Canada and EU Advance Digital Trade Agreement Ahead of Montreal Summit
Canada and the European Union are negotiating a digital trade deal to streamline e-commerce, e-signatures, and cross-border data flows. International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu traveled to Ireland to advance talks before next week's Canada-EU Summit in Montreal, as Prime Minister Mark Carney seeks closer ties with Europe.
Canada and the European Union are continuing negotiations on a digital trade agreement intended to facilitate cross-border business transactions. The proposed deal aims to reduce friction regarding e-signatures, e-contracts, paperless trade, secure cross-border data flows, duties on electronic transmissions, and e-commerce.
International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu was in Ireland on Thursday to advance the negotiations ahead of the upcoming Canada-EU Summit, which is scheduled to take place next week in Montreal. The agreement seeks to build on an existing trade relationship; Canada exported nearly $15 billion in digital services to the EU in 2024.
The talks come as Prime Minister Mark Carney works to establish closer links with Europe. In a sign of deepening relations, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has suggested that Canada could become the first associate member of the European Union.