Canada and the EU close in on a digital trade deal before next week's summit

International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu was in Ireland on Thursday to push the talks ahead of the Canada-EU Summit in Montreal. He says the two sides are “closing in on an agreement.”

What it would cover

• E-signatures and e-contracts
• Paperless trade
• Secure cross-border data flows
• Duties on electronic transmissions
• E-commerce

The agreement would ease the way for businesses to buy and sell across borders.

Digital services sold to the EU, 2024

15 $ billion, nearly

Canada exported nearly $15 billion in digital services to the EU in 2024.

What's next

The two sides are expected to announce next steps in their partnership at the summit. The European Commission president has suggested Canada could become the EU's first associate member.