WATERVILLE —  Colby College and the Camden Conference plan to host a wide-ranging discussion about the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), the updated version of the nearly 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

The talk will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, in the Schair Swenson Watson Alumni Center, on Mayflower Hill Drive.

This event is free and open to all.

The agreement brings major impactful changes on vehicles, labor and environmental standards, intellectual property protections, and digital trade, according to a news release from Colby Professor Patrice Franko.

Andreas Waldkirch, chair of Colby’s economics department and the Mitchell Family professor of economics, and Andrew I. Rudman, director of the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute, will discuss USMCA’s impact on North American trade, global supply chains, and opportunities for building resilience in these strained systems through nearshoring — doing business with companies that are cheaper and closer to home.

Moderated by Patrice Franko, Grossman professor of economics and global studies, this event is hosted by Colby College and the Camden Conference in anticipation of the 36th annual Camden Conference — Global Trade and Politics: Managing Turbulence.

Karin Look, president of the Camden Conference Board of Directors, will open the event with a brief look toward the February 2023 conference.

For more information, visit camdenconference.org.

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