Statement by Press Secretary Fitzwater on President Bush's Meeting With President Jacques Delors of the Commission of the European Communities

The President held a working lunch today with Jacques Delors, President of the Commission of the European Communities (EC). President Bush had invited President Delors for the luncheon when they met in Brussels on May 30. The two, who were accompanied by senior advisers, discussed ongoing cooperation between the United States and the EC Commission on issues of mutual interest, including the implications of the EC's 1992 integration program; international trade and the Uruguay round; the efforts toward political and economic reform in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union; and transnational problems, such as the urgent need to protect the environment.

The President reiterated his support for European integration and the EC's single-market program. He reaffirmed that a stronger Europe means a stronger America. He also noted that there will be new challenges as the EC carries out its single-market program. He stressed the importance of open markets in a more closely integrated Europe and said that the United States would work with the EC Commission and the member states to ensure that U.S. interests are taken fully into account in the 1992 process. The President underlined the need for both the United States and the EC to continue to combat protectionism and to conclude the current round of trade negotiations successfully by the end of 1990.

The President reiterated a key point in his Boston University speech -- that the United States and the European Community must strengthen their dialog and cooperation. He stressed the importance of the annual U.S.-EC Ministerial meeting in December as an opportunity for a high-level review of all aspects of the relationship. He also said that other channels, such as the sub-Cabinet consultations held in November 1988, can help to broaden U.S.-EC understanding.

The President said that he looked forward to seeing President Delors again next month at the Paris economic summit.