Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America – Key accomplishments since August 2007

News

2008-04-22

Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America – Key accomplishments since August 2007

April 22, 2008
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Strengthening the Competitiveness of North America

• Mexico and the United States signed a Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement in September 2007 to ensure compatible standards for the manufacture of safe aeronautical products and to facilitate the production and trade of aeronautical components in North America in the future.
• Canada and Mexico concluded negotiations in December 2007 to expand their Air Transport Agreement. The new provisions provide greater market access for airlines from both countries for passenger and cargo services.
• Canada and the United States released the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Study in November 2007, which evaluated infrastructure needs and assessed the Seaway's long-term requirements to ensure that it remains a reliable and sustainable component of North America's transportation system.
• Under the Regulatory Cooperation Framework, Canada, Mexico and the United States have agreed to a common set of principles to guide their respective regulatory policies PDF Version (PDF, 39 KB, 2 pages) and practices, as well as an illustrative inventory of regulatory best practices.
• Canada, Mexico and the United States improved regulatory cooperation on pesticides, undertaking two joint reviews for the coordinated approval of new conventional pesticides, completing the review of two NAFTA label candidates; and launching a chemical-based database to be used as a management tool for resolving priority trade irritants.
• The three partners identified "Electronic stability control" in vehicles as the regulation that will serve as a pilot project to study the feasibility of a joint cost-benefit analysis exercise among the three countries.
• Canada, Mexico and the United States reached agreement on the Statement on the Free Flow of Information and Trade in North America PDF Version (PDF, 4,094 KB, 7 pages) that focuses on the use of computerized information in support of trans-border trade. This will lead to more effective policy coordination and enforcement cooperation in the area of data protection and information security.
• Mexico and the United States provided coordinated training in intellectual property (IP) law enforcement for officials from the Port of Lazaro-Cardenas, Mexico which resulted in nine major IP seizures, the first ever; seven of the cases are under criminal investigation.
• Canadian and United States law enforcement authorities collaborated to seize more than $78 million worth of counterfeit networking equipment in an ongoing investigation into imports from third countries.
• Canada, Mexico and the United States developed an initiative to improve IP enforcement and market access in third countries.
• Border officials in Mexico and the United States have coordinated IP outreach events in order to build the network of border enforcement officials. Ninety such trainings were scheduled in 2007 and 25 more have been scheduled for 2008.
• Canada, Mexico and the United States agreed to harmonize standards in accordance with the World Organization for Animal Health to allow for the export of Canadian and American breeding cattle to Mexico.
• Mexico and the United States, initiated a long haul trucking demonstration project between our two countries to enhance competitiveness and to comply with NAFTA provisions on cross-border trucking.
• The North American Steel Trade Committee (NASTC) prepared a synthesis of border-related trade impediments PDF Version (PDF, 851 KB, 13 pages) identified by the Canadian, U.S. and Mexican steel industries. As an initial step, the NASTC will focus on import licensing procedures.

Safe Food and Products

• Canada, Mexico and the United States updated agreements and developed mechanisms to coordinate and exchange information on food safety investigations and follow-up activities, including test results and recalls, in response to food safety issues that may affect another trilateral partner.
• Canada, Mexico and the United States have agreed to a common approach to update dietary reference values for the labelling of food products based on current science to promote consistency of nutritional information and are working towards a common set of risk assessment tools for food allergens.
• Canada, Mexico and the United States put in place a mechanism to improve the timely exchange of information on product safety issues affecting the North American market, including significant recalls and updates on domestic regulatory developments.

Sustainable Energy and the Environment

• Canada, Mexico and the United States are working towards a joint vision of biofuels for transportation by 2020, and discussed opportunities and challenges surrounding this resource, in addition to identifying potential areas of future collaboration in the upcoming North American Outlook on Biofuels for Transportation.
• Canada, Mexico and the United States have shared information on policies and programs on vehicle fuel efficiency, standby power consumption, and the potential for natural gas to support optimal energy use for the future.
• Canada, Mexico and the United States continue to harmonize a number of energy-using consumer products, such as central air conditioners. The new suite of products, including clothes washers and water heaters, are being assessed under the new framework to systematize energy efficiency harmonization between all three countries. Canada, Mexico and the United States have committed to assure that energy efficiency standards are harmonized each time opportunities exist.
• Canada, Mexico and the United States undertook a comprehensive analysis of various emissions inventories among the three countries to prepare a trilateral strategy to achieve comparability.
• Canada, Mexico and the United States have road tested emissions estimation methodologies for nine energy generating facilities to improve and harmonize emissions calculations in the energy power sector and provide the basis to populate and update power sector emissions inventories.
• Canada, Mexico and the United States promoted biodiversity in North America through efforts to preserve, restore and enhance breeding, wintering and resting areas along the 3,800 mile migration corridor of the monarch butterfly between Mexico and Canada.
• Mexico and the United States updated joint contingency and emergency plans to enhance capacities and respond to chemical spills and other incidents along the U.S.-Mexico border area.

