European Union - Alberta Relations
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European Union - Alberta Relations o Croatia joined the EU in July 2013 o Iceland, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey are official candidate countries to join the EU. TRADE AND INVESTMENT . Alberta is an active participant in the ongoing Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement negotiations and expects that a successful outcome of these negotiations will be beneficial to Alberta. Negotiations are expected to be completed in 2012. Alberta opened an office in Munich in 2002 and an office in London in 2003. The EU was Canada's second largest and Alberta's fourth largest export destination in 2012. In 2012, Alberta’s leading EU- member-state export-markets were (overall global ranking): the This map is a generalized illustration only and is not intended to be used for reference purposes. The representation of political boundaries Netherlands (6th), United Kingdom does not necessarily reflect the position of the Government of Alberta on international issues of recognition, sovereignty or jurisdiction. (15th) and Belgium (18th). PROFILE second five-year term in September 2009) . From 2008 to 2012, Alberta’s exports to the EU28 averaged Capitals: Brussels (Administrative) High Representative of the Union for CAD$1.25 billion per year. Top Strasbourg (Legislative) Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: exports included nickel, Luxembourg (Judicial) Catherine Ashton (United Kingdom, in office machinery and wheat. Population: 504 million (July 2013 est.) since December 2009) From 2008 to 2012, Alberta’s Official Languages: Bulgarian, Croatian, . Currency: Euro, CAD$1.00 = €0.72, €1.00 direct imports from EU28 Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, = CAD$1.39 (September 2013) averaged CAD$2.06 billion per Finnish, French, German, Greek, year, including machinery, optical Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, GDP (EU28): US$16.6 trillion (2012) and medical instruments, and Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Real GDP (EU28): -0.4% (2012) alcoholic beverages. This figure Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, does not include goods sold in Swedish Inflation (Euro Area only): 2.6% (2012) Alberta that arrived via Council Presidency: Lithuania (July 1 – EU OVERVIEW distribution hubs in other December 31, 2013). The Council provinces. Presidency rotates every six months, and . The EU is an association of 28 sovereign Greece will assume office on January 1, member-states: . The EU represents Canada's 2014. o Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, second largest trade and Luxembourg and the Netherlands investment partner. Parliament Elections: Elections were founded the EU in 1951; held in June 2009, with the European o Denmark, Ireland, the United . In 2011, the stock of EU direct People’s Party (Christians Democrats) Kingdom joined the EU in 1973 investment in Canada amounted winning the largest number of seats o Greece, Portugal, Spain, Austria, to CAD$161 billion. In the same (currently 270 out of 748). The next Finland and Sweden joined from year, Canadian investment in the elections will be held in June 2014. the early 1980s to the mid-1990s; EU totalled CAD$173 billion. President of the European Council: o Cyprus, the Czech Republic, . Each year, Alberta receives many Herman van Rompuy (Belgium, elected for Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, tourists from the EU, especially a second two-and-a-half-year term in Malta, Poland, Slovakia and from the UK, Germany and the March 2012) Slovenia became members of the Netherlands. In 2010, UK visitors President of Parliament: Martin Schulz EU in 2004; spent almost $165 million in the (Germany, elected in January 2012 for a o Bulgaria and Romania joined the province, German visitors $81 two-and-a-half-year term) EU in January 2007; million and Dutch visitors $28 President of Commission: José Manuel million. Durão Barroso (Portugal, re-elected for a September 2013 | Input provided by Alberta Ministries of: Agriculture and Rural Development, Education, Energy, Enterprise and Advanced Education, Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Alberta's Merchandise Exports to the EU 28 Alberta's Exports to the EU 28, 2003-2012 2008-2012 (Total Average= CAD$ 1.25 Billion) $1.8 $1.6 Nickel $1.4 Other 32% 35% $1.2 $1.3 $1.0 $0.8 CAD$ CAD$ Billions $0.6 $0.4 Woodpulp Machinery $0.2 4% 13% Energy $0.0 Wheat 4% 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 12% EURO (€) OVERVIEW to the EU. EU holds approximately 2 including Britain’s British Petroleum, . The Euro was introduced in January per cent of the world’s proven natural France’s Total SA, Norway’s Statoil 1999 for financial transactions, and in gas reserves. ASA and Netherlands’ Royal Dutch January 2002, Euro bills and coins Shell. became the legal tender for the Euro- . The EU is the world leader in wind zone, which at the time consisted of energy capacity and current has nine EDUCATION twelve of the original EU members. offshore projects. In July 2011, the European Wind Energy Association . The Canada - European Community . 