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 Home > News & Policies > June 2001

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 14, 2001

Goteborg Statement
Summit of the United States of America and the European Union

Today in Goteborg, We, the Leaders of the United States and the European Union, Reaffirm Our Historic Partnership. Our Relationship Is Founded On Strong and Enduring Ties Between Our Peoples and Shared Fundamental Values, Including Respect for Human Rights and Individual Liberty, Democratic government and economic freedoms.

What unites us far outweighs that which divides us. From this foundation, we are determined to forge a common and cooperative approach to the complex and changing global environment in which we live and the new challenges we face.  Experience has taught us that, when the U.S. and EU work hand-in-hand, either bilaterally or multilaterally, we can be an engine for positive global change, nurturing the development of democratic regimes, opening trade and investment, working to reduce poverty, and protecting the environment.

Today's meeting takes place under conditions few of our ancestors could have imagined.  The European-American bond of the last two generations has forged a great peace - rooted in democracy, free markets and human rights - that is our responsibility to preserve, deepen and extend.  We renew our commitment to address in concert the most pressing bilateral, regional and global issues of the day.

Strengthening our Transatlantic Bond

We are determined to strengthen our transatlantic bond.  We agree that, for our partnership to be a stable platform for our common global agenda, we must address our differences honestly and seek, in good faith, constructive solutions.  This we intend to do.

The U.S. and EU enjoy one of the deepest economic relationships in the world - the vast majority of trade and investment flows in an open, unfettered manner across the Atlantic.  When this is not the case, we agree that consultation, rather than litigation, should be the preferred method of managing our disagreements.  Moreover, we resolve to settle our trade disagreements more quickly and effectively.  We are also determined to work together to explore ways to achieve this objective, including through mediation, and to redouble our efforts to find practical and mutually acceptable solutions to all outstanding trade disputes, in accordance with WTO rules.  In this context, we welcome in particular the agreement to resolve the dispute on bananas.  Furthermore, we reaffirm our determination to comply with recommendations of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body.

The EU is working to acquire a civilian and military crisis management capability, which will reinforce the Union's ability to contribute to international peace and security in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter and make the EU a stronger, more capable partner in deterring and managing crises, thereby also enhancing the security of the Transatlantic Community.  The U.S. welcomes the efforts of the EU to strengthen its capabilities and to develop the ability to

 

manage crises, including through military operations, where NATO as a whole is not engaged, and in a manner that is fully coordinated, where NATO interests are involved, and transparent with NATO, and that provides for the fullest possible participation of non-EU European allies.   In particular, the commitments made by the EU Member States concerning military capabilities will, as they are implemented, strengthen both the EU and the European pillar of the Atlantic Alliance.

One of the unique aspects of our relationship is the development of transatlantic civil society dialogues.  We will continue to benefit from their advice and perspective as we confront the challenges of the future. We encourage efforts to intensify the Transatlantic Legislators Dialogue between the European Parliament and the Congress of the United States, a dialogue which brings our peoples closer together.

Working to Promote Peace and Prosperity in Regions throughout the World

We remain committed to forging innovative solutions to resolve conflicts and will continue to promote peace, stability, democracy and economic renewal throughout the world.

We are gravely concerned by the developments in the Middle East.  We welcome and support the report by the Sharm el-Sheikh Fact-Finding Committee.  We urge both sides to implement the report's recommendations, in all aspects, including ending the violence, taking confidence-building measures and resuming negotiations.  We welcome the constructive initiative taken by Egypt and Jordan to that end.  We see no alternative to a negotiated solution based on UN Resolutions 242 and 338, and the principle of land for peace.  We will continue to cooperate closely to promote peace in the region.

In recent months, we have strengthened our already close collaboration to bring peace, stability, democracy and economic renewal to South East Europe.  We welcome the positive developments in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.  In Bosnia-Herzegovina, we call upon all partners to contribute actively to the full implementation of the Dayton agreement, which remains the key element in building a lasting peace.  In Kosovo, we welcome the promulgation of the constitutional framework for provisional self-government as a major step in building a peaceful, multi-ethnic and democratic society.  We urge the people of Kosovo to condemn the use of violence and isolate extremists.  In the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, we will continue to coordinate our efforts to promote a political solution to the current crisis.  In this context, we support the political reform dialogue and look forward to a report in the coming days. In cooperation with NATO and OSCE, we have responded quickly and firmly to threats to peace in the region.  Together, we are endeavoring to prevent extremism from undermining the democratic process and stress the need for political, not military, solutions.

We reaffirm our support for the Stability Pact for South East Europe.  In order to encourage the countries of the region to promote democracy, the rule of law, protection of minorities, the inviolability of international borders and regional reconciliation and cooperation, we will continue to engage all States in the region through the Stability Pact and, in the case of the EU, also within the framework of the Stabilization and Association Process.  Our objective will be to encourage political and economic reforms, among them those designed to enhance private sector investment in the region, in order to ensure long-term economic renewal.  We urge all governments in the region to cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia in bringing war criminals to justice.

 

 

 

We fully support President Kim Dae-Jung's policy for peace and reconciliation on the Korean peninsula.  We discussed the results of the EU high-level mission to the two Koreas and affirmed the importance of the DPRK leadership's adherence to its commitment to maintain the moratorium on missile tests and to continue the process initiated at the inter-Korean Summit   We also discussed the U.S. decision to enter into a serious discussion with North Korea on a broad agenda, which was welcomed by the EU.  We agree that the inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation, non-proliferation and human rights will remain issues of vital importance for further progress in developing our ties with the DPRK.

