EUCCAN Summer ‘25 Update

Jul 2, 2025 | News

june 2025 newsletter

Welcome to the EUCCAN June Newsletter

This edition brings together key highlights from the first half of 2025, including a message from our President, strategic developments in EU–Canada trade relations, important event recaps, and milestones from across our member network. We invite you to explore the updates and celebrate the progress with us.

 

Message from the President – Adrian Thomas

As President of the E32 uropean Union Chamber of Commerce in Canada (EUCCAN), I am pleased to share the highlights of our activities and strategic themes for the first half of 2025.
EUCCAN has been actively involved in shaping trade dialogue between Canada and the EU. Notably, we co-hosted the Virtual Roundtable Tariffs and the Economy 2025 with the France Canada Chamber of Commerce, where we facilitated discussions on tariff impacts and economic policy.   We also met with the Polish Consulate (joined by Stepen Klus, our Canada-Poland Chamber of Commerce representative to the board) to discuss collaboration in global trade and how to leverage CETA and cultural connections between Canada and Poland.   EUCCAN also met this year with senior Canadian and EU officials, including Sara Wilshaw (Global Affairs Canada), Ailish Campbell (Ambassador of Canada to the EUC), and André von Walter (Head of Trade and Economic Section, EU Delegation to Canada) to align EUCCAN’s priorities with broader trade and diplomatic goals.
Bilateral Chamber Relations and Expansion
We are happy to see the reactivation of the Estonian Chamber and look forward to working with them for integration into EUCCAN.  Once again, EUCCAN was honored to join the Belgian Chamber at its BCBC Business Excellence Awards Gala in April.  This event is a role model in celebrating community, shared values and connections between Canada and Europe while recognizing business success by companies linked to these two countries. We have also had the chance to engage with the Ireland Canada Chamber of Commerce Toronto on cross-border collaboration at their Ireland-Canada Business Summit in May.
Events and Public Engagement
Our highlight of the year has always been our EU Day business forum.  This year, our May flagship event sold out in less than 3 days and included panels on building resilient supply chains, new areas for EU-Canada collaboration, as well as some great case studies on CETA success stories.  The event drew praise for its execution and relevance.
Key Themes and Priorities We Have Seen So Far This Year:
1. Strengthening CETA Implementation —
Recurring discussions have highlighted the need to simplify CETA for Canadian businesses, especially SMEs. We need to move from policy alignment to actionable outcomes and partnerships.
2. Trade and Investment Advocacy —
EUCCAN’s visibility in trade policy circles, particularly around tariffs, critical minerals, and EU-Canada economic cooperation is growing.  In today’s tenuous geopolitical environment, many are looking for partners to collaborate to strengthen and diversify economic ties.  We are at the center of this topic and need to continue to be a partner to other organizations.
Upcoming Events
I am excited to announce that EUCCAN will this year be a partner in the Nordic Consular Cup Golf Event scheduled for September 9th, 2025. This event will provide an excellent opportunity for networking and discussing our strategic priorities in a relaxed setting. I thank the Nordic chambers for welcoming EUCCAN as a guest partner for this year’s event.  I look forward to seeing many of you there.
Stay tuned for more updates and details on our upcoming events and initiatives.
Best regards,
Adrian Thomas
President
EUCCAN

 

EU-Canada Business Forum: Re-Igniting the EU-Canada Business Space

 

Facing elevated economic uncertainty, how can Canada and the EU harness their bilateral relationship to diversify their trade partnerships, navigate economic headwinds, and strengthen their respective positions in pursuit of growth and stability?

Our annual flagship event was held at the OITC (Ontario Investment and Trade Centre) in Toronto on May 22nd.  The timely discussion brought a full house and valuable insights. In the shifting geopolitical context, the EU and Canada must strive to deepen the economic partnership in tangible and strategic ways.

Guest speakers included: H.E. Ambassador Geneviève Tuts, The Delegation of the European Union to Canada; Sara Wilshaw, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, International Trade and Chief Trade Commissioner of Canada; Suzanne Skinner, Assistant Deputy Minister, Trade and International Engagement Division, Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Ontario; and H.E. Marek Ciesielczuk, Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Toronto.

We discussed how to leverage not only the existing CETA framework, but also key synergies and future opportunities. Our three panels focused on building resilient supply chains, strategic areas of collaboration, and CETA success stories.

Watch for a complete position paper from the event, and an opportunity to discuss the details during an online event.

This event was sponsored by: Fragomen, Bateman MacKay LLP, France Canada Chamber of Commerce (ON, MB), GRIT Online, and ONeconomy | ÉconomieON.

Virtual Roundtable Tariffs and the Economy 2025, January

 

Insights from Industry Leaders: Adrian Thomas President, EUCCAN and CEO, Hammond Power Solutions; Riva Walia Founding Managing Director, FCCCO; Sanjay Tugnait Founding President, FCCCO President and CEO, Fairfax Digital Services; Wendy Wagner Partner at Gowling WLG; Rita Trichur Senior Business Writer and Columnist, The Globe and Mail; Marie Glenn Senior Vice President, Strategy, CRH Plc; David Anonychuk Global Vice President, Metallurgy and Consulting, SGS; Anders Fisker President & Founder, FCL Fisker Customs & Logistics.

Read Here

 

Congratulations!

 

The Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Canada has reached a major milestone having received official recognition by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Enterprise. The Chamber has also been integrated into the international CAMACOES network (Cámara de España). EUCCAN executive committee members Stephen Klus and Cathy Murphy joined Barbara Carmona, Silvia Borda, Carlos Planelles, and Susana Hernandez. at their celebration in June.

PDAC March 2025

 

With the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada annual conference in full swing, EUCCAN was fortunate to have the opportunity to meet with the EU Ambassador to Canada, H.E. Geneviève Tuts.  We discussed the opportunities for further trade cooperation between Canada and the European Union. Trade between our regions has grown 65% since the establishment of CETA. Canