The Prime Minister's idea never changed; it is still the same responsibility he gave me at the outset. The designation changed because it better expresses what the Prime Minister had in mind in the beginning.
This is going to help me. When I arrive in a European country, I will be his special envoy in addition to being the ambassador to Germany. It is clearer than saying that I'm also Canada's ambassador to the European Union, because the European Union only refers to the European Union authority.
The challenges we have been discussing for close to an hour now incorporate much more than the European Union authority. Certain ambassadors may want me to go to their country, for instance Italy, Spain, Poland or Georgia. Some of these countries, however, are not members of the European Union. And so we also have to cover that very European aspect.
We just spoke of the tensions between Russia and Ukraine. These countries are not part of the European Union, but they represent an essential European dimension. Switzerland and Norway are not in the European Union, but Canada must nevertheless maintain a strong relationship with those countries. The whole issue of the Arctic goes far beyond the European Union, but it has an important European dimension for Canada.
I think the designation we now have reflects what the Prime Minister had in mind at the outset much more precisely.