From Nato Security to Multilateral Trade to Cultural Exchange Policy: Newly Appointed Coordinator for North American Relations, German Foreign Office to Discuss Increasing Importance of German/Canadian Relations During York U. Lecture

TORONTO, Feb. 19, 1999 -- As Germany seeks to strengthen its Trans-Atlantic ties in areas of NATO security, multilateral trade and cultural exchange policy, newly appointed Coordinator for North American Relations, German Foreign Office (Bonn) Karsten D. Voigt will discuss the growing importance of German/Canadian relations and take questions from the audience during a lecture entitled Trans-Atlantic Relations in the Era of the EURO on Monday, Feb. 22, 1999.

Voigt was a senior and influential member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) for more than twenty years, and a member of the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag) from 1976 to 1998. He also served as a member of the North Atlantic Assembly (NATO Parliamentarians) including as president from 1994 to 1996.

Hosted by York University's Canadian Centre for German and European Studies (CCGES), Voigt's lecture will examine some of the following questions:

What is the real importance of German/North American relations, especially with Canada?

How does the EURO influence North American foreign trade policy?

What are the main threats to NATO security, and to what extent do these matters centre on economic issues rather than purely military ones?

The Canadian Centre for German and European Studies is a Canada-wide research and teaching resource, focusing on contemporary Germany in its European context. Established in 1997, the Centre is a cooperative initiative of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), l'UniversitÈ de MontrÈal, and York University.

WHO:
Coordinator for North American Relations, German Foreign Office (Bonn) Karsten D. Voigt member of the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag) from 1976 to 1998

WHAT:
Talk: Trans-Atlantic Relations in the Era of the EURO, sponsored by York University's Canadian Centre for German and European Studies (CCGES)

WHEN:
Monday, Feb. 22, 1999, 10:30 a.m. WHERE:
Room 305, York Lanes
York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto

-30-

For more information, please contact:

Volker Gransow
CCGES
York University
(416) 736-5695

Sine MacKinnon
Senior Advisor, Media Relations
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22087

Ken Turriff
Media Relations Officer
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22086
YU/014/99