EU, Canada expected to launch ‘Alliance for the Future’ at Montreal summit

European Council President António Costa will travel to Montreal for the 21st EU-Canada summit on Oct. 29-30, 2026, where leaders are expected to launch an “Alliance for the Future,” the Council of the European Union said Oct. 27.

Costa will represent the EU together with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, while Canada will be represented by Prime Minister Mark Carney, according to the Council. It described the alliance as a framework for shared prosperity and economic security, underpinned by concrete new initiatives to strengthen people-to-people ties, deepen economic relations and reinforce the two sides’ joint stance on the global stage.

The agenda will range from trade, digital issues and critical raw materials to defense and security, as well as cooperation in education, research and innovation and youth, the Council said. Leaders will also take stock of progress since the last EU-Canada summit in 2025, which launched the Security and Defence Partnership.

“The EU and Canada have long been close friends, major partners and strategic allies,” Costa said. “In Montreal, we will take our partnership to the next level by launching our ‘Alliance for the Future’ to deepen our political, economic and institutional ties even further.”