Coming after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday proposed admitting Canada as an associate member of the EU, Calviño’s trip is significant given that the EIB typically only operates in developing countries or members of the European Union or European Economic Area.
Ahead of this year’s G7 summit, Canada extended a behind-the-scenes offer to alliance members for “priority access” to its critical minerals stockpile, according to a letter seen by POLITICO from Hodgson.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney named boosting critical raw materials as one of the areas in which he wants to boost collaboration between Ottawa and Brussels in a speech to the European Parliament on Thursday.
“Canada and Europe should secure our strategic autonomy through deep cooperation in the full range of strategic capabilities, including critical minerals, defense industrial capacity, AI and computers, energy security, space and payments,” he said.
Carney told an investment summit in Toronto on Tuesday that EU and Canadian leaders would get down to serious business at an end-October summit that he will host in Montreal.
“The real deepening and discussions will be launched with our summit,” Carney said in Toronto. “And then go for it from there.”
Mike Blanchfield contributed reporting from Ottawa.