EU and Canada set to deepen cooperation at Montréal summit

Politics · First reported 29 Oct, 02:53 · Updated 06:03

Image: Wikimedia Commons · NASA Johnson Space Center · Public domain

The EU and Canada are meeting in Montréal to advance closer ties, with cooperation under discussion on trade, energy, critical minerals, digital policy and other areas. Disagreement among EU member states led the summit text to use “ever closer association” rather than “associate member.”

The summit is intended to expand EU-Canada cooperation, including on trade, energy, climate, artificial intelligence and security.
The proposed “associate member” label was removed from the joint summit statement after objections from some EU states; the text instead refers to an “ever closer association.”
Possible initiatives include a digital trade agreement, Canadian participation in EU programmes and EU-backed investment in Canadian critical-mineral projects.

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Key facts

Summit location: Montréal, Canada.
Summit duration: Two days, according to RTÉ.
Joint statement wording: “Ever closer association”; “associate member” was dropped from the statement.
Potential digital initiative: A digital trade deal is expected to be unveiled in Montréal, according to RTÉ.
Ukraine funding gap: Euronews reports a projected €70 billion gap in Ukraine’s 2027 budget, with the EU willing to cover about €46 billion.