What changed between the plenary report and the adopted text

(t) strengthen EU-Canada coordination to address multifaceted challenges posed by China’s growth and assertiveness, including in the Western Balkans;

(u) engage more closely with Canada in upholding stability in the Indo-Pacific, building on Canada’s long-standing presence in the region and aligning their respective Indo-Pacific strategies to promote a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific, including by working jointly with regional partners (such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Japan and others) on maritime security, connectivity and upholding international law in the East and South China Seas and the Taiwan Strait;

(v) work with Canada towards a just and lasting peace in the Middle East in line with international law through a negotiated two-state solution; step up cooperation to secure the provision of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, and support all diplomatic and operative efforts aimed at enhancing comprehensive regional stability, while ensuring that Hamas plays no future role in Gaza; counter malicious states such as Iran that threaten security and peace in the region; join efforts to support a peaceful political transition and the protection of all communities in Syria; work with Canada to assist Jordan and Lebanon, which are highly affected by instability in the region;

(w) establish a biannual foreign policy dialogue to enable strategic cooperation on the highest priority issues;

(x) underscore the EU and Canada’s shared commitment to advancing the UN Women, Peace and Security Agenda through enhanced bilateral and multilateral cooperation; encourage both sides to develop concrete joint initiatives, capacity-building efforts and diplomatic actions aimed at integrating gender perspectives across peace and security policies;

(y) continue supporting the EU-Canada Green Alliance as a joint commitment to ambitious environmental and climate action on the global stage, including support for the full implementation of the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement;

Strengthening multilateralism

(z) further strengthen cooperation with Canada on defending multilateralism to jointly address the emerging and dangerous geopolitical realities affecting our shared values, interests and security, as well as the social cohesion of our societies;

(aa) reinforce EU-Canada cooperation both in and outside of multilateral forums by coordinating positions, aligning initiatives and working together to defend shared values;

(ab) work together closely and consistently to safeguard the vital role and functioning of international institutions, such as the UN, the International Criminal Court, the WTO and NATO, and international forums such as the G7 and G20; in this respect, call on Canada and other like-minded countries to continue adhering to WTO norms in their bilateral relations with countries other than the United States;

(ac) coordinate efforts to accomplish the long-overdue strategic reform of international organisations, such as the UN and the WTO;

(ad) intensify cooperation within multilateral lending institutions, and enhance capital-market synergies and capacity building, including for defence financing;

Cooperation on the Arctic

(ae) underline the strategic importance of the Arctic region for both the EU and Canada, given its growing geopolitical, environmental and economic relevance; call for deeper EU-Canada cooperation on the Arctic, including on sustainable economic development, freedom of navigation and maritime security, military cooperation, scientific research, and environmental monitoring and protection;

(af) express concern over the militarisation of the Arctic, including Russia’s expansion of military infrastructure and China’s growing strategic presence, and work with Canada and the United States to preserve the Arctic as a region of peace and stability using all appropriate technical and legal tools, particularly the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea;

(ag) strengthen multilateral Arctic governance with Canada, including cooperation through the Arctic Council and NATO, and with observer states, to uphold international law and ensure maritime freedom and conflict prevention; promote EU-Canada-led initiatives for dialogue, crisis response and joint exercises;

(ah) encourage the establishment of a dedicated EU-Canada Arctic cooperation framework with structured dialogues between EU and Canadian institutions to promote joint situational awareness and infrastructure protection, tackle climate and environmental challenges, and protect the interests, rights and heritage of Arctic communities and indigenous peoples;

(ai) promote enabling policies that ensure indigenous peoples in the Arctic can exercise their free, prior and informed consent on projects affecting their lands, territories or resources; establish a structured dialogue with Canada on ecosystem and biodiversity protection, the implementation of international environmental standards, resilient infrastructure, maritime security, and the integration of indigenous knowledge into decision-making; encourage closer cooperation in scientific and cultural fields to empower indigenous populations;

(aj) enhance EU-Canada cooperation on Arctic security, including by jointly monitoring strategic maritime corridors, establishing joint early warning systems and threat assessments, addressing hybrid and conventional threats, such as cyberattacks, GPS interference and shadow fleet operations, and safeguarding critical Arctic infrastructure, including submarine cables, pipelines and communication systems;

(ak) recommend that Member States consider new PESCO projects with Canada, such as those on search and rescue or environmental response, to enhance CSDP capabilities in the Arctic; encourage EU-Canada simulation exercises focused on the broad implementation of the Civil Protection Mechanism in the Arctic;

(al) update the EU maritime security strategy and EU space policy to jointly address with strategic partners such as Canada new opportunities and challenges in the Arctic region; assess, in cooperation with Canada, the expansion of existing satellite programmes to cover the Arctic region’s specific needs, including improved use of Copernicus for Arctic monitoring;

(am) encourage close cooperation with Canada on fibre-optic infrastructure development to create new digital corridors that also improve connectivity for Arctic communities and support better healthcare and social services, online education opportunities and access to the global economy;

(an) support efforts to strengthen resilience to potential pressure from the activities of the ever more present People’s Republic of China and other actors that do not prioritise sustainable, rules-based mineral extraction; call for deeper cooperation with Canada and for the East StratCom Task Force to monitor influence campaigns targeting Arctic mineral-extraction decisions;

(ao) deepen cooperation with Canada on tackling the impact of climate change on the Arctic, enhance adaptation strategies, support monitoring activities and increase investments in research, transport, digital and energy infrastructure, space technologies, sustainable shipping, sustainable extraction and processing of raw materials, renewable energy and other low-carbon activities, tourism, and overall resilience;

(ap) promote joint Arctic research initiatives with Canada, ensuring that scientific collaboration also accounts for dual-use security risks; encourage open data sharing, the monitoring of climate, environmental and strategic developments, and the integration of research into policy and security planning;

(aq) work closely with Canada, including through channels such as the Coalition of the Willing, to stand united in safeguarding Greenland’s autonomy and the agency of the Greenlandic people, in the context of increased geopolitical interest in the Arctic, as exemplified by the Trump administration’s rhetoric of annexation, and economic and military coercion of Greenland and China’s declaration that it is a ‘near-Arctic state’; work together with Canada to ensure that high environmental, social and governance standards are applied in the implementation of infrastructure and mining projects in the Arctic;

(ar) strengthen cooperation between the EU, Canada, Denmark and Greenland, building on the historic agreement reached to peacefully resolve long-standing boundary disputes; welcome the signature of the new fisheries-specific Memorandum of Understanding between Greenland and the territory of Nunavut in Canada;

Trade in goods and services, digital trade, investment and economic security

(as) promote the benefits of CETA within the Member States and the EU, which include, but are not limited to, increased market access, simplified trade and reduced administrative barriers for SMEs, in particular by increasing the resources allocated to campaigns to raise EU businesses’ awareness of the trading opportunities; build on CETA’s positive results to work towards its full implementation and seize all opportunities to strengthen the trade and investment relationship with Canada;

(at) further deepen regulatory cooperation in a transparent manner and alignment through the CETA Protocol on the mutual acceptance of the results of conformity assessment and by working more intensively in the CETA Regulatory Cooperation Forum;

(au) start negotiations without delay on an ambitious, stand-alone digital trade agreement to complement CETA, which should not impede the implementation of the EU digital acquis or reduce the future policy space of either party to regulate the digital sphere, and which must fully respect the horizontal provisions on cross-border data flows and personal data protection in EU trade and investment agreements, ensure a high level of online consumer protection and predictable rules for business operators and enhance bilateral cooperation in the digital economy by aligning standards and infrastructure, enhancing competitiveness, ensuring cooperation on cybersecurity, AI and quantum research, and creating new opportunities in e-commerce and digital services, particularly for SMEs;

(av) work closely with Canada to ensure stronger enforcement, clearer impact measurements and enhanced regulatory alignment in relation to the implementation of the trade and sustainable development chapter of CETA, including by combating forced labour and child labour and reflecting on the Canadian Government’s proposals to enhance the enforceability of the trade and sustainable development provisions;

(aw) work closely with Canada to increase civil society access to information and direct involvement in committees under CETA, both before and after each of the relevant specialised committee meetings;

(ax) work closely with Canada to put in place a system, under CETA, for gathering gender-disaggregated data on the sectors of operation of women-owned businesses and on women’s trading activities;

(ay) continue working with Canada to identify an appropriate instrument and concrete joint activities to facilitate access to CETA for indigenous peoples and ensure that they benefit from it and are meaningfully consulted and involved, including by ensuring their free, prior and informed consent in the implementation of CETA and of the strategic partnership on raw materials;

(az) recognise that CETA has significantly contributed to the diversification and resilience of EU and Canadian supply chains and to the increase in EU imports of critical raw materials originating from Canada; welcome the Critical Minerals Production Alliance, a Canada-led G7 initiative to diversify and secure the global production and supply of critical minerals; underline that the EU-Canada strategic partnership on raw materials promotes coordination and joint action in response to export restrictions imposed by third countries on critical minerals and other strategically important resources, and reinforces supply chain security and economic resilience; ensure the further development of joint projects under the EU-Canada strategic partnership on raw materials including through strengthened technical and scientific cooperation and increased infrastructure investment, and further strengthen industrial policy dialogue with Canada;

(ba) foster cooperation with Canada as a key partner for energy security and call for the expansion of the EU-Canada High-Level Energy Dialogue to develop joint actions on hydrogen, other sustainable low-carbon technologies, critical energy infrastructure protection and sustainable trade in energy; continue the existing cooperation on nuclear technologies, including fuels and fuel cycle services, through the negotiation of a modernised and comprehensive Canada-Euratom Nuclear Cooperation Agreement;

(bb) explore potential collaboration between the EU, Canada and other like-minded geopolitical entities and regions, such as Latin America and the Indo-Pacific region, or within the framework of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, to promote trade, reduce strategic dependencies, in particular on China, increase resilience, address global trade challenges, including by reinforcing the steel market in order to fight global overcapacity, and allow rules-based trade among partners; welcome, in this respect, the launch of negotiations on the Canada-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, as well as the conclusion of the EU-India Free Trade Agreement;

(bc) urge the 10 Member States that have not yet ratified CETA to do so swiftly; reiterate the importance of the full application of CETA, as an important political signal ahead of the 10-year anniversary, in 2027, of its provisional application, especially in the current geopolitical context, and as a prerequisite for realising the agreement’s full economic potential; engage bilaterally with these Member States to identify their concerns;

Global development

(bd) ensure close coordination with Canada to help fill critical gaps, reinforce multilateral development frameworks, act as a stronger counterweight to authoritarian regimes and counter their growing global influence, promote sustainable development, the achievement of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, and inclusive international partnerships, and maintain support for civil society and democratic resilience, including in the EU’s neighbourhood and the EU candidate countries, in particular;

(be) jointly address emerging challenges threatening global development, including the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the pause in US foreign assistance;

Education, research and people-to-people ties

(bf) follow up swiftly on the commitment to deepen cooperation in areas such as people-to-people ties, culture, youth, support for inclusive policies and the framework of the EU-Canada Digital Partnership;

(bg) increase societal resilience by leveraging Canada’s association to Horizon Europe, enhancing cooperation on education, research, culture and scientific collaboration in the strategic domains, facilitating and encouraging the transatlantic mobility of students, young entrepreneurs, researchers and investors and of young people in general for work, studies and volunteering, and further exploring the opportunities for people-to-people contacts and study exchanges, building on Erasmus+ and raising awareness about the EU Blue Card labour mobility instrument;

(bh) work closely with Canada on expanding the mutual recognition of regulated professions to other sectors, such as engineering and accounting, following the adoption of a mutual recognition agreement of professional qualifications for architects under CETA;

Promotion of democratic resilience and equality

(bi) cooperate with Canada on advancing democratic resilience globally, by promoting a holistic security approach and supporting free media, electoral integrity, social cohesion and civil society in vulnerable democracies;

(bj) enhance cooperation on regulating social media and big tech companies, while strengthening the EU Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act legislation;

(bk) work closely with Canada to develop responsible AI governance in line with the Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, to which both the EU and Canada are signatories;

(bl) foster cooperation and the exchange of good practices to jointly promote equality and the inclusion of marginalised groups in the EU, Canada and globally, building on initiatives such as the EU’s Union of Equality and Canada’s Indigenous Justice Strategy;

Concluding remarks

(bm) continue building a genuine strategic partnership with Canada, based on trust, shared principles and values rooted in international law and democracy;

(bn) promote engagement in cooperation initiatives, not only with Canada’s central government, but also with its provincial and municipal authorities and other relevant bodies;

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2. Instructs its President to forward this recommendation to the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.