Canada and the European Union launched an “Alliance for the Future” in Montreal on October 30, finished negotiations on a digital trade agreement and set a goal of defining a closer relationship by 2027, while Prime Minister Mark Carney said he hoped to finish talks on a proposed associate-member relationship by June.
The two-day summit was attended by Carney, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa. The leaders’ joint statement describes broader cooperation on trade, technology, resources they consider critical, energy, financial markets, security and ties between people. The digital trade deal is intended to set rules for online business and data shared across borders.
It will still need to go through each side’s procedures before it can be formally signed and completed. The summit also highlighted cooperation on raw materials, research and security. Carney presented the proposed associate-member status as a goal, but the joint statement does not use that term.
Instead, the statement commits both sides to define an “ever-closer association” by their next summit in 2027. The idea has faced opposition from some EU countries. Its terms have not yet been worked out.