EU Ambassadors’ visit to British Columbia 🇪🇺🇨🇦

EU Ambassador to Canada Geneviève Tuts led a delegation of 14 Heads of Mission of EU Member States on an official visit to British Columbia from 20–22 May.

The EU-Canada relationship is thriving from coast to coast to coast, with the Canadian provinces and territories at the heart of the bilateral relations. The visit provided an excellent opportunity to deepen engagement and explore new avenues for cooperation between the European Union and British Columbia across a range of strategic sectors.

The delegation met with Premier David Eby to discuss opportunities to strengthen collaboration in trade and investment, security and defence, research and innovation, and the clean economy.

The EU Ambassadors' programme featured a wide range of meetings and site visits:
🔹 Discussions on defence and security at Canadian Armed Forces Base Esquimalt
🔹 Visits focused on trade and logistics at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
🔹 Meetings with cleantech businesses including Svante and Cellcentric Canada and developement with South Island Prosperity Partnership
🔹 Discussions on sustainability and innovation at the UBC BioProducts Institute and COAST (Centre for Ocean Applied Sustainable Technologies) 
🔹 Exchanges on Indigenous leadership and cultures at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC and the Indigenous Prosperity Centre at COAST
🔹 Engagements with students, researchers and faculty at the University of Victoria and the The University of British Columbia 
🔹 Discussions on Canada–Indo-Pacific relations with the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
🔹 Exchanges with EU Consuls in B.C., hosted by the Consulate General of Ireland, Vancouver

British Columbia is an important partner for the EU and EU Members States. This visit reflects the extent of the shared geopolitical and economic interests.