Canada-EU summit kicks off in Montreal

European Union Summit kicked off in Montreal,Canada on Wednesday.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is hosting the two-day summit with the participation of European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

Trudeau is expected to focus on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Tusk and Juncker in a series of events.

Trudeau has been pushing hard for CETA after two difficult years for the tough renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron told a news conference that France will move forward with CETA's ratification.

The introduction of the bill in the National Assembly is a first step in a process that the French government hopes will lead to full ratification by the end of 2019.

The EU is Canada's second largest trade and investment partner and an ally on many foreign policy and international security issues.

CETA is giving Canada preferential access to the EU's more than 500 million consumers. With CETA, 98 percent of EU tariff lines are now duty-free for Canadian goods.