We recognize the progress made since 1991 and emphasize the importance to Europe, to the transatlantic community and the world of Russia's full transition into a democratic, free market state, enjoying constructive relations with its neighbors and close ties to the transatlantic community. We pledge to continue working together and with Russia towards that goal, and will pursue a dialogue with Russia that is constructive, cooperative and, where warranted, frank.  We are concerned about recent adverse developments regarding media, which should remain independent and free of interference.  We call upon the Russian Government to pursue actively a political settlement to the conflict in Chechnya.

The U.S. and EU strongly support an independent, sovereign Ukraine with close ties to the transatlantic community but are concerned about domestic developments affecting democratic and free market reforms.  We support Ukraine's leaders in their pursuit of reforms that secure Ukraine's future prosperity and urge them to continue to follow this path.  We remind Ukraine of the need to send a strong signal to the international community by responding positively and transparently to concerns over human rights, independent media and free elections.

We will intensify our political dialogue on the Southern Caucasus, where enhanced stability is a common interest.  In that regard, the U.S. and EU remain committed to strengthening Georgia's sovereignty, independence, and transition to democracy and free market economy.  We urge all sides in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to continue their efforts to find a peaceful settlement based on mutual compromise.

Reaffirming Our Global Responsibilities and Commitments

We share a unique responsibility to confront issues of global concern and impact, and today we reiterated our commitment to address growing global challenges.

We are committed to launching an ambitious new round of multilateral trade negotiations at the WTO Ministerial Meeting in Doha, and, in our high level discussions in recent weeks, have made progress towards this shared goal. We seek a round that will lead both to the further liberalization of world trade and to clarifying, strengthening and extending WTO rules, so as to promote economic growth and equip the trading system to meet the challenges of globalization.  The new round must equally address the needs and priorities of developing countries, demonstrate that the trading system can respond to the concerns of civil society, and promote sustainable development.  We will work closely together and with our partners in the coming weeks to secure consensus to launch a round based on this substantive and forward looking agenda.

We also welcome the steady progress made so far on WTO implementation and are ready to examine ways to make further progress in connection with the launch of a new round of trade negotiations.  We will also reinforce and improve our provision of technical assistance to build capacity, including capacity to support negotiations, in developing countries, so as to aid both their implementation of WTO agreements and help them to integrate more fully into the trading system, including the dispute settlement mechanism. Finally, we will continue to make efforts

to secure the early accession of candidate countries to the WTO, with particular attention to the specific situation of least developed countries.  This will make the WTO a truly universal organization.

Recalling that the dispute settlement mechanism of the WTO is a central element in providing security and predictability to the multilateral trading system, the U.S. and EU undertake to work constructively to improve that mechanism.

We agree on the need for an integrated and comprehensive approach to confront the diseases HIV/Aids, Malaria and Tuberculosis, particularly in Africa, emphasizing prevention in a continuum of treatment and care, and spurring research and development.  We support the establishment of a global fund to fight these diseases.  We are also working together to ensure the success of upcoming events, such as the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS in promoting an effective global response to this scourge.  We welcome the steps taken by the pharmaceutical industry to make drugs more affordable.  In the context of the new global fund, we will work with the pharmaceutical industry and with affected countries to facilitate the broadest possible provision of drugs in an affordable and medically effective manner.

We celebrate the important contributions migrants have made to our countries.  Respect for the individual right to seek asylum is also an essential democratic value of our societies.  Therefore, we underline the importance of a comprehensive and integrated approach to asylum and migration based on a common commitment to human rights, existing international agreements, and support for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.  We will focus on a broad range of issues related to asylum, illegal immigration and mass influxes of refugees and displaced persons.

We emphasize the need to take mutually reinforcing action in response to common problems in fighting international crime.  We have, therefore, launched multi-annual cooperation in several areas, such as trafficking in human beings, cybercrime and crime related to drugs.

We had an interesting and open dialogue here in G'teborg on climate change, which will continue.  We recognize that climate change is a pressing issue that requires a global solution.  The U.S. and the EU are both committed to providing strong leadership on climate change.  Prompt, effective and sustainable action is needed, consistent with the ultimate objective of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) of stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.  We are determined to meet our national commitments and our obligations under the UNFCCC through a variety of flexible means, drawing on the power of markets and technology. In this context, we agree on the importance of intensifying cooperation on climate-related science and research.  We disagree on the Kyoto Protocol and its ratification, but we are determined to work together in all relevant fora to address climate change and will participate constructively in the resumed COP 6 in Bonn.  Our efforts must ultimately result in an outcome that protects the environment and ensures economic growth compatible with our shared objective of sustainable development for present and future generations.

Looking to the Future

We have also taken a fresh look at the mechanisms of U.S.-EU cooperation in the context of the changing global environment.  Whether working together to resolve disagreements, promote peace among our neighbors or combat threats to the broader world, we seek greater results.  To focus our attention and efforts on elements in our common agenda where progress is both necessary and possible, we have selected the following strategic themes for cooperation over

the next several years, keeping in mind the need for flexibility in responding to unforeseen events.  Within these themes, we have identified immediate priorities on which we seek tangible progress before our next Summit.

Addressing security challenges:  Preventing conflict and managing crises; fighting terrorism; promoting non-proliferation; Promoting Growth and a Multilateral Trading System:  Reaching agreement on the scope of the new round and working together to solicit support for the agreement in the run-up to the WTO Ministerial in Doha; Fighting Crime:  Cooperating in fighting trafficking in human beings, drugs and cybercrime; Protecting the Environment:  Promoting effective ways to address climate change; Fighting against poverty in the developing countries:  Combating the communicable diseases HIV/Aids, Malaria and Tuberculosis.

Promoting the Digital Economy and making its benefits available to all citizens will be an important strategic theme for our dialogue for the years to come.