To strengthen their relationship in the face of uncertainties in the NATO alliance and international markets on Washington’s long-term strategy, the EU and Canada signed a security and defence partnership on Monday and began negotiations on a digital trade pact.
The 20th summit between Brussels and Ottawa took place the night before a NATO leaders’ conference in The Hague and immediately after a G7 leaders’ meeting in Canada, when US President Donald Trump’s sudden early departure made headlines.
Following his meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa described the summit as a powerful political statement.
Speaking beside him, Carney stated that the rules-based international system was “under threat,” and that allies had to decide whether to “build a new one with purpose and partnerships, or nostalgically look back and long for the old world order to return somehow.”
One of the summit’s primary outcomes was the signing of a Security and Defence Partnership (SPD). This partnership will enable collaboration on counterterrorism, non-proliferation, disarmament, space policy, support for Ukraine, cyber and hybrid threats, maritime security, military mobility, crisis management, and defence industrial cooperation.
Also Read:
Trump Orders Target to Abandon its Diversity Initiative
The UAE and the UK Strengthen their Cooperation to Stop illegal Financial Flows