World benefits from strong EU, Canadian PM Trudeau says

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told European lawmakers Thursday that the world is better off when the EU is strong, as anti-Brussels sentiment soars following the Brexit vote and Donald Trump's victory.


"The whole world benefits from a strong EU," he said in a speech to the European Parliament, a day after MEPs approved a landmark free trade deal between the EU and Canada.

"Canada knows that an effective European voice on the global stage isn't just preferable, it's essential," Trudeau told the assembly in Strasbourg, France.

Trudeau also hailed the 28-nation bloc as "a truly remarkable achievement and an unprecedented model for peaceful cooperation."

The European Parliament on Wednesday solidly backed an EU-Canada trade accord after nearly eight years of painful negotiations and activist anger.
 [elethos.gr/AFP]
16/2/17
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