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Skriven 2006-03-31 23:33:50 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0603311) for Fri, 2006 Mar 31
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The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America: Next Steps
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 31, 2006

The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America: Next Steps



The three leaders of North America agreed to advance the agenda of the
Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) by focusing on
five high priority initiatives:

The North American Competitiveness Council. Increasing private sector
engagement in the SPP by adding high-level business input will assist
governments in enhancing North America's competitive position and engage
the private sector as partners in finding solutions. The Council will:
  þ Consider issues that could be addressed trilaterally or bilaterally, as
    improvements in our bilateral relationships enhance North American
    competitiveness.
  þ Address issues of immediate importance and provide strategic medium and
    long-term advice.
  þ Provide input on the compatibility of our security and prosperity
    agendas, given the linkages between security and prosperity in a global
    marketplace.
  þ Offer ideas on the private sector's role in promoting North American
    competitiveness.

Advancing Cooperation on Avian and Pandemic Influenza. Leaders agreed to
the following principles to guide collaboration on all stages of avian or
pandemic influenza management:
  þ Share information among our governments in an open, timely and
    transparent manner.
  þ Adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach that incorporates animal
    and public health aspects in managing avian influenza and influenza
    pandemics.
  þ Ensure coordination within our respective national governments on all
    aspects of emergency management for an avian influenza outbreak or a
    human influenza pandemic, by building on existing mechanisms of
    cooperation and strengthening them as required.
  þ Coordinate our actions and leverage our respective capacities to ensure
    rapid and effective steps are taken to deal with avian influenza
    outbreaks or a human influenza pandemic in North America.
  þ Advise one another in advance of making any decision that could
    seriously affect the other countries.
  þ Base our actions on the best available science and evidence-based
    decision-making.
  þ Agree that the imposition and removal of veterinary or public health
    measures on the movement of people, animals, and goods, under our
    national laws and international obligations, will not be more
    restrictive or maintained longer than necessary to achieve the
    veterinary or public health objective so as to avoid unnecessary
    interference with the movement of people and goods within North
    America.
  þ Ensure that the business continuity plans of our respective governments
    consider the highly interconnected nature of our economies.
  þ Strive to utilize clear and consistent messaging to the public and
    international organizations that is proactive, timely and accurate.

North American Energy Security Initiative. A secure and sustainable energy
supply is essential for our economic prosperity in North America. To
advance our energy agenda we have agreed to:
  þ Enhance the development of a diverse energy resource base in North
    America by increasing collaboration on research, development and
    commercialization of clean energy-related technologies, and
  þ Strengthen the North American energy market by improving transparency
    and regulatory compatibility, promoting the development of resources
    and infrastructure, increasing cooperation on energy efficiency
    standards, and supporting other efforts aimed at addressing challenges
    on the demand side.

North American Emergency Management. The commitments made in the SPP
recognize that a disaster - whether natural or man-made - in one North
American country can have consequences across national borders, and may
demand a common approach to all aspects of emergency management. Recent
experience with hurricanes, ice storms, industrial accidents and the like
demonstrate our interdependencies, as well as the need for coordination and
mutual assistance in protecting and safekeeping our populations. Moving
forward we will:
  þ Develop a common approach to critical infrastructure protection, and
    response to cross border terrorist incidents and natural disasters,
    across a number of different sectors including, but not limited to,
    transportation, energy, and telecommunications.
  þ Develop and implement joint plans for cooperation for incident
    response, as well as conduct coordinated training and exercises in
    emergency response.

Smart, Secure Borders. Leaders agreed to complete the following activities,
to contribute to smart and secure borders, over the next twenty-four
months:
  þ Collaborate to establish risk-based screening standards for goods and
    people that rely on technology, information sharing and biometrics.
  þ Develop and implement compatible electronic processes for supply chain
    security that use advanced electronic cargo information to analyze risk
    and ensure quick and efficient processing at the border;
  þ Develop standards and options for secure documents to facilitate
    cross-border travel;
  þ Exchange additional law enforcement liaison officers to assist in
    criminal and security investigations; and,
  þ Develop coordinated business resumption plans at border crossings to
    ensure legitimate trade continues.

The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America
Key Accomplishments since June 2005

The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP), launched by
the leaders of Mexico, Canada and the United States in March 2005, aims to
promote growth and economic opportunity, increase security, and improve the
quality of life of our peoples. In June 2005, lead Ministers issued a joint
report outlining steps to achieve these goals. Since then, highlights of
accomplishments include:

  þ To enhance growth and competitiveness in a key sector, the North
    American Steel Trade Committee developed a new strategy aimed at
    reducing market distortions, facilitating trade and promoting overall
    competitiveness through innovation and market development.

  þ To adapt to changes in sourcing and production methods, the three
    countries have analyzed ways to liberalize requirements for obtaining
    NAFTA duty-free treatment. Changes to the rules of origin have been
    implemented successfully and technical teams are working on additional
    changes.

  þ To speed up response times when managing infectious disease outbreaks,
    save lives, and reduce health care costs, the United States and Canada
    signed an agreement to enable simultaneous exchange of information
    between virtual national laboratory networks (PulseNet).

  þ To make consumer goods safer, save lives, and prevent injuries, the
    United States and Mexico signed an agreement for advance notifications
    when consumer goods violate one country's safety standards or pose a
    danger to consumers. Canada and the United States signed a similar
    agreement in June.

  þ The United States and Canada signed an agreement, which is a milestone
    in pipeline regulatory cooperation, to allow increased compliance data
    sharing, staff exchanges and joint training. The sharing of best
    practices will lead to a more uniform regulatory approach for cross
    border pipelines.

  þ The United States and Canada reached a full Open-Skies aviation
    agreement, removing all economic restrictions on air service to, from,
    and beyond one another's territory by the airlines of both countries.
    The agreement will encourage new markets development, lower prices and
    greater competition.

  þ The United States and Mexico expanded air service in specific markets
    by increasing the number of designated passenger airlines per
    city-pair, and opening cooperative marketing arrangements
    (code-sharing) to airlines of either country and carriers of third
    countries.

  þ In order to increase navigational accuracy across the region, five Wide
    Area Augmentation System (WAAS) stations were installed in Canada and
    Mexico in 2005.

  þ To promote prosperity by reducing the costs of trade, the United States
    and Canada decreased transit times at the Detroit/Windsor gateway, our
    largest border crossing point, by 50 percent.

  þ To support increased trade and expedite secure processing of
    cross-border trade and travel between Mexico and the United States, six
    FAST/Express lanes are operating at the US-Mexico border, a new lane in
    Nogales will open soon, and we are working on a project for a lane in
    Matamoros. Exclusive lines and schedules will be implemented at nine
    crossings.

  þ To allow more efficient examination of rail cargo for hazardous
    materials and illicit flows of goods, the United States and Mexico have
    installed gamma ray equipment at key border crossings.

  þ To speed cargo shipping, the three countries are developing uniform
    in-advance electronic exchange of cargo manifest data for maritime,
    railroad and motor carriers.

  þ To improve air quality and promote a more competitive automotive
    industry, Mexico implemented an official standard to reduce sulfur in
    fuels. This will increase supply of low-sulfur fuels in Mexico.

  þ To increase border security, Mexican and U.S. agencies are harmonizing
    risk assessment mechanisms, exchanging information, and establishing
    protocols to facilitate detection of fraud and smuggling.

  þ To strengthen the integrity and security of asylum and refugee status
    determination systems, the United States and Canada launched a pilot
    project to share information on refugee and asylum claimants based on a
    comparison of fingerprint records.

  þ To address border violence, United States and Mexico signed an Action
    Plan to Combat Border Violence and Improve Public Safety. Officials of
    the two countries in Nogales, AZ- Nogales, Sonora and Laredo, TX- Nuevo
    Laredo completed protocols on border security and public safety.

  þ Under the United States-Mexico Voluntary Repatriation Program, more
    than 35,000 persons, including 20,500 in 2005, were returned to their
    home in a secure, legal, and humanitarian way.

  þ To increase maritime security, the United States and Canada completed
    joint exercises on the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers in September and in
    February during Super Bowl XL. Officers, who were cross-designated on
    vessels of the other nation, could authorize pursuit of suspect vessels
    crossing jurisdictions.

  þ To advance preparedness to address a cyber incident affecting critical
    infrastructure, authorities from the United States and Canada completed
    a multi-national exercise, Cyberstorm, in February 2006.

  þ To enhance aviation security, the United States, Canada, and Mexico
    completed training on principles to protect aircraft from terrorism
    threats, on marksmanship skills, and on emergency procedures.

  þ To enhance port security, Canada and the United States concluded port
    facility visits at Oakland, CA and Vancouver, BC in October 2005 to
    facilitate the development of benchmark security standards.

  þ To ensure food safety while facilitating trade, a Food Safety
    Coordinating Task Force was formed and is developing a prioritized list
    of standards to compare for similarities, differences, and scientific
    bases for the differences. These efforts will facilitate the
    development of North American standards and, as appropriate, the
    removal of differences in standards.

  þ To enhance clarity and compatibility of energy regulation, Canadian,
    U.S. and Mexican regulators began regular meetings to exchange
    information on regulatory standards and energy market developments and
    to discuss bringing gas from Alaska to the North American market.

  þ To reduce marine air pollution, Canada and the United States have
    coordinated data collection, marine inventory development and air
    quality monitoring. The two countries are preparing to approach the
    International Maritime Organization to designate special areas for
    controlling sulfur emissions from marine vessels.

  þ Canada and the United States are developing Mutual Assistance
    Arrangements, which will enhance our preparedness for cross-border
    public health emergencies; Mexico has been invited to participate.

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