The European Union and Canada, which condemn in the same terms “the unjustifiable and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by President Putin”, agreed on Wednesday 23 March to intensify their cooperation to increase humanitarian aid to Ukrainians, as well as in the field of energy.
The European Commission welcomes the fact that Canada is exploring possibilities to work with the European Emergency Response Coordination Centre and the EU Civil Protection Mechanism logistics hubs in Poland, Romania and Slovakia to help deliver aid to Ukraine, Ursula von der Leyen said after her meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday evening.
In order for the EU to break its dependence on Russian fossil fuels, Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson and Canadian Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson will meet this week to discuss energy supply, she announced.
In a joint statement, the two sides say they are committed to holding a clean technology summit in Canada in 2022 “to promote our shared commitment to the green transition of our economy”.
With regard to the sanctions imposed on Russia, the partners are on the same page: “Canada and the European Commission, within the framework of its competences, will work to further strengthen the implementation of sanctions and the fight against their circumvention”. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)