Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
A European statement issued in Brussels on Tuesday evening, following talks held by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, with Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau Justin, conveyed her statements, in which she said:
We will continue to support Ukraine in these difficult times. We both increase our support for Ukraine, including our military support. Because the Ukrainians have all the necessary determination and spirit, but what they need are weapons. The European Union has already delivered military equipment worth 12 billion euros so far. In parallel, we will continue to train Ukrainian soldiers, as you do. But you've already done it since 2015. So, here too, our coordination with the Canadian Mission and the European Union Military Assistance Mission in Ukraine and Ukraine is excellent. On the European side, our goal is to train 30,000 soldiers by the end of the year.
In her speech, von der Leyen addressed the Canadian Prime Minister and said, "In addition, I very much welcome your intention to deliver generators to Ukraine. This is much needed in these times when Putin is strategically destroying Ukraine's energy and civilian infrastructure. I also welcome you to be on board." Willingness to join us in support of demining in Ukraine.These are a few examples, but they are all typical of the very strong bond between Canada and the European Union.So, of course, we are not standing shoulder to shoulder but also in the medium and long term for the current challenge.Together we will help Ukraine rebuild her country Gemayel, with the support we have gathered through the G7 donor platform.

"The second issue we discussed is critical raw materials. They are the lifeblood of the clean economy. We need them to reach our ambitious decarbonisation targets. This is why, of course, the EU's focus on the resilience of our supply chains is so strong. But we are Today we see that China for example produces 98% of Europe's supply of rare earths.Europe needs to get rid of this dependence.This is of course why Europe seeks to work side by side with reliable partners.And reliable partners mean first and foremost Canada, The only country in fact in the northern hemisphere that has all the raw materials needed to produce lithium-ion batteries. You have extensive experience in mining and processing. Combined with that, and this is important, we know the importance you place on labor rights, environmental protection and respect for local communities. In 2021, We started a partnership on important raw materials. It is already bearing fruit. Now it's time to move to the next level. Let's build on the excellent cooperation between us and our companies. For example, Sweden's Northvolt partnership with Va le Canada to increase supplies of low-carbon nickel used in the manufacture of electric vehicles. Another typical example is Belgium's Umicore which plans to build a battery material production plant here in Ontario. So we will further work with our own industries. There is already a whole pipeline of very promising projects in exploration, mining and processing. We will support our matchmaking business. We will identify good investment opportunities. We will also enhance and accelerate our joint research.
  Last but not least, we discussed our collaboration on climate change. We're in a very strong position to lead the way globally. And together, we can rally the international community behind net zero by 2050. You mentioned the opportunity for a hydrogen MOU. Another key to successful transformation is carbon pricing. So I'm very excited to be working with the European Union to join the global carbon pricing challenge.
And finally, we want to create, as a cross-cutting theme, basically as an umbrella, a green alliance between the EU and Canada. Creating good, well-paying jobs, promoting growth, and strengthening our energy and climate cooperation across the board.
  And yeah, one shining example of that, how well the agreement works once it's in place, is CETA. “And it is the free trade agreement between the two sides,” the European official concluded, saying, “I just looked for the latest number: the increase in trade between us is now in 2022 by 66% - so it is a big step forward.”
It is noteworthy that to discuss transatlantic relations, trade, strategic sectoral partnerships, and cooperation to support Ukraine, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, after which she will meet US President Joe Biden during a visit by the European official, starting Monday evening, to Canada and the United States.
Funderline's program in Canada included a visit to a Canadian clean technology company. “This visit underscores the potential of the EU-Canada Critical Raw Materials Partnership, which they intend to take forward,” the Commission said. Von der Leyen then traveled to Ottawa to address a joint session of the Canadian Parliament and in the evening attended a reception with the business community, including European companies located in Canada, hosted by Prime Minister Trudeau.On the morning of March 8, the President met with Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada.
This afternoon, President von der Leyen will travel to Washington, D.C., where she will meet with President Biden at the White House on Friday, March 10. Cooperation between the European Union and the United States on global and geostrategic priorities will be the focus of their discussions.
In this context, the two sides will also discuss ways to maintain transatlantic leadership in clean technology and ensure EU-US cooperation on innovation and secure clean technology supply chains while rallying the world behind a global goal of net zero emissions.