Canadian and European tech industries join forces to deepen EU–Canada partnership, with the AI & Tech Declaration as a first concrete example

Canadian partners become the first trusted partners outside Europe to endorse DIGITALEUROPE’s AI & Tech Declaration, calling for a new EU – Canada technology alliance built on investment, scale and trusted partnerships.

With President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney joining in Strasbourg for this year’s State of the Union, there is a real opportunity to take the EU-Canada partnership to the next level. Industry has a concrete ask for both leaders: turning Europe’s and Canada’s political commitment into a technology alliance that delivers investment, jobs and global scale.

The endorsements of TECHNATION, Canada EU Trade and Investment Association (CEUTIA) and Qorsa, as the first Canadian associations and companies to join, brings the Declaration to 80+ signatories and takes it beyond Europe. The move brings European and Canadian technology companies together behind a shared agenda for AI, cybersecurity, cloud, quantum and secure connectivity. 

Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl, Director-General of DIGITALEUROPE, said:

“Tech sovereignty does not mean isolation. Europe must build more at home and scale with trusted partners abroad. Bringing Canadian industry into the AI & Tech Declaration will turn shared ambition into investment, innovation and growth.”

Kevin d’Entremont, President and CEO of TECHNATION, said:

“International partnerships, common standards and harmonized rules are becoming a critical foundation for shared prosperity. As Canada expands its economic horizons, TECHNATION is pleased to be the first Canadian partner to support this declaration and to encourage innovation, investment and sustainable economic growth between Canada and the EU.”

Mark Camilleri, President of Canada EU Trade and Investment Association (CEUTIA), said:

“Europe and Canada bring complementary strengths in emerging technologies. Connecting our ecosystems more closely can accelerate the development and deployment of technologies that will shape our shared digital future.”

Terrance Popowich, CEO of Qorsa, said:

” AI and quantum technologies are reshaping both opportunity and risk. We believe closer EU–Canada cooperation can help build the secure, quantum-resilient digital infrastructure our economies need, while accelerating innovation and trusted technology on both sides of the Atlantic.”

The importance of deepening EU–Canada ties was also reflected in a meeting between Canada’s Ambassador to the EU, Jonathan Wilkinson, and the DIGITALEUROPE Executive Board days before the Prime Minister’s visit.  

DIGITALEUROPE launched its AI & Tech Declaration with one ambition: getting Europe serious about investing in critical technologies and digital security that will shape its future. The declaration itself was mentioned prominently in President von der Leyen’s SOTEU address last year, and is now crossing the Atlantic.

The economic opportunity is significant. EU–Canada trade in goods and services reached €130.8 billion in 2025, up more than 80% since 2016, while two-way investment stocks stand at almost €475 billion. Canada is also looking to significantly double its global trade by 2030, with Europe at the heart of its push to diversify and deepen economic ties. The combined ICT markets by revenue, for the European Union and Canada is circa EUR 2.5 trillion.

For DIGITALEUROPE and its Canadian partners, the endorsement marks a natural next chapter in a partnership built over years of working side by side on the issues shaping our digital economies.

We want this partnership to deliver: helping European and Canadian companies on both sides of the Atlantic, building on the foundations provided by CETA while advancing cooperation through the EU–Canada Digital Partnership, an ambitious EU-Canada Digital Trade Agreement and EU-Canada Defence Partnership. Industry can be the bridge in turning these commitments into reality.

We must pivot on this momentum, and launch a Canada–EU technology partnership to jointly develop, finance and deploy critical dual-use and security technologies, from AI and cyber defence to quantum, space and secure communications. Of course, it must be supported by a joint Scale Up Fund, dedicated to unleashing our potential.

At a moment when Europe is deciding who it wants to build its technological future with, our message is simple: Europe needs trusted partners.

We see the fruits of trusted partnerships every year, at our Future Unicorn Awards where, since 2018, we’ve showcased more than 200 of Europe’s most promising scaleups with leading policymakers and investors. Furthermore, our Dual-Use Award, in collaboration with the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, brings Ukraine’s 10-day from lab-to-battlefront timeline to Europe.

On Hans Island, Canada and the Kingdom of Denmark—an EU member—turned a decades-long boundary dispute into a peaceful and mutually recognised land border; let that same spirit guide us as we work together to secure the Arctic, protect its critical infrastructure and uphold its freedom.