Among the major activities carried out by the Association we want to emphasize those related to the energy sector, which concentrated mainly on the continuation of our struggle to achieve the competitiveness that our industry needs so much.

To this effect, a strategy was followed for working closer with key legislators who are members of the Energy, Treasury and Economy Committees in the Chamber of Deputies and also with key legislators in the Energy, Treasury and Trade and Industrial Promotion Committees in the Senate. During these meetings we were able to position the industry and particularly, some alternatives were presented to boost the energy sector in view of the Energy Reform proposed by the President of Mexico.

As a result of the presence and positions expressed by the Association during the months that preceded the passing of the Energy Reform, as President of ANIQ I had the opportunity of participating in the Consultation Forums organized by the Senate.

During my appearance I emphasized the current situation of the energy sector and at the same time I submitted very specific actions to encourage investment and competitiveness in the sectors related to refining, natural gas and basic petrochemical products.

In addition, the Association participated in several meetings with the three major political parties in the country. At that time we submitted our proposals to boost competitiveness in the industry.

There is no doubt that in 2008 the global economic environment was affected by the world economic contraction of markets. The commercial flow of chemical products was substantially impacted, especially with respect to Mexico's exports to its major trade partners, thus reducing the growth of trade in the chemical industry.

In this economic slowdown scenario, ANIQ played a fundamental role in the establishment of negotiation strategies through which the foundations were laid down to protect domestic production and further its development.

As the result of the negotiations held with the Ministry of Economy with respect to the bill submitted by the President of Mexico for tariff decrease, ANIQ reached some agreements for the implementation of mechanisms that promote competitiveness in the chemical industry and that will mitigate the impact on domestic production.

The above mentioned agreements base their feasibility on the establishment and operations of tools such as the implementation of a competitiveness program, the permanent monitoring of imports of sensitive products, the timely follow-up of unfair trade practices and the establishment of safeguards.

With respect to other areas, the Association maintained the impetus of the Responsible Care Management System (SARI, its acronym in Spanish), that has been very successful in other countries. Its purpose is to further sustainable development in two aspects: make Responsible Care a means that will enable companies to achieve a competitive advantage and take such commitment to the value chain of the chemical industry.

As a result of this effort, on April 1st of last year in the National Consultative Commission for the Standardization of Safety and Hygiene, an agreement was signed with the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS, its acronym in Spanish) whereby Responsible Care is officially recognized as a system that complies with the criteria applicable to safety and health management systems in the workplace.

With this Coordination Agreement, the STPS commits itself to grant the recognition of “Safe Company” in third level to all companies integrated to the system that meet the requirements of the Ministry. An additional benefit is that the Ministry refrains from carrying out, on a regular basis, inspections of the General Conditions of Safety and Hygiene in the Workplace to all companies that are members of ANIQ after they adopt SARI.

Finally, I want to express my gratitude to the Board of Directors, to the Executive Commission and to each and all members of ANIQ for your confidence during my term presiding over the Association, a highly professional entity that clearly represents the chemical sector established in Mexico.