{"id":469688,"date":"2026-10-29T19:17:30","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T18:17:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/2026\/10\/29\/la-promessa-di-von-der-leyen-con-il-canada-lanciamo-unalleanza-per-il-futuro\/"},"modified":"2026-10-29T19:43:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T18:43:19","slug":"von-der-leyens-pledge-together-with-canada-we-are-launching-an-alliance-for-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/2026\/10\/29\/von-der-leyens-pledge-together-with-canada-we-are-launching-an-alliance-for-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Von der Leyen\u2019s pledge: \u201cTogether with Canada, we are launching an Alliance for the Future\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brussels \u2013 The aim? \u201cTo bring Canada closer to us than ever before.\u201d The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen<\/strong>, posted<\/a> this on her social media channels upon her arrival in Montr\u00e9al, where the
\n21st EU-Canada Summit<\/a><\/p>\n

is taking place today and tomorrow (29 and 30 October). Accompanying her is the President of the European Council, Ant\u00f3nio Costa<\/strong>, both there to represent the European Union. The agenda includes discussions on \u201ca wide range of topics, including trade, the digital transition, critical raw materials, defence and security, cooperation on education, research and innovation, as well as youth policies.\u201d <\/p>\n

Last September, in her State of the Union address<\/a>, von der Leyen announced that she wanted to work with the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney<\/strong><\/a><\/strong>, \u201cto pave the way for Canada to become the <\/a>first EU associate member<\/a>.<\/strong>\u201d An ambition that may seem daunting, given that the term has been removed<\/a> from the text of the joint declaration that the two sides are expected to sign at the end of the summit. Nevertheless, the desire to strengthen relations remains, to the extent that an \u201cAlliance for the Future\u201d will be launched, because<\/strong> \u201ctogether we want to create a common space of growth and prosperity, resilience and economic security,<\/strong>\u201d explained<\/a> von der Leyen at a press conference. <\/p>\n

Although \u201cfor geographical reasons, Canada cannot become a full member of the EU,\u201d both \u201cparties wish to elevate their relationship to the highest possible level\u201d. They can achieve much more together \u201con a bilateral basis.\u201d The approach suggested by von der Leyen therefore envisages a \u201cpartnership without membership, in which a shared vision and ambition replace membership.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n

At a subsequent press conference, Costa defined<\/a> the new Alliance as \u201can even closer partnership. As our relationship is truly special, we want to create something new.<\/strong>\u201d The President pointed out that it is possible to \u201cgo beyond a simple partnership, without, however, going as far as full membership of the European Union,\u201d despite agreeing with the \u201cbold proposal\u201d put forward by von der Leyen. \u201cWhether in these terms or others, one thing is certain: ours will be the closest, deepest, and most unique partnership of its kind,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

According to a press release from the Council, the new Alliance is a \u201cframework for shared prosperity and economic security, underpinned by new, concrete initiatives aimed at strengthening ties between people, deepening economic relations, and consolidating our common position on the global stage.\u201d The head of the Berlaymont explained that this vision will require \u201cgreater alignment\u201d on three fronts<\/strong>. Firstly, \u201con policies<\/strong>: we can collaborate on every front, from artificial intelligence and climate change to energy and security.\u201d Secondly, \u201cgovernance<\/strong>, which entails a broader sharing of work between the European Commission and the Canadian government.\u201d Finally, \u201con programmes<\/strong>\u201d and for this reason the European Commission intends to step up \u201cCanada\u2019s involvement in the European Erasmus+ programme\u201d and \u201cstrengthen Canada\u2019s participation in the next generation of Horizon Europe.\u201d <\/p>\n

Among the concrete initiatives, the President announced that the EU and Canada \u201cwill create a single space for strategic supply chains.<\/strong>\u201d This means \u201cjoint or complementary investments, including private capital from both sides.\u201d In this context, the aim will be to \u201cidentify a series of projects, in collaboration with investment banks, export credit agencies, and infrastructure banks on both sides.\u201d Furthermore, \u201ca strategic partnership on raw materials\u201d has been established and \u201cthe results are tangible,\u201d von der Leyen emphasised, pointing out that \u201cthe value of imports<\/a> of critical Canadian raw materials in the European Union has risen by 62 per cent, reaching the significant figure of \u20ac3.3 billion.\u201d <\/p>\n

There is also a shared vision on artificial intelligence. \u201cBoth Canada and Europe believe that this technology must serve people,\u201d von der Leyen reiterated. Therefore, \u201cwe will work together to tackle head-on the issues relating to security and the risks of AI spiralling out of control.<\/strong>\u201d This \u201cwill enable us to derive greater value from AI, to enhance our capabilities, to invest in dedicated infrastructure, to bring our researchers together on joint projects, and to help our start-ups in the advanced technology (deep-tech) sector to compete globally,\u201d she emphasised. At the same time, tomorrow \u201can agreement to integrate Canada into the European supercomputing infrastructure\u201d will also be finalised. <\/p>\n

Like von der Leyen, Costa<\/strong> announced that a \u201cdigital trade agreement, which will complement the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)<\/strong>\u201d \u2013 the free trade agreement between the European Union and Canada \u2013 will be approved tomorrow. In his speech, Costa focused on the issue of defence, noting that \u201cCanada has joined the
\nSAFE<\/a> \u2013 the European Union\u2019s financial instrument providing \u20ac150 billion in the form of long-term subsidised loans to help Member States increase and accelerate investment in common defence \u2013 and expressing the hope that \u201cother companies too may seize the opportunities offered by the forthcoming SAFE calls for tenders.\u201d <\/p>\n

Finally, the President reiterated the EU\u2019s commitment, alongside the government in Ottawa, \u201cto provide unwavering support to Ukraine in the face of Russia\u2019s war of aggression.\u201d This is \u201ca commitment we have upheld since the very first day of the conflict and which we will continue for as long as necessary.\u201d This also applies to \u201cthe<\/strong> pressure on Russia through our sanctions,\u201d exercised \u201cin close cooperation with Canada,\u201d<\/strong> he emphasised. In conclusion, for Costa, \u201cthe ambition and the will to act are there.\u201d In particular, \u201cthanks to the Alliance and the partnership, the European Union and Canada are not merely reacting to a changing world.\u201d Rather, \u201cwe are helping to shape the world to come.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Costa: \u201cThis is an even closer partnership. As our relationship is truly special, we want to create something new\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7908,"featured_media":469681,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"1","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"top","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"0","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","show_comment_section":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"0","show_post_related":"1","show_inline_post_related":"0"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0","subtitle":""},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[25707],"tags":[27175,25871,25927,27335,30996,33394,35960],"class_list":["post-469688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-politics","tag-canada-en","tag-council-en","tag-mark-carney-en","tag-ue","tag-ursula-von-der-leyen"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469688","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7908"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=469688"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469688\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":469689,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469688\/revisions\/469689"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/469681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=469688"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=469688"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=469688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}