[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.
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    *White House correction.
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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

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            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.