March 6, 2026 – Toronto, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade, yesterday advocated for forward-looking trade and economic cooperation during the fifth meeting of the Joint Committee of the Canada-European Union (EU) Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), alongside Maroš Šefčovič, EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security and for Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency.

This year’s joint committee meeting provided an opportunity for Canada and the EU to highlight concrete progress under CETA, reaffirm the strength of the bilateral partnership and identify priority areas for deeper regulatory and economic cooperation. 

Minister Sidhu and Commissioner Šefčovič focused the day on exploring opportunities to fully leverage CETA in support of Canada and the EU’s trade diversification efforts. The Minister and Commissioner committed to working together to reinforce predictable rules, make supply chains more secure and lower shared economic risks.  

At the joint committee meeting, officials delivered on three significant outcomes:

• The formal launch of negotiations toward a Canada-EU digital trade agreement
• The signing of a joint committee decision adopting supplemental rules on expedited arbitration procedures for the resolution of investment disputes between investors and states, in particular for small and medium-sized enterprises 
• The conclusion of technical work to amend the Good Manufacturing Practices Protocol to include active pharmaceutical ingredients

During a business round table on the Canada-EU digital trade agreement, Minister Sidhu connected with implicated businesses and associations to highlight the start of negotiations and underline the importance of modern and predictable digital trade rules.

While in Toronto, Minister Sidhu also joined members of the architecture industry at a Mutual Recognition Agreement for Architects event, where he outlined the significance of this milestone for professionals in both Canada and the EU.

The day ended with a business reception, where Minister Sidhu delivered a keynote address underscoring Canada’s trade diversification effort and its strengthened relationship with the EU. The reception brought together Canadian and European stakeholders looking to explore opportunities created by CETA.