| Montreal, 13/05/1997 – An independent trinational group led by UN chief advisor Maurice Strong today sent a letter to the NAFTA environment ministers with the results of the first-ever review of the NAFTA environmental side accord and the NAFTA environmental commission. The letter was the final output of a two-day meeting held in Montreal, chaired by Mr. Strong.
In the letter, the group highlighted several achievements of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), but also noted that it "is a fragile institution." The group recommended stronger political support for the CEC and other joint commitments under the NAAEC and underscored the need for a "sufficient degree of independence" for the CEC to carry out its work in the area of enforcement, environment and trade, and strengthening environmental laws.
Participants of the trinational independent review committee included Senator John Chafee, Chairman of the US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Michael McCloskey, Chairman of the Sierra Club, Pierre Marc Johnson, the former Premier of Quebec and Senator Fernando Solana from Mexico.
There was broad consensus in the group that the core mission of the CEC must be to evaluate the impacts of trade and investment on the environment. The group also encouraged the NAFTA environment ministers to take the CEC experience into account when expanding trade relationships "to help balance institutions" elsewhere in the hemisphere.
Recommendations to the North American environment ministers also touched on public participation. The group urged the CEC to "build on the momentum it has created" and reach out to a broader range of North Americans with the aim of building "informed consensus" on common environmental issues.
The North American Agreement for Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC) requires the NAFTA environment ministers to "review the operation and effectiveness (of the NAAEC) in light of experience" four years after its entry into force. The NAFTA and its environmental parallel accord went into force on January 1, 1994.
The CEC, which has an annual budget of $US 9 million, is equally funded by Canada, Mexico and the United States. | 
