Brussels, 28/05/2003 (Agence Europe) - Following their largely consensual Summit (with the exception of the inevitable discord over GMOs), the Union and Canada managed "to intensify bilateral relations on all levels, to meet urgent international challenges, strengthen transatlantic ties and face up to changes that are happening in our respective societies", said their leaders in the joint press release adopted on Wednesday in Athens. The time for decisions will not, as predicted, come until next December in Ottawa, where the goal will be to "make the relationship more forward-looking and action-oriented". In the meantime, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, President of the European Commission Romano Prodi and President of the Council of the Union, Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis kicked off a joint action plan to develop a regulatory co-operation framework and to avoid "unnecessary barriers to trade to investment".
European and Canadian leaders have, amongst other things, agreed to: - work together to implement a solid multilateral context oriented on action, which will provide rapid and effective solutions to problems related to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (they have called upon Pyong Yang to "abstain from any action which may make the situation worse"); - contribute to the political and economic re-building of Iraq, in a United Nations context, and welcome the resolution ending sanctions against the country; - support the implementation of the Middle East peace road-map; - continue to help the western Balkans in their current efforts "on the path to their re-integration into Europe".
Bilaterally, President Prodi presented the communication aiming to "strengthen further" relations with Canada in the context of the review process conceived last year, a document which "will provide food for thought, which will lead to decisions being adopted at the next Summit", emphasised the leaders, whilst Mr Chrétien spoe of the "internal review" of these relations, which is taking place on the other side of the Atlantic. They also confirmed their "joint conviction that the pursuit of liberalisation of exchanges and investments is the more important for the promotion of economic growth and prosperity", now that the economic outlook is so gloomy. Europeans and Canadians alike committed to making sure that the mulitlateral trade negotiations end by the agreed deadline of 2004, and to co-operate closely to guarantee the success of the key meeting in Cancun in September, by making "progress on elements linked to development and the opening of negotiations on facilitating exchanges, the transparency of public procurement, investment and competition". They also re-affirmed their willingness to work on a new bilateral agreement on trade and investment, and welcomed the signing of the future agreements on wines and spirits, hoping that this process will now pass "to the phase of conclusion and ratification".
Lastly, it is worth noting that the European and Canadian leaders referred in their joint press release to their disagreement on GMOs, which has just been brought to Geneva by a coalition of countries headed by the United States. Each "gave their positions, which diverged", they said, adding: "discussions covered, inter alia, the economic, scientific, social, and political aspects of the issue as viewed by each side".