Prime Minister Stephen Harper announces joint initiatives with European Union leaders

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced a number of new initiatives between Canada and the European Union (EU) at the conclusion of the 2007 European Union-Canada Summit in Berlin.

The initiatives were announced in a joint Summit statement released by Prime Minister Harper, German Chancellor and current EU President Angela Merkel and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso. The EU’s High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, also participated in the discussions. 

The Prime Minister used the Summit with European leaders to advance Canada’s priorities and achieve concrete outcomes in the areas of peace and security, trade and investment, and climate change and energy. He also took the opportunity to discuss with these key Europeans Canada’s approach to regional and global issues on the G8 Summit agenda later this week in Heiligendamm, chaired by Chancellor Merkel.

While in Berlin, the Prime Minister also gave an address to over 200 members of the business, scientific and policy-making elite of Germany on Canada’s leadership in helping to achieve a global consensus on climate change action. Germany is the EU’s most populous country and the world’s third largest economy.

The 2007 EU-Canada Summit Statement is attached.