The EU and Canada expand their digital alliance with a focus on Artificial Intelligence, digital identity and independent media

December 15, 2025

DESCRIPCIÓN

The European Union and Canada have taken a decisive step in strengthening their technological cooperation with the first meeting of the Digital Partnership Council, held in Montreal. This new body is designed to align digital policies and boost competitiveness in a global context increasingly shaped by technological innovation and digital sovereignty. Artificial Intelligence (AI) was placed at the centre of the agenda, alongside digital identity, media independence and critical infrastructures. The Council is part of the New EU-Canada Strategic Partnership of the Future, adopted in June 2025, and reflects the shared ambition of both partners to move towards a common vision of technological sovereignty.

Artificial Intelligence and interoperable data spaces

AI dominated much of the discussions, supported by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at fostering the development and deployment of trustworthy AI systems aligned with fundamental rights and compatible regulatory frameworks. The goal is to advance common standards that facilitate the adoption of AI in key sectors such as health, manufacturing, energy and public services, while strengthening industrial competitiveness.

Both parties highlighted the importance of advanced computing infrastructures and cooperation on large-scale computing capacities, which are essential for training next-generation AI models. In this context, interoperable data spaces emerge as a key element to ensure access to reliable, secure and transparently governed data, enabling innovation and the development of public-interest applications such as climate monitoring and extreme risk management.

Digital identity, media and critical infrastructures

Another major agreement focuses on digital credentials and trust services, with the aim of advancing interoperability between the European eIDAS 2.0 framework and Canadian systems. The Memorandum foresees pilot projects and joint testing around decentralised digital identity wallets and verifiable credentials, with potential impact on public services, education and the financial sector.

The Council also addressed challenges related to media independence in an environment shaped by the rapid expansion of generative AI and disinformation. The EU and Canada agreed on the need to strengthen information integrity, support local journalism and tackle information manipulation campaigns, acknowledging that the social dimension of digitalisation is now inseparable from the technological one.

Finally, cooperation will extend to areas such as international connectivity, 5G networks, submarine cables, semiconductors, quantum computing and sovereign cloud infrastructures. All of these areas respond to shared concerns about supply chain resilience and the protection of critical infrastructures in an increasingly complex geopolitical environment.

With this first Digital Partnership Council, the EU and Canada consolidate a more stable and ambitious framework for cooperation, aimed at anticipating challenges, coordinating investments and defining compatible rules for the digital economy. This alliance reinforces the role of both partners in an increasingly interconnected world driven by data, Artificial Intelligence and technological innovation.