OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - A two-day summit of the leaders of Canada and the European Union will kick off in the Canadian city of Montreal Thursday.
The summit comes at a time Canada diversifies trade amid tensions with the United States, and the European Union proposing 'associate member' status for Canada.
'Europe's partnership with Canada has never been stronger. It is built on trust, shared values and a common vision of how to respond to major geopolitical challenges. And it is reinforced by a decade of thriving trade thanks to CETA. Both partners now want to deepen their relationship,' European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had said in her State of the Union Address last month, in the presence of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Ursula von der Leyen, together with European Council President António Costa and High Representative Kaja Kallas are attending the Summit hosted by Carney.
Nine other members of the College of Commissioners will participate in the Summit: Executive Vice-Presidents Teresa Ribera, Henna Virkkunen, Stéphane Séjourné, Roxana Mînzatu and Commissioners Maroš Šefcovic, Andrius Kubilius, Maria Luís Albuquerque, Jessika Roswall and Glenn Micallef. They will engage with their respective Canadian counterparts on how to deliver tangible benefits for citizens in their areas of responsibility.
On Thursday, von der Leyen will kick off the visit with a speech on EU-Canada relations at an event hosted by the C.D. Howe Institute. In the afternoon, together with President Costa and Prime Minister Carney, President von der Leyen will participate in a business roundtable with European and Canadian business leaders.
On Friday, von der Leyen will take part in a trilateral meeting with Costa and Prime Minister Carney, while the other College Members will participate in three working sessions dedicated to digital, AI and culture; supply chain resilience across critical industries; and clean energy transition and environment. Later on, there will be a joint session including the leaders and the Members of the Commission and the Canadian government.
The Canadian Prime Minister and EU leaders will address a joint press conference at the end of the Summit.
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