December 12, 2000
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Jean Chrétien today announced that the semi-annual Canada-European Union Summit will be held in Ottawa on December 19. The current President of the European Council, French President Jacques Chirac, and the President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, will represent the European Union at the Summit.

"It is our great pleasure to welcome the leaders of the European Union to Ottawa each year in mid-December," said the Prime Minister. "These Summits allow us to advance our bilateral agenda in key economic and political areas and to review the current international situation."

The Summit will address issues such as deepening bilateral trade and investment relations, multilateral trade developments, security and defence cooperation, and justice and home affairs cooperation, as well as discuss recent international developments.

Also attending the Summit will be Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister John Manley and International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew, France’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Hubert Védrine, and Secretary of State for International Trade, François Huwart, the European Commission’s Commissioner for External Relations, Christopher Patten, and Commissioner for Trade, Pascal Lamy, as well as Javier Solana, Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union and High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy.

France currently holds the rotational six-month Presidency of the European Council, which began on July 1, 2000. Sweden will assume the Presidency on January 1, 2001.

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PMO Press Office: (613) 957-5555