Canada, EU lay out vision for closer ties in ‘dangerous and divided’ world

Canada and the EU are laying out their vision for what a closer relationship looks like as the world becomes increasingly “dangerous and divided” and where trade has become “weaponized.”

While the agreement, signed Friday, only refers to the United States once in reference to its sanctions imposed on the International Criminal Court, Prime Minister Mark Carney has made no secret of his plans to foster relationships with other foreign nations in the wake of increasing trade tensions.

“This is a positive alliance. It’s about creating opportunity, building prosperity, addressing sustainability, and reinforcing sovereignty,” Carney said. “It’s not against anything, it’s for. And those who choose to be for solutions will be pleased with the result.”

The prime minister said the agreement, in which Canada and the European Union agree to pursue “an even closer association” between their respective leaders, industries and people, vows to create opportunities for those on both sides of the ocean.

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“Opportunity for our youth, for our artists, for our researchers, for our businesses. It’s about democracy, protecting against foreign interference and social media manipulation while supporting human rights, freedom, and the rule of law. This is about sustainability. Protect our oceans, our forests, and our Arctic, while developing practical, scalable solutions to climate change. And above all, it’s about sovereignty, about being able to live our lives as we wish,” Carney said.

The agreement sets out an alliance for trade, research, raw minerals, energy, security and preparedness, including vows to pursue easier digital money transfers between people in Canada and Europe as well as more opportunities for labour mobility and youth education abroad.

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“This is based on partnership, balance, and mutual respect. And like any major bridge, each side has something to offer the other,” Carney said.

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Both parties say they will collaborate to work toward connecting instant payment systems to facilitate faster, low-cost and more seamless border transactions, making it easier to conduct business across the Atlantic and transfer funds between the two economies.

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Currently, large sums typically need to be handled by wire transfers which take days to process.

Canada and the EU will also launch negotiations to encourage deeper participation in Erasmus+, the EU flagship program for education, training youth and support to expand opportunities for students, researchers, educators and young people to gain international experience and promote training and lasting institutional partnerships.

Canada and the EU have also agreed to launch discussion on cooperating on skills development and enhancing labour and research mobility, with a focus on reducing barriers for young people and facilitating mobility for highly skilled workers.

“This alliance is built for people. The student in Edmonton who wants to study in Stockholm. The cancer researcher in Saskatoon who needs her answer today, not next spring. The Vancouver startup with new customers in Berlin,” Carney said. “We launch a new alliance for the future that will deliver now and in the future with like-minded nations. We’re just getting started.”

Canada has also signalled its intention to join the Ukraine Support Loan, affirming a commitment to support for Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty through political, financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic aid.

“We see the world through the same eyes. What matters nowadays is not where a country is on the map, but what it is ready to build with us and what it stands for in the world of fierce geopolitical headwinds. These headwinds won’t stop blowing. This change is permanent and now it is time to act with confidence and with vision to build a new future,” Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said Friday.

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She said Canada’s priorities and visions align with the EU enough that “we can build a partnership that comes closer to membership than anything we’ve done before.”

“In a world of growing rivalries, sovereignty is no longer the freedom to act alone, but it is the capacity to act together.”

The two leaders have also laid out plans for participation on artificial intelligence, outer space, climate change, as well as European investment in critical raw minerals.

However, the agreement made no mention of whether Canada will align with European regulations on AI, which require the labelling content generated or assisted using AI.