Justin Trudeau’s first major bilateral meeting of 2017 may not be with new American President Donald Trump, but with an old ally across the Atlantic.
Trudeau’s team confirmed on Wednesday that he will travel to Germany next week and meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel. The two leaders are expected “to discuss key foreign policy and commercial priorities for Canada and Germany.”
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Ahead of the German visit, the prime minister will make history by becoming the first Canadian PM to address the full European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. Trudeau is scheduled to address the assembly on Feb. 16.
“The Prime Minister was invited by the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, to address the European Parliament on the importance of the Canada-European Union relationship,” according to a release issued by Trudeau’s office Wednesday afternoon.
The Prime Minister will then travel to Hamburg “to attend the city’s annual St. Matthew’s Day banquet as this year’s guest of honour” before moving on to his meeting with Merkel.
Trade, and specifically the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), is expected to be a central theme of the two-day visit.
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As the world adjusts to a far more protectionist administration in the United States, Trudeau may be trying to shore up other existing trade relationships. Trump has already pulled his country out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, which included Canada.
“This visit will serve to deepen the close bonds between Canada, Germany, and the EU,” Wednesday’s release noted. “It will also be an opportunity to promote Canada’s role as a leader on progressive trade and investment.”
There is no word on when Trudeau’s first meeting with Trump will take place, although it is very likely to be on American soil. Plans for the two leaders to sit down are reportedly in the works, but no date has been set.
Merkel’s policies, meanwhile, line up more closely with Trudeau’s on issues such as refugee resettlement and international trade.