Smart and Secure Borders

• Canada and the United States signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to strengthen collaboration and coordinate efforts of federal agencies to enhance the border crossing capacity at the Windsor-Detroit corridor.
• Mexico completed a study to measure border wait times and identify infrastructure and logistical needs.
• Canada and the United States announced in September 2007 that the NEXUS enrollment centers and automated self-serve kiosks were operational at all eight major Canadian Airports with U.S. pre-clearance facilities.
• Mexico and the United States alleviated border congestion through additional or segregated FAST lanes at Colombia, Nuevo Leon - Laredo, Texas; Tijuana, Baja California - Otay Mesa, California; and Nogales, Sonora - Nogales, Arizona.
• Mexico and the United States opened a new SENTRI lane at the Reynosa, Tamaulipas - Hidalgo, Texas crossing; expanded hours of operation during the harvest season in Nogales, Sonora - Nogales, Arizona; and harmonized hours of operation at the San Jeronimo, Chihuahua - Santa Teresa, New Mexico and the Mesa de Otay - Otay Mesa crossings.
• New infrastructure is underway at the Reynosa, Tamaulipas. - McAllen, Texas; San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora - San Luis, Arizona; and Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas - Donna, Texas border crossings.
• Canada and Mexico agreed to a Reciprocal Ports Facility Visit Initiative in order to exchange best practices and lessons learned on the implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code.
• Canada, Mexico and the United States signed an agreement on "Guidelines for Airport Visits by Aviation Security Officials" to establish guidelines for exchanging officials to periodically visit each other's airports in order to facilitate information exchange, best practices and lessons learned.

Emergency Management

• Mexico and the United States concluded negotiations for a new, more comprehensive bilateral agreement on federal emergency management cooperation to update and replace an outdated 25 year agreement. The agreement reconstitutes a joint Working Group to exchange information and facilitate cooperation in addressing emergencies and disasters.
• Canada and the United States completed discussions on a conceptual approach to modernize an existing bilateral agreement on federal emergency management cooperation. The agreement revitalizes a joint Consultative Group to strengthen readiness to respond to all types of emergencies and exchange information and best practices.
• The Canadian Border Services Agency and United States Customs and Border Protection developed joint business resumption communication and coordination protocols to facilitate legitimate trade and travelers during incidents that affect the flow of commerce at the shared border.
• Canada, Mexico, and the United States have agreed to jointly pre-position regional supplies in the International Red Cross warehouse (Panama) to provide assistance to our neighbors in the region threatened by natural catastrophe and other emergencies.
• Mexico and the United States provided mutual assistance during 2007 floods in Tabasco and Chiapas, Mexico and during the 2007 California wildfires to ease suffering and accelerate recovery of the affected populations.
• Mexico and the United States completed national-level emergency management operations officer exchanges between U.S. and Mexican response centers.
• Mexico and the United States are implementing a program to strengthen Mexico's capability to deter, detect, and interdict illicit trafficking in nuclear and other radioactive materials across international borders and through the global maritime shipping system.
• Canada and the United States signed science and technology Bilateral Cooperative Activity Arrangements to increase capability in radiological and nuclear detection, improve security at ports, borders and airports, as well as assist responders to identify chemical and biological agents with an on-site triage facility.
• Canada, Mexico and the United States signed a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding in November 2007 to facilitate health-related aid during a cross-border emergency.
• Canada and the United States exchanged full-time liaison officers between their national public health agencies as part of a bilateral pilot project that envisions the exchange of trilateral full-time positions by the end of 2008.
• Canada and the United States collaborated with Mexico to provide technical assistance and training opportunities as Mexico builds a Bio-Safety Level-3 National Laboratory for inclusion in the Health and Human Services/Center for Disease Control Laboratory Response Network.
• Canada, Mexico and the United States agreed on principles for the screening of intercontinental air travelers in the event of a pandemic.
• In accordance with the North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza released in August 2007, Canada, Mexico and the United States:
  • developed guidelines and shared best practices in occupational health, infection control and personal protective measures to reduce potential risk to human populations of avian influenza;
  • tested mechanisms for communication among institutions to exchange epidemiological information; and
  • established a trilateral Laboratory and Surveillance Technical Working Group and identified areas of technical assistance needed to improve laboratory, surveillance and outbreak response to pandemic influenza in border areas and at the national level.
• Mexico and the United States worked together to bolster surveillance efforts for seasonal and pandemic influenza by improving the technical capacity of 3 laboratories in Mexico and facilitating the development of software for integrated epidemiology and lab data for rapid analyses.

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