Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 114 Part 1.djvu/675

 PUBLIC LAW 106-255—AUG. 2, 2000 114 STAT. 639 Public Law 106-255 106th Congress An Act To foster cross-border cooperation and environmental cleanup in Northern Europe. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the "Cross-Border Cooperation and Environmental Safety in Northern Europe Act of 2000". SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. (a) FINDINGS. —The Congress finds the following: (1) Northern Europe is an increasingly vital part of Europe and one that offers great opportunities for United States investment. (2) Northern Europe offers an excellent opportunity to make progress toward the United States vision of a secure, prosperous, and stable Europe, in part because of— (A) historical tradition of regional cooperation; (B) the opportunity to engage Russia in positive, cooperative activities with its neighbors to the west; (C) commitment by the Baltic states to regional cooperation and integration into western institutions; and (D) longstanding, strong ties with the United States. (3) The United States Northern Europe Initiative (NEI) provides the conceptual and operational framework for United States policy in the region, focused on developing a regional network of cooperation in the important areas of business and trade promotion, law enforcement, the environment, energy, civil society, and public health. (4) A central objective of the United States Northern Europe Initiative is to promote cross-border cooperation among the countries in the region. (5) A wide variety of regional and cross-border projects have been initiated under the United States Northern Europe Initiative since the Initiative was established in 1997, including the following: (A) A United States-Lithuanian training program for entrepreneurs from Belarus and Kaliningrad. (B) The Great Lakes-Baltic Sea Partnership program that is being implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency. (C) A Center of Excellence for Treatment of Multidrug- Resistant Tuberculosis in Riga, Latvia. (D) A regional HIV/AIDS strategy being developed under United States and Finnish leadership. Aug. 2, 2000 [H.R. 4249] Cross-Border Cooperation and Environmental Sjifety in Northern Europe Act of 2000. Hazardotis substances.

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