the organizations that would disappear, if approved by the Plenary, only represent 0.05 percent of the Federation’s Expenditure Budget for 2024.

“The creation of these autonomous bodies is a response to a historic struggle for transparency and accountability in government,” Coparmex said.

He stressed that these bodies are counterweight mechanisms “after decades of Mexico going through regimes that concentrated power in the Executive,” which meant abuse of authority and corruption.

“The elimination of these bodies would not only weaken economic competition, but undermine the fundamental principles of democracy by removing the checks and balances that ensure accountability and the exercise of fundamental rights such as the protection of personal data and access to information,” he said.

He stressed that the INAI has been key to guaranteeing government transparency and access to information, particularly in journalistic investigations.

“The disappearance of INAI represents a setback in the fight against corruption and in the right to privacy and transparency,” he said.

“We express our opposition to the extinction of regulatory bodies such as the Federal Economic Competition Commission (Cofece), the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) and the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT), whose work is essential to guarantee fair economic competition and protect the well-being of consumers,” he said.

“These bodies are crucial to prevent market concentration and promote economic development,” he stressed.

He commented that autonomous bodies perform essential functions that require specialization and contribute to streamlining the tasks of the State.

He added that their autonomy is based on the need for them to be able to function and make decisions independently of political cycles, thus avoiding conflicts of interest in their actions and decisions.

“These bodies function as effective counterweights and defense tools for the

citizenship against possible abuses of power,” said Coparmex.

The private sector organization called on legislators to reflect on the serious consequences that the disappearance of these autonomous organizations would have for democracy and social welfare in Mexico.

Coparmex has been the only private initiative organization that has expressed a position on the issue so far, as the Confederation of Industrial Chambers said it had previously expressed its point of view.