Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association (CAEU)

9 March 2023

Meeting with Hlynur Guðjónsson, Ambassador of Iceland, and Urban Ahlin, the Ambassador of Sweden

Canada–Europe Parliamentary Association (CAEU)

Mr. Francesco Sorbara, M.P., President, Canada–Europe Parliamentary Association; the Hon. David Wells, Senator; the Hon. Percy Downe, Senator; Stéphane Bergeron, M.P.; Don Davies, M.P.; and Jamie Schmale, M.P.; met, on Parliament Hill, with His Excellency Hlynur Guðjónsson, the Ambassador of Iceland to Canada, and His Excellency Urban Ahlin, the Ambassador of Sweden to Canada.

Ambassador Guðjónsson delivered a presentation on Iceland’s priorities for its Chairmanship of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers (November 2022–May 2023) and shared details about the Summit of the Council of Europe being hosted in Reykjavík from 16–17 May 2023.

Ambassador Ahlin delivered a presentation on Sweden’s priorities during its presidency of the Council of the European Union (1 January–30 June 2023) and provided an update on Sweden’s North Atlantic Treaty Organization accession process.

The ambassadors’ presentations were followed by a question-and-answer session with association members.

41st Interparliamentary Meeting with the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Canada Ottawa, Canada

The Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association (CAEU) hosted the 41st Interparliamentary Meeting (IPM) with the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Canada (D-CA) in Ottawa on 17 December 2022.

The IPM consisted of four panels and question-and-answer sessions on the following subjects:

• the Fifth anniversary of the Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement and the Strategic Partnership Agreement;

• the regulation of large technology firms;

• Canada-EU energy security and climate change cooperation;

• global displacement.

The CAEU participants were: Mr. Francesco Sorbara, M.P. and President; the Hon. Tony Loffreda, Senator; the Hon. Victor Oh, Senator; the Hon. Lucie Moncion, Senator; the Hon. David Wells, Senator; Stéphane Bergeron, M.P.; and Marie-France Lalonde, M.P.

The D-CA participants were: Stéphanie Yon-Courtin (Chair, France); Damian Boeselager (Germany); Ondrej Kovarík (Czechia); Dorien Rookmaker (Netherlands); and Hildegard Bentele (Germany).

The following external participants also took part in the IPM:

• Patrick Leblond, Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa;

• Achim Hurrelmann, Political Science Professor and Co-Director of Centre for European Studies, Carleton University;

• Robert Hage, Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, former Director General for Europe at Global Affairs Canada;

• Brad Callaghan, Associate Deputy Commissioner of the Policy, Planning and Advocacy Directorate at the Competition Bureau;

• Vanessa Corkal, Senior Policy Advisor at the International Institute for Sustainable Development; and

• Rema Jamous Imseis, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Canada Representative.