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Canada and the United States ended up being the only G20 countries not contributing to the eurozone bailout.

I think it’s important that Canada and the European Union drive these negotiations to conclusion

Mr. Flaherty said the remedy for the eurozone “is very clear,” noting it must recapitalize banks and deal with the sovereign debt crisis. “We’ve known this for several years now, which makes it rather frustrating at the end of the day, quite frankly,” he added.

But the prime minister may find that he needs to give a little if he is to have any success with his goal for the meeting: lowering trade barriers with Germany. Mr. Harper will be looking for Ms. Merkel, the leader of the European Union’s largest economy, to lend her support to a free trade agreement between Canada and the EU as negotiations enter the critical last stages over the next few months.

A German Embassy official said Ms. Merkel’s two-day visit results from a personal invitation from Harper after numerous meetings between the two leaders at the G8, G20 and NATO summits.

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Ms. Merkel and Mr. Harper will meet over dinner tonight at Harper’s Harrington Lake retreat in Gatineau, Que. The two will have a rare, uninterrupted session — with no aides and no agenda — that’s set for two hours, but could last longer.

The German official downplayed the significance of the free-trade talks in the upcoming visit, pointing out that the EU’s bureaucratic arm, the European Commission, is responsible for the negotiations and individual countries do not influence the outcome.

But speaking to reporters in Toronto on Monday, Mr. Harper made no secret of his plans to make the trade talks a high priority during Merkel’s visit.

“I think it is important at this time in the world economy — all the difficulties we face and particularly Europe faces — I think it’s important that Canada and the European Union drive these negotiations to conclusion,” Mr. Harper said.