The European Union and Canada planned to unveil new deals on critical minerals and artificial intelligence on Friday. The two partners want closer ties as they face pressure from the United States and China.
EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa were due to meet Canada’s Mark Carney in Montreal. The meeting was set for the second day of a summit. Canadian ministers and senior EU officials were also holding talks there.
“The recognition of our values and the ability to work together has never been more important,” Carney said. He said Brussels and Ottawa faced “a rupture in the global system.”
“We both want to bring our relationship to the highest level possible,” von der Leyen told an event in Montreal on Thursday. A research institute organised the event. Carney said the plan involves working together in all strategic sectors.
Critical minerals are a main focus of the summit. Green technologies such as batteries and wind turbines need these minerals. Europe buys most of its supply from China, but Canada also has plenty of them.
Canada needs large infrastructure investment to get its mining industry moving. An agreement was expected at the summit that would let the European Investment Bank back Canadian critical mineral projects.
The two sides also want to work together on AI, a field where they are behind the United States and China. Von der Leyen said Europe would open its supercomputing infrastructure to Canadian researchers, industry and start-ups.
“Our industries increasingly depend on access to these technologies. And when that access rests on a few big companies, decisions taken elsewhere can put our businesses and essential services at risk. This is why we are teaming up,” she said.
On Thursday, Ottawa announced an investment of CAN$1.6 billion, or $1.1 billion, in the Canadian AI firm Cohere. The company has partnered with Germany’s Aleph Alpha. Carney said the partnership was an example of what Europe and Canada could do together.
“We are not waiting for the future of AI to be decided somewhere else by those we don’t know or by those we don’t trust,” Carney said.
A digital trade deal was also expected in Montreal. It would allow faster and cheaper online transactions.
The summit was also due to prepare the way for Canada to join EU programmes. One is the Erasmus youth scheme, which lets university students spend a semester abroad. Another is the Galileo satellite programme, an alternative to the American Global Positioning System.
Both Canada and the EU have been hit with tariffs and territorial threats since Donald Trump returned to the White House. The two partners already share a free trade agreement.
Trump called the idea of a closer EU and Canada union both “laughable” and “a hostile act.” Carney said on Thursday that the United States also stood to benefit from Canada widening its ties.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL Technology. Image: IOL Technology. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Technology desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Werner Jacobs covers technology for Tzaneen Voice. Werner reports on mobile networks, data prices, internet access, smartphones, apps, AI, cybersecurity and South African tech companies. Each story explains what a new product, price change or policy means for ordinary users in South Africa.