Canada and the EU close their Montreal summit with an “alliance for the future” pact

Also in the statement

• Digital trade agreement
• EU bank funding for critical minerals in Canada
• Canadian AI researchers on EU supercomputers
• More talks on Arctic and border security

The seven-page joint statement calls for more industrial collaboration and supply-chain integration, and confirms the digital trade agreement.

“It’s not against anything, it’s for,” Carney said of the pact.

— Prime Minister Mark Carney

And us?

Canada and the EU will work to link instant payment systems and launch talks on joining the Erasmus+ student program. They also agreed to discuss easier labour and research mobility for young people.

Ursula von der Leyen said the partnership “comes closer to membership than anything we’ve done before.” The pact does not say whether Canada will follow EU rules requiring AI-generated content to be labelled.