Canada, EU working on digital trade agreement ahead of summit next week

According to BNN Bloomberg, International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu was in Ireland on Thursday to push forward negotiations ahead of next week's Canada-EU Summit in Montreal.[2]The outlet reports that Sidhu said in a statement that the two sides are "closing in on an agreement" to help "create less friction" around e-signatures and e-contracts, paperless trade, secure cross-border data flows[2], as well as duties on electronic transmissions and e-commerce.MLex reports that Šefčovič spoke in Dublin alongside Ireland's trade minister Helen McEntee and her Canadian counterpart Maninder Sidhu[1]. He said the deal would strengthen online consumer protection and facilitate the use of electronic signatures, contracts and invoices.[1]BNN Bloomberg reports that Sidhu says Canada exported nearly $15 billion in digital services to the EU in 2024[2], and that he sees room to grow that figure once a deal is in place.Digital Watch Observatory reports that the summit will be held in Montréal from 29–30 October[3]. It says digital trade talks have been underway since March 2026[3].Türkiye Today, citing a draft summit statement, reports that the two sides also plan to announce that they will jointly purchase 50 water bombers built by Canadian manufacturer De Havilland[4]. The same draft reportedly includes a pact for the European Investment Bank to finance Canadian critical minerals projects[4].Global News reports that the two sides are expected to announce the next steps in the deepening partnership at the Canada-EU Summit.[5]