| Montreal, 22/06/2001 – The Council of the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) will convene next week in Guadalajara, Mexico, for its two-day annual session, beginning Thursday, 28 June 2001. A wrap-up press conference is scheduled for Friday, 29 June at 12 noon.
Victor Lichtinger, Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources for Mexico, will host his counterparts Christine Todd Whitman, Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and David Anderson, Minister of Environment for Canada.
"The recent discussion in Quebec City among North American leaders on deepening the ties among Canada, Mexico and the United States reveals a growing sense of the possibilities of what we can do together, and of the need to cooperate," says Janine Ferretti, Executive Director of the Commission. "This is very much the spirit in which the Ministers are coming to this session of Council, to find ways of strengthening the Commission as a vehicle for them to work together on the environmental front."
Among the issues on the agenda is a consideration of recommendations provided by the Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) for the improvement of the Citizen Submissions process (a 'whistle blower' mechanism allowing anyone in North America to submit complaints of government failures to enforce environmental legislation effectively). Discussions on setting priorities for the work of the Commission will include how to promote informed consumer choice as a means of harnessing the power of the market to deliver environmental benefits.
The Montreal-based CEC was created by a NAFTA side agreement to promote cooperation among Canada, Mexico and the United States in the protection of the North American environment. The Council, its governing body, is composed of the environment ministers of the three countries and meets every year to review and direct the program activities of the CEC and, in the process, receive public input and advice JPAC and various stakeholders.
Following national elections in all three North American countries last year, two Council members-Secretary Lichtinger and Administrator Whitman-are new appointments, while the third, Minister Anderson, returns for his second session.
Where:
Expo Guadalajara
Avenida Mariano Otero 1499
Colonia Verde Valle
Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
(523) 343-3000
When:
JPAC Session (begins): Wednesday, 27 June at 8:00 a.m.
Council Official Opening: Thursday, 28 June at 9:30 a.m.
Public/Council Interaction: Friday, 29 June, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
Press Briefing: Friday, 29 June at 12:00 p.m. (12h00 Central Time)
Journalists may participate in the wrap-up press briefing either in person or by teleconference. To participate in the teleconference, call (514) 868-2555 and when asked for an access code, enter 2255 followed by the pound sign (#). For accreditation to the Council session, journalists should contact Charles Dickson in Montreal at (514) 350-4308 or in Guadalajara at (523) 343-3037 or (523) 343-3038.
For further information on the agenda of the Council Session please consult the on the CEC web site at <http://www.cec.org>. | 
