Summit Statement by North American Leaders

View the text of the April 22 statement released by President Bush, Premier Harper of Canada and President Calderon of Mexico after their summit meeting in New Orleans, where they met to discuss how to keep North America “secure, prosperous, and competitive in today's global environment. “ To make the North American economies more competitive, the three countries “are working to make our regulations more compatible, which will support integrated supply chains and reduce the cost of goods traded within North America. “ The parties are also advancing their Intellectual Property Strategy to protect inventors, authors, performers, and have forged stronger relationships to support more effective law enforcement efforts to combat the trade of counterfeit and pirated goods. To strengthen energy security and protect the environment, the partners are seeking to develop a framework for harmonization of energy efficiency standards, and sharing technical information to improve the North American energy market. They are also increasing cooperation and information sharing on the safety of food and products, and are working to make their food and product safety standards more compatible.