The European Union and Canada plan to announce a new broad strategic partnership covering defense, energy, technology, critical raw materials and continued support for Ukraine. The agreement is expected to be presented at a summit in Montreal, which will begin on October 29, Politico reports, citing a draft joint statement, writes UNN.
Details
The document states that the EU and Canada seek to significantly deepen their economic and strategic ties amid global geopolitical and trade changes.
The parties plan to accelerate investment in the extraction of critical minerals, strengthen supply chains and create strategic raw material stockpiles to reduce dependence on external markets.
Defense, Ukraine and the Arctic
One of the key areas of the new partnership will be the integration of Canada’s and the EU’s defense industries. The parties are also expected to deepen cooperation in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and quantum technologies, and make the Arctic one of their joint strategic projects.
A separate element of the future partnership will be continued joint support for Ukraine.
The EU and Canada also plan to develop cooperation in the energy sector — from liquefied natural gas and nuclear power to hydropower, solar and wind generation.
In addition, Ottawa and Brussels are preparing the joint purchase of 50 De Havilland aircraft to fight wildfires. They are expected to be ready for use in Canada and Europe in 2030.