December 17, 2001
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Jean Chrétien today announced that the semi-annual Canada-European Union Summit will be held in Ottawa on December 18, 2001. The President of the European Council, Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt of Belgium, and the President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, will represent the European Union at the Summit.

"As we mark 25 years of mutually beneficial co-operation between Canada and the EU, we look forward to this opportunity to review the state of Canada-EU relations and consider international issues of common concern, such as the fight against terrorism and the situation in the Middle East, " said Prime Minister Chrétien.

The Summit’s agenda will also include discussions of the impact of the September 11 events on international security and global responses to the situation in Africa.

Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs John Manley and International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew as well as the SecretaryGeneral of the Council of the European Union and High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana will also attend the Summit.

Belgium currently holds the rotational six-month Presidency of the European Council, which began on July 1, 2001. Spain will assume the Presidency on January 1, 2002.

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