Transatlantic Declaration

The United States and the European Union (then the European Community) and its Member States adopted the following joint declaration on 22 November 1990:

The United States of America on one side and, on the other, the European Community and its Member States,

mindful of their common heritage and of their close historical, political, economic and cultural ties;

guided by their faith in the values of human dignity, intellectual freedom and civil liberties, and in the democratic institutions which have evolved on both sides f the Atlantic over the centuries;

recognizing that the transatlantic solidarity has been essential for the preservation of peace and freedom and for the development of free and prosperous economies as well as for the recent developments which have restored unity in Europe;

determined to help consolidate the new Europe, undivided and democratic;

resolved to strengthen security, economic cooperation and human rights in Europe in the framework of the CSCE, and in other forums;

noting the firm commitment of the United States and the EC Member States concerned to the North Atlantic Alliance and to its principles and purposes;

acting on the basis of a pattern of cooperation proven over many decades, and convinced that by strengthening and expanding this partnership on an equal footing they will greatly contribute to continued stability, as well as to political and economic progress in Europe and the world;

aware of their shared responsibility, not only to further common interests but also to face transnational challenges affecting the well-being of all mankind;

bearing in mind the accelerating process by which the European Community is acquiring its own identity in economic and monetary matters, in foreign policy and in the domain of security;

determined further to strengthen transatlantic solidarity, through the variety of their international relations;

have decided to endow their relationship with long-term perspectives.

Common goals

The United States of America and the European Community and its Member States solemnly reaffirm their determination to strengthen their partnership further in order to:

support democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights and individual liberty, and promote prosperity and social progress world-wide;

safeguard peace and promote international security, by cooperating with other nations against aggression and coercion, by contributing to the settlement of conflicts in the world and by reinforcing the role of the United Nations and other international organizations;

pursue policies aimed at achieving a sound world economy marked by sustained economic growth with low inflation, a high level of employment, equitable social conditions, in a framework of international stability;

promote market principles, reject protectionism and expand, strengthen and further open the multilateral trading system;

carry out their resolve to help developing countries by all appropriate means in their efforts towards political and economic reforms;

provide adequate support, in cooperation with other States and organizations, to the nations of Eastern and Central Europe undertaking economic and political reforms and encourage their participation in the multilateral institutions of international trade and finance.

Principles of US-EC partnership

To achieve their common goals, the European Community and its Member States and the United States of America will inform and consult each other on important matters of common interest, both political and economic, with a view to bringing their positions as close as possible, without prejudice to their respective independence.  In appropriate international bodies, in particular, they will seek close cooperation.

The EC-US partnership will, moreover, greatly benefit from the mutual knowledge and understanding acquired through regular consultations as described in this declaration.

Economic cooperation

Both sides recognize the importance of strengthening the multilateral trading system.  They will support further steps towards liberalization, transparency, and the implementation of GATT and OECD principles concerning both trade in goods and services and investment.

They will further develop their dialogue, which is already under way, on other matters such as technical and non-tariff barriers to industrial and agricultural trade, services, competition policy, transportation policy, standards, telecommunications, high technology and other relevant areas.

Education, scientific and cultural cooperation

The partnership between the European Community and its Member States on the one hand, and the United States on the other, will be based on continuous efforts to strengthen mutual cooperation in various other fields which directly affect the present and future well-being of their citizens, such as exchanges and joint projects in science and technology, including inter alia research in medicine, environment protection, pollution prevention, energy, space, high-energy physics, and the safety of nuclear and other installations, as well as in education and culture, including academic and youth exchanges.

Transnational challenges

The United States of America and the European Community and its Member States will fulfil their responsibility to address transnational challenges, in the interest of their own peoples and of the rest of the world.  In particular, they will join their efforts in the following fields:

combating and preventing terrorism;

putting an end to the illegal production, trafficking and consumption of narcotics and related criminal activities, such as the laundering of money;

cooperating in the fight against international crime;

protecting the proliferation of nuclear armaments, chemical and biological weapons, and missile technology.

Institutional framework for consultation

Both sides agree that a framework is required for regular and intensive consultation.  They will make full use of and further strengthen existing procedures, including those established by the President of the European Council and the President of the United States on 27 February 1990, namely:

biannual consultations to be arranged in the United States and in Europe between, on the one side, the President of the European Council and the President of the Commission, and on the other side, the President of the United States;

biannual consultations between the European Community Foreign Ministers, with the Commission, and the US Secretary of State, alternately on either side of the Atlantic;

ad hoc consultations between the Presidency Foreign Ministers or the 'Troika' and the US Secretary of State;

biannual consultations between the Commission and the US Government at cabinet level;

Both sides are resolved to develop and deepen these procedures for consultation so as to reflect the evolution of the European Community and of its relationship with the United States.

They welcome the actions taken by the European Parliament and the Congress of the United States in order to improve their dialogue and thereby bring closer together the peoples on both sides of the Atlantic.