The EU and Canada agree that global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by at least half by 2050. Both Angela Merkel as President of the EU Council and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper emphasized this point at the EU-Canada Summit in Berlin.
The final statement contained a pledge by Canada to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 60 to 70 percent on 2006 levels by 2050. The EU has concluded that developed countries should collectively reduce their emissions by 60 to 80 percent by 2050 compared to 1990.
Merkel said that they would hold tough negotiations on this issue at the G8 Summit in Heiligendamm. She added that further negotiations should take place within the UN process and their results channelled into a UN document.
Intensifying cooperation
Another item on the agenda, as well as energy, was the economic partnership. The Chancellor clearly emphasized their desire to intensify their cooperation. Commission President José Manuel Barroso added that they wanted to put relations on a "new footing".
The third topic under discussion was peace and security. Prime Minister Harper said that Canada would participate in a new EU police mission to Afghanistan. The mission is intended to help extend the rule of law.
Police and justice-sector experts are to be seconded to train Afghan police officers throughout the country. According to the statements in the final document, Canada will contribute personnel to the EUPOL mission.
Goal of visa-free travel
Finally, the EU would like to see visa exemption for all EU Member States for Canada. To this end Canada will soon provide information on the criteria and process to achieve visa exemption.
Currently, the citizens of eight EU countries require a visa for Canada. Canadians, however, do not require a visa for the EU.
The EU-Canada Summit in Berlin is one of four summits to be held during the German EU Presidency. The other three summits are the EU-USA Summit in Washington on 30 April, the EU-Russia Summit in Samara on 18 May and the EU-Japan Summit in Berlin on 5 June.
