Canada and EU unveil Alliance for the Future at Montreal summit
Canada and the EU announced an Alliance for the Future open to like-minded nations, alongside Canada's contribution to a €90bn Ukraine loan and supercomputing access.
The story in focus
At a Montreal summit, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced an Alliance for the Future open to like-minded countries. Canada agreed to contribute to a €90bn support loan for Ukraine, and both sides announced Canada's entry into Europe's supercomputing network.
- Carney and von der Leyen unveiled the Alliance for the Future at a two-day Montreal summit
- Canada agreed to contribute to a €90bn support loan for Ukraine
- Canada will join Europe's supercomputing network under a Friday agreement
- Leaders said a clearer scope for Canada's associate membership would come at a 2027 summit
What was announced
The Guardian reported that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the Alliance for the Future to reporters in Montreal on Friday, at the close of a two-day summit. The partnership, described as the deepest yet between Canada and the 27-member bloc, is open to other like-minded countries.
Carney said societies had been shaken by new storms, citing the climate emergency, erosion of democratic norms and the weaponisation of trade. Von der Leyen said trusted suppliers of energy, critical minerals and semiconductors are increasingly used as instruments of pressure.
Ukraine, computing and membership
Canada agreed to contribute to a €90bn support loan for Ukraine. Brussels and Ottawa also announced an agreement bringing Canada into Europe's supercomputing network, giving Canadian researchers access to European machines for training AI models.
The leaders again raised the prospect of Canada becoming an associate member of the EU, a designation von der Leyen called uncharted territory. They said a clearer scope would come at a 2027 summit. European Council president Antonio Costa described Canada as the most European of non-European countries.
What did Canada and the EU agree on at the Montreal summit?
They announced an Alliance for the Future open to like-minded countries, agreed that Canada would contribute to a €90bn Ukraine support loan, and announced Canada's entry into Europe's supercomputing network.
Sources & further reading
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