[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 12 (Monday, March 28, 2005)]
[Pages 517-518]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Joint Statement by President Bush, President Fox, and Prime Minister 
Martin: Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America

March 23, 2005

    We, the elected leaders of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, 
gather in Texas to announce the establishment of the Security and 
Prosperity Partnership of North America.
    Over the past decade, our three nations have taken important steps 
to expand economic opportunity for our people and to create the most 
vibrant and dynamic trade relationship in the world. Since September 11, 
2001, we have also taken significant new steps to address the threat of 
terrorism and to enhance the security of our people.
    But more needs to be done. In a rapidly changing world, we must 
develop new avenues of cooperation that will make our open societies 
safer and more secure, our businesses more competitive, and our 
economies more resilient.
    Our Partnership will accomplish these objectives through a 
trilateral effort to increase the security, prosperity, and quality of 
life of our citizens. This work will be based on the principle that our 
security and prosperity are mutually dependent and complementary, and 
will reflect our shared belief in freedom, economic opportunity, and 
strong democratic values and institutions. Also, it will help 
consolidate our action into a North American framework to confront 
security and economic challenges, and promote the full potential of our 
people, addressing disparities and increasing opportunities for all.
    Our Partnership is committed to reach the highest results to advance 
the security and well-being of our people. The Partnership is trilateral 
in concept; while allowing any two countries to move forward on an 
issue, it will create a path for the third to join later.

Advancing our Common Security

    We will establish a common approach to security to protect North 
America from external threats, prevent and respond to threats within 
North America, and further streamline the secure and efficient movement 
of legitimate, low-risk traffic across our shared borders. As part of 
our efforts, we will:
 <bullet>    Implement common border security and bioprotection 
            strategies;
 <bullet>    Enhance critical infrastructure protection, and implement a 
            common approach to emergency response;
 <bullet>    Implement improvements in aviation and maritime security, 
            combat transnational threats, and enhance intelligence 
            partnerships; and
 <bullet>    Implement a border facilitation strategy to build capacity 
            and improve the legitimate flow of people and cargo at our 
            shared borders.

Advancing our Common Prosperity

    We will work to enhance North American competitiveness and improve 
the quality of life of our people. Among other things, we will:
 <bullet>    Improve productivity through regulatory cooperation to 
            generate growth, while maintaining high standards for health 
            and safety;

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 <bullet>    Promote sectoral collaboration in energy, transportation, 
            financial services, technology, and other areas to 
            facilitate business; and invest in our people;
 <bullet>    Reduce the costs of trade through the efficient movement of 
            goods and people; and
 <bullet>    Enhance the stewardship of our environment, create a safer 
            and more reliable food supply while facilitating 
            agricultural trade, and protect our people from disease.

Next Steps

    We will establish Ministerial-led working groups that will consult 
with stakeholders in our respective countries. These working groups will 
respond to the priorities of our people and our businesses, and will set 
specific, measurable, and achievable goals. They will identify concrete 
steps that our governments can take to meet these goals, and set 
implementation dates that will permit a rolling harvest of 
accomplishments.
    Within 90 days, Ministers will report back to us with their initial 
report. Following this, the groups will report on a semi-annual basis. 
Because the Partnership will be an ongoing process of cooperation, new 
items will be added to the work agenda by mutual agreement as 
circumstances warrant.
    Through this Partnership, we will ensure that North America remains 
the most economically dynamic region of the world and a secure home for 
our people in this and future generations.

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