    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
    [Pages 1095-1097]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    THE SECURITY AND PROSPERITY PARTNERSHIP OF NORTH AMERICA: KEY
    ACCOMPLISHMENTS SINCE MARCH 2006

    Strengthening the Competitiveness of North America

         To lower costs for business, maximize trade and protect
                health, safety and the environment, our governments
                completed a trilateral Regulatory Cooperation Framework. The
                framework promotes information sharing among regulators and
                greater compatibility of regulations and regulatory
                processes.
         To enhance our common efforts to protect intellectual
                property rights, the three governments finalized an Action
                Strategy to combat trademark counterfeiting and copyright
                piracy.
         To strengthen our energy security, environmental protection
                and economic sustainability, our governments finalized a
                Trilateral Agreement for Cooperation in Energy Science and
                Technology.
         To increase trade among our three countries, our
                governments implemented changes to the NAFTA rules of origin
                by mid-2006 that covered approximately $30 billion in annual
                trilateral trade. An additional set of changes, agreed to in
                2007, will reduce export-related transaction costs for
                approximately $100 billion in annual trilateral trade.
         To promote safety and the seamless flow of goods across our
                border, Canada and the United States have agreed to the
                reciprocal recognition of containers used for the
                transportation of dangerous goods.
         To enhance the introduction of new wireless services and
                technologies, Canada and the United States have implemented
                a new process to expedite radio spectrum sharing
                arrangements for the border regions. This ensures citizens
                have timely access to the latest wireless services, and
                public safety and national security authorities have the
                spectrum they need, when they need it.
         To improve the compatibility and reliability of critically
                important wireless communications for public safety/first
                responders, Mexico and the United States signed a protocol
                in August facilitating cross border communications.
         To facilitate the trade of telecommunications equipment,
                Canada and the United States recognized each other's testing
                and certification for telecommunications equipment. Mexico
                will have a process in place by the end of 2007 to mutually
                accept test reports from the US and Canada. This reduces
                production costs and

    [[Page 1096]]

                shortens the time to bring new products to market.
         To modernize aviation relations and provide airlines with
                added flexibility to offer better choices and services, the
                United States and Canada signed and implemented the text of
                a comprehensive Open-Skies air transport agreement on March
                12, 2007.
         To increase border crossing efficiency at the port of
                entry, the United States and Mexico announced synchronized,
                extended hours of operation at the Santa Teresa/San Jeronimo
                Port of Entry starting September 2007.
         As part of the North American Steel Strategy, North
                American governments launched a trilateral, publicly-
                available North American Steel Trade Monitor website
                presenting North American steel trade data on a consolidated
                basis.
         Mexico and the United States established a bilateral Border
                Facilitation Working Group to advance in the areas of
                infrastructure, technology, coordination, and stakeholder
                outreach and engagement while ensuring high levels of
                security at our points of entry.

    Improving the Safety and Security of our Citizens

         To better detect nuclear and radiological material at
                ports, the Mexican government has agreed to install advanced
                radiological detection technology at the ports of Lazaro
                Cardenas, Altamira, Manzanillo and Veracruz. About 92
                percent of Mexico's maritime cargo passes through these
                ports.
         To improve surveillance at ports, Canada has completed the
                installation of radiation detection equipment in Montreal,
                Halifax and Deltaport in Vancouver which, when fully
                operational, will screen 100 percent of inbound containers.
         To improve the security and predictability of travel
                documents, Canada and the United States approved the
                Recommended Standards for Secure Proof of Status and
                Nationality.
         To enhance and strengthen cargo security programs, Canada
                and the United Sates [States]* initiated a five-year program
                to harmonize automated commercial information systems.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        *White House correction.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Protecting our Environment, Health and Quality of Life

         To detect, contain and control an avian influenza outbreak,
                and to mitigate the impacts of a possible human influenza
                pandemic in North America, our governments have finalized a
                North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza.
         To promote energy efficiency, our governments have
                harmonized energy performance standards for key household
                appliances and consumer products, such as freezers,
                refrigerators and room air conditioners.
         To raise the health status of indigenous people, Canada,
                Mexico and the United States exchanged information and
                research on various indigenous health issues, including
                suicide prevention, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder,
                diabetes and indigenous health systems.
         To benefit our environment and quality of life, Canada and
                the United States signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC)
                aimed at improving motor vehicle fuel efficiency. The MoC
                will allow the two countries to benefit from each others
                knowledge and experience in the area of fuel efficiency.
         To protect the environment, enhance health of people and
                promote the

    [[Page 1097]]

                competitiveness of the automotive industry, Mexico started a
                program to gradually increase, from 2006 to 2009, the supply
                of low sulphur fuels in all the country.
         To improve the ecological health of our shared marine
                resources, our governments continued to expand the North
                American Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Network. The Network
                will use our countries' marine protected areas in the
                development of a tri-national MPA-based monitoring program
                stretching from Baja to the Bering Strait.
         To assure the safety of consumers and the security of our
                food and agriculture systems, Canada, Mexico and the United
                States agreed to share current threat and vulnerability
                assessment methodology and information for the food and
                agriculture systems, including imported and exported foods
                of higher concern, then undertake joint threat and
                vulnerability assessments.
         To better inform our citizens and civil society and receive
                input on our collaborative efforts under the SPP framework,
                the governments of Mexico and Canada hosted seminars with
                academics and specialists on the three countries as part of
                an ongoing public policy consultation process regarding the
                future of North America.

    Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of
    this joint statement.