17 out of 28, Member States of the (EWEA) estimated that Europe’s wind Programme for Cooperation in Higher European Union use the euro as their energy output will triple by 2020. The Education and Training has been in currency. Denmark, Sweden and the EWEA listed Germany, Spain, Denmark, place since 1995. The University of UK chose to remain outside the Portugal, and Ireland as having the Calgary is a partner in the project eurozone, while other recently- greatest percentage of electricity entitled, "Collaborative Student admitted EU members must fulfill generated from wind energy in Europe Training in Quantum Information certain economic criteria before they for 2011. Processing" (2008-2011), together can adopt the single European with the University of Waterloo and currency. The EU is a strategic partner of Canada, institutions in Germany (Friedrich- only one of ten exclusive relations. Alexander Universität Erlangen- . The Euro officially became legal tender First formalised in 1976 through the Nurnberg and Max-Planck- in Slovenia in 2007, in Cyprus and Framework Agreement, EU-Canada Forschungsgruppe, Institut für Optik) Malta in 2008, in Slovakia in 2009, relations have intensified through a and France (L'Université Paris-Sud and in Estonia in 2011. solid platform for foreign policy and L'École Polytechnique). cooperation. Canada and the EU o Through internships and ENERGY regularly present and hold consultations appropriate course work in the Arctic region. The European Union (EU) has few provided by consortia-member energy reserves and remains a net . In November 2010, the European Union institutions, participating importer of energy as the world’s (EU) implemented the ’20-20-20’ students will expand the pool of second largest economy, consuming integrated energy and climate change graduates with expertise in the nearly 17 percent the world’s energy. policy to reduce energy consumption rapidly developing field of It is expected that up to two-thirds of and cut greenhouse gases by 20 per quantum information processing the EU’s total energy requirements will cent, and provide 20 per cent of energy on both sides of the Atlantic. be imported by 2020. The continent’s from renewable sources. fossil fuel use is increasingly relying on EMERGING OPPORTUNITIES imported sources as local resources and . The European Commission’s 2010 Europe has expertise in many areas production drops. energy infrastructure plan sets Europe’s . priority utility corridors. One of these is associated with food production, . The dominant fuel in Europe is oil, from an offshore wind parks in the processing and packaging. accounting for 40 per cent of EU’s total North Sea to cities in northern and Opportunities exist for Alberta in energy consumption. Natural gas central Europe. building stronger strategic alliances follows as second at 24 per cent. EU for the development of joint nuclear energy is at 14 percent, . In October 2011, the Commission ventures, investments and whereas coal is at 13 per cent and approved C$11.1 billion in funding to partnerships for licensing of products hydroelectric power at 4 per cent. fast-track the construction of European with European counterparts. Other “renewables” such as electricity and energy pipeline The implementation of EU directives geothermal, biomass, solar and wind infrastructure deemed in the “common . dealing with environmental issues account for 2 per cent of the total EU interest.” such as air pollution, waste energy mix. In December 2011, the European incineration and water management . EU is reported to have 0.6 per cent of Commission integrated the "Energy will provide opportunities in the the world’s proven oil reserves. Russia Roadmap 2050" to complement the 20- environmental technologies and remains Europe’s main oil and gas 20-20 strategy. The roadmap’s service sectors. supplier. purpose is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 80-95 per cent below . The mobile market continues to be . Additional amounts of gas are also 1990 levels by 2050, while ensuring the driving force in the ICT sector imported from Norway and Algeria. In security of energy supply and with the next generation networks 2012, 1/3 of the oil which EU members competitiveness. and mobile data and edutainment as imported was from Russia while Russia the fastest growing fields. The also accounted to 1/4 of all gas supplies . Many European-based companies have enterprise ICT market is also investments in Alberta’s oil sands expected to grow as companies are looking to increase efficiency and disarmament, migration, asylum, the . January 2013: The Hon. Cal Dallas, reduce cost. Opportunities exist in fight against organized crime and Minister of International and areas such as mobile communications, increased exchange among our Intergovernmental Relations (IIR) wireless networks, business solutions citizens. and the Hon. Diana McQueen, software, eHealth, eLearning, and A 1996 Agreement for Scientific and Minister of Environment and gaming. Technological Cooperation between Sustainable Resource Development .