Fact Sheet: 2006 U.S.-EU Summit

Presidential Action: Today, President Bush met with the leadership of the European Union, Austrian Chancellor and European Council President Wolfgang Schüssel and European Commission President José Barroso.The leaders spoke about concrete actions the U.S. and EU can take to:

1. Promote the Advance of Freedom and Democracy Around the World;
2. Advance Cooperation to Secure our Homeland and the World; and,
3. Promote Transatlantic Economic Integration and Energy Security.

Promoting the Advance of Freedom and Democracy Around the World

Today, the U.S. and EU renewed the commitment to promoting peace, democracy, and freedom worldwide, and agreed on concrete actions in support of our shared goal of advancing freedom from Europe's doorsteps to the Broader Middle East, Africa, Latin America and beyond.

• The President and his EU counterparts agreed to redouble our efforts to assist the Iraqi Government in enhancing security, economic reform and the political process.
• In the pursuit of a lasting peace in the Middle East, the Quartet, of which the U.S. and EU are members, remains committed to the President's vision of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security.We are also working through the Quartet to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches the neediest Palestinians.
• In Africa, we are key supporters of the African Union's efforts to bring peace and stability to Darfur, Sudan, and have taken measures to address the political crises in Cote D' Ivoire, Mauritania and Zimbabwe.We are also exploring avenues to bring peace to war-torn Somalia. Our efforts also support democracy, free markets and economic integration in partnership with African states and leaders.
• We recognize the need for democratic change in Cuba, and urge the Cuban government to take rapid steps to improve the deteriorating human rights situation on the island.The U.S. and EU are united in support of continued UN involvement in Haiti, where the situation is still fragile.
• We remain committed to advancing a vision of a Europe whole, free and at peace.We will work together to support the consolidation of democracy and free markets in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.
• We will continue our joint actions to support the democratic aspirations of the people of Belarus, Europe's last dictatorship.Since the fraudulent Belarusian presidential elections in March 2006, the United States and EU have imposed coordinated travel restrictions and financial sanctions against the Lukashenka regime, targeting those implicated in undermining democratic processes, human rights abuses and public corruption.We will also maintain our support for Belarusian civil society and independent media.

Advancing Cooperation to Secure our Homeland and the World

Protecting our citizens from the global threats of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) remains one of the highest priorities for the United States and the European Union.The past year has seen significant progress in implementing the framework for our joint efforts set out in the 2004 and 2005 U.S.-EU summits.

• Fight Against Global Terrorism.In our efforts to combat terror, we have worked together to promote effective global standards that will ensure the safety of our citizens by securing international borders and transportation, developing biometric standards, and preventing terrorist financing and radicalization and recruitment into terrorism.In the coming year we will work together to:
  • Improve lost and stolen passport data sharing with Interpol;
  • Coordinate implementation of biometric standards;
  • Expand cooperation on terrorism finance issues;
  • Strengthen law enforcement cooperation;
  • Pursue ratifications of the U.S.-EU Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance Agreements and bilateral protocols with EU Member States;
  • Push for agreement on a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the UN; and,
  • Coordinate efforts to counter radicalization and recruitment of terrorists.
• Preventing WMD Proliferation.The United States and the EU will deepen cooperation on preventing the proliferation of WMD.We have agreed to work together to find a way to restrict the spread of enrichment and reprocessing (ENR) technology and to support multilateral mechanisms for reliable fuel supply assurances for states that have chosen not to pursue ENR. We have committed to:
  • Establishing effective export control regimes, backed by criminal sanctions;
  • Working to identify, control, and interdict WMD and missile related proliferation shipments and assisting others to do the same; and,
  • Stopping the financing of proliferation activities by identifying, tracking, seizing, or freezing assets associated with proliferation trade.
• Over the past year U.S.-EU cooperation on Iran has reached a new level. We have worked closely together at every stage of the ongoing attempts to address the question of Iran's nuclear program. We have agreed on a set of far-reaching proposals as a basis for discussion with Iran.We believe that they offer Iran the chance to reach a negotiated agreement based on cooperation, if Iran is willing to make that choice.The United States has made clear that it is prepared to join the negotiations should Iran resume full and verifiable suspension of all enrichment related and reprocessing activities as required by the IAEA. We have agreed that if Iran decides not to engage in negotiations, further steps would be taken in the Security Council.
• All EU members have endorsed the Proliferation Security Initiative Statement of Interdiction Principles.The U.S. and EU committed to seeking stronger enforcement of nuclear nonproliferation obligations, including making the IAEA Additional Protocol a new standard for nuclear supply, creating a new IAEA committee to focus on safeguards and verification, and declaring that states under investigation should not participate in IAEA compliance decisions.

Promoting Transatlantic Economic Integration

The strong economic relationship the United States and the European Union enjoy has created millions of jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.Leaders have agreed to continue the advancement of the 2005 Summit Economic Initiative to further promote economic integration and growth by cooperating in the areas of regulation, innovation and technology policy, competitive financial markets, energy, and enhanced trade, travel and security.

• U.S. and EU leaders endorsed joint efforts to promote effective enforcement in third countries and cooperation with the private sector to reduce global piracy and counterfeiting.We will pursue a strong, results-oriented Action Strategy for the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) to strengthen border enforcement of IPR; encourage strengthened enforcement of IPR in third countries, including through technical assistance; and expand cooperation with, and contributions from, private industry.
• Promoting Energy Security.The disruptions of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita last fall, the Ukraine-Russia gas crisis in January, and the strong pace of global economic growth in the past several years have raised the urgency of joint action on energy security and related issues.
  • President Bush and his EU counterparts today adopted a set of Principles to promote energy security worldwide.In addition, we agreed to work together to diversify energy sources and supplies; secure our energy infrastructure; promote market-based energy security policies that ensure private competition, transparency, respect for contracts, and non-discriminatory trade, transit and access; speed development of new lower-pollution and lower-carbon technologies; and accelerate investment in more efficient, cleaner use of fossil sources and renewable sources in order to cut air pollution harmful to human health and natural resources.
  • This program will include numerous actions, such as supporting maintenance and improvement of pipeline infrastructure; providing technical assistance to improve energy regulatory frameworks in third countries; and cooperation on development of biofuels, clean diesels and plug-in hybrids, and others.Our efforts will benefit not only the U.S. and EU but energy consumers, markets and producers worldwide.Raising global energy security will increase political and economic stability and help protect the global environment.
  • The imperative of working together to improve energy security is matched by the need to act with resolve to address the serious and closely linked challenges of climate change and air pollution.To help ensure the global economy is powered in a sustainable manner, we will work together to advance the development and deployment of existing and transformational technologies that are cleaner and more efficient, producing energy with significantly lower emissions.Since 2001, the U.S. has dedicated over $29 billion to climate change programs, more than any other nation.
• The President's approach to our close cooperation with the EU on energy and climate issues draws upon the best scientific research, harnesses the power of markets, fosters the creativity of entrepreneurs, and works with the developing world to meet shared aspirations for our people, our economy, and our environment.