The European Union and Canada concluded, on Monday 23 June, their twentieth bilateral summit with a series of announcements to strengthen their relationship, the most notable example being the signing of an EU-Canada Security and Defence Partnership. The two parties also declared that they were strengthening their Strategic Partnership and adopted a ‘roadmap’ with various actions to this end.
As well as agreeing on many issues, the EU and Canada want to gain even greater benefits from the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). Although it was signed in 2017, it has still not been fully implemented, as not all Member States have ratified it.
Security and Defence. With this new defence partnership with Canada, the EU can pride itself on having taken another step towards its defence objectives. Once the exact terms of the agreement have been agreed, Canadian companies will have access to certain military procurement programmes under ‘SAFE’, the EU’s new financial instrument for defence (see EUROPE 13649/23).
“If we pool our resources or a large part of our resources, we will be more than the sum of our parts and, as we accumulate these resources, we will be able to do so in a complementary and mutually reinforcing way”, explained Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Canada could also participate more in the EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO). All this will contribute to the objectives set by the EU in terms of defence capability, according to the authors of the Joint Statement: “Our aim will be to help deliver on our capability targets, including through our defence industries, more quickly and economically and with enhanced interoperability in ways that deliver mutual benefit and reinforce the European contribution to NATO”.
Foreign affairs. The summit is also considered a success in that the two parties are largely in agreement on international issues. In the current complex geopolitical context, the EU and Canada intend to “stand together even more firmly in support of peace, stability, and prosperity in the world, including in Ukraine, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific”.
They therefore reiterated their support for Ukraine and their condemnation of Russian aggression, in the terms commonly used by the EU.
With regard to the situation in the Middle East, they called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages and the resumption of humanitarian aid. They also strongly condemned the expansion of settlements and Israel’s military operation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Finally, they recognised that Hamas has no place in the governance of Gaza.
On the latest developments between Israel and Iran, the EU and Canada are also on the same line: they advocate appeasement and a diplomatic solution. They also call on the players to “show restraint and abide by international law”.
Economy. Not unrelated to international developments, both parties are also keen to work together to withstand economic shocks. US President Donald Trump’s tariffs are the best illustration of this. “What we are going to do is build business relationships with reliable partners who share the same values. And it starts here. This is the future of trade”, explained the Canadian Prime Minister, using the new defence partnership as an example.
Both parties said they are determined to join forces to build sustainable and, above all, resilient value chains. In their Joint Statement, the two blocs list a series of strategic products and technologies on which they wish to work together, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, minerals and semiconductors.
Specifically, they mentioned the nickel extraction project in Canada, which the Commission labelled as a “strategic project” (see EUROPE 13653/14).
The two parties also launched a dialogue on industrial policy, which will bring together governments, European Commissioners and business leaders.
In another tangible result, the EU and Canada announced the launch of negotiations for a Digital Trade Agreement, which “would complement CETA”, according to the ‘roadmap’.
In the same document, the EU and Canada promised as well to reduce trade barriers and increase trade in agri-food products.
They are also committed to various forms of cooperation, such as the creation of a tool to support companies engaged in commercial diversification.
To see the Joint Statement and ‘roadmap’: https://aeur.eu/f/hik (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)