Brussels, 25/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - Already boosted by the conclusion of a free-trade agreement at the end of 2013, bilateral EU-Canada relations are taking a strategic dimension.
On the sidelines of the nuclear security summit in The Hague on 24 March, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper concluded talks “politically” for a strategic partnership agreement between the EU and Canada. “Both sides are now committed to finalising the remaining technical and legal work expeditiously, so that it can be formally concluded as soon as possible”, said Van Rompuy.
This agreement, which endorses the common values of the EU and Canada, should strengthen political dialogue and set the bilateral cooperation framework across a broad range of areas. It will improve the institutional structure of the bilateral links and will deepen this relationship in all areas of cooperation (education, transport, energy, the Arctic, science and technology), as well as provide for increased cooperation on foreign and security policy and on crisis management. (EH)