President von der Leyen goes to Montreal for the EU-Canada summit

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will be in Montreal on 29-30 October for the EU-Canada summit, together with European Council President António Costa and High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas. The summit is hosted by Canada's Prime Minister, Mark Carney. 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. It is also reinforced by a decade of thriving trade thanks to CETA. Both partners now want to deepen their relationship, as President von der Leyen indicated last month in her State of the Union speech. Nine more members of the College of Commissioners will attend the summit: Executive Vice-Presidents Teresa Ribera, Henna Virkkunen, Stéphane Séjourné and Roxana Mînzatu, and Commissioners Maroš Šefčovič, Andrius Kubilius, Maria Luís Albuquerque, Jessika Roswall and Glenn Micallef. They will discuss with their Canadian counterparts how they can bring concrete benefits to citizens in their areas of responsibility. On 29 October, President von der Leyen will open the visit with a speech on EU-Canada relations, delivered at an event hosted by the C.D. Howe Institute and broadcast by EBS at around 10:00 EDT (16:00 in Romania). In the afternoon of the same day, together with President Costa and Prime Minister Carney, she will take part in a business roundtable with European and Canadian business leaders. The day will end with an official dinner hosted by Prime Minister Carney. On 30 October, President von der Leyen will take part in a trilateral meeting with President Costa and Prime Minister Carney, while the other members of the College will attend three working sessions on the following themes: the digital sector, artificial intelligence and culture; supply chain resilience in critical industries; and the clean energy transition and the environment. Later, there will be a joint session with the leaders, members of the Commission and the Canadian government. A press conference by President von der Leyen, President Costa and Prime Minister Carney will follow, at around 12:15 EDT (18:15 Romanian time), which can be watched live on EBS. A joint statement will be published at the end of the summit, together with updated factsheets on EU-Canada relations and the main outcomes of the summit. During the summit, in addition to discussions with national authorities, Commissioners will engage with representatives of industry, European and Canadian businesses and civil society. Updates can be followed online in the Commissioners' calendars.