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Skriven 2005-06-20 23:54:14 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0506205) for Mon, 2005 Jun 20
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The United States and the European Union Initiative to Enhance
Transatlantic Economic Integration and Growth
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For Immediate Release
June 20, 2005

The United States and the European Union Initiative to Enhance
Transatlantic Economic Integration and Growth


ÿÿÿÿÿInitiative to Enhance Transatlantic Economic Integration and Growth
Annex
ÿÿÿÿÿEnergy Security, Energy Efficiency, Renewables and Economic
Development

At the 2004 Dromoland Summit, we committed to finding ways to:
  þ further transatlantic economic integration,
  þ spur innovation and job creation, and
  þ realize the competitive potential of our economies.

We called on our businesses and citizens to join in a vigorous discussion
and directed our senior officials to explore means to eliminate impediments
to further economic integration and to develop a forward-looking strategy
to enhance our economic partnership. We thank all who participated in our
discussions and who contributed hundreds of written submissions and
comments.

These consultations underscored that our citizens desire to have access to
the widest possible range of goods and services while enjoying the
protection of high public health, environment and safety standards.
Stakeholders called for stronger collaboration between our regulatory
authorities to minimize unnecessary regulatory divergences. They asked us
to promote the efficient and safe flow of people and products across the
Atlantic, stressed the benefits of further integration of our capital
markets and called for protection of intellectual property rights. They
asked us to facilitate investment, make progress on services, improve
procurement opportunities, further cooperation in competition policy, and
stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship in areas ranging from basic
research to business startups, so that our businesses remain competitive in
the global economy.

A Forward-Looking Agenda

By removing the impediments to trade and investment, increasing integration
of markets, and enabling more dynamic private commercial activity, we seek
to enhance economic growth and innovation across the Atlantic, make
progress towards integration of the transatlantic market and strengthen our
joint leadership in the global economy. We know this will be a multi-year
effort and seek regular reports on progress. We are actively engaged in
addressing many aspects of this work in the multilateral trade
liberalization negotiations of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and we
support early and ambitious conclusions to Doha Development Agenda by the
end of 2006. For this purpose and in order to fully realize the development
dimension of this crucial WTO round, we re-iterate our utmost commitment to
achieve by this year's Hong Kong Ministerial ambitious and balanced
progress in the areas of market access for trade in industrial and
agricultural products, services, as well as in the multilateral rule making
agenda.

To expand economic opportunity, promote prosperity, and maintain the health
and safety of our peoples, the United States and the European Union will
work together to:
  þ promote regulatory cooperation and establish a high-level Regulatory
    Cooperation Forum;
  þ stimulate open and competitive capital markets;
  þ spur innovation and technological development by promoting cooperation
    in a wide range of areas, including research and development, space,
    education and exchanges, information and communications technologies,
    and health and medical technologies;
  þ enhance trade and transport security while facilitating the movement of
    people and goods;
  þ develop and help disseminate energy efficiency technologies;
  þ support effective protection and enforcement of intellectual property
    rights, at home and abroad, in line with the highest international
    standards;
  þ take measures to facilitate investment flows that contribute to
    sustained economic growth;
  þ explore ways to exchange certain confidential information in
    international competition cases;
  þ improve transatlantic procurement opportunities; and
  þ reinforce cooperation on services (mutual recognition of professional
    qualifications and aviation).

Initial work we will undertake is described in more detail in the Annex to
this Declaration.

Ensuring Coordination and Measuring Success

We look to our senior levels of government to carry forward the tasks we
have outlined in this Declaration. We encourage them to meet regularly with
their transatlantic counterparts to establish work programs, review
progress, and advance areas of cooperation we have agreed on today. These
work programs should be developed in the next six months and include
objectives and timelines to help measure progress. Those responsible will
report to leaders at each U.S.-EU Summit on progress made under this
initiative. Taking into account our strengthening global partnership, we
will keep under continuous review the strategic priorities and structures
of our dialogues to ensure they are fully adapted to meet the challenges
ahead.

Promoting Legislative Cooperation

Recognizing the importance of our respective legislatures in furthering
transatlantic integration, we encourage legislators on both sides of the
Atlantic (including the Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue) to meet
regularly, notably to discuss economic policy issues and regulatory
matters, with a particular focus on their potential transatlantic impact.

Continuing Stakeholder Consultations

Many of the ideas we are pursuing to promote transatlantic economic
integration stem from the stakeholder consultation process launched at the
2004 Summit, and we will continue to consult regularly with stakeholders on
both sides of the Atlantic, including through the Transatlantic Business
Dialogue and the Transatlantic Consumers Dialogue.

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