International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu says Canada and the EU are closing in on a digital trade agreement covering e-signatures, cross-border data flows and e-commerce.
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Canada and the European Union are continuing negotiations on a digital trade agreement aimed at making it easier for businesses to buy and sell across borders, ahead of next week’s Canada-EU Summit in Montreal.
International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu said he was in Ireland on Thursday to push talks forward. In a statement, Sidhu said the two sides are “closing in on an agreement” to help “create less friction” around e-signatures and e-contracts, paperless trade, secure cross-border data flows, duties on electronic transmissions and e-commerce.
Sidhu also pointed to trade performance, saying Canada exported nearly $15 billion in digital services to the EU in 2024 and that there is an opportunity to grow that further with an agreement in place.
The negotiations come as Prime Minister Mark Carney works to establish closer links with Europe. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has suggested Canada could become the first associate member of the European Union.
The two sides are expected to announce the next steps in their deepening partnership at the Canada-EU Summit in Montreal next week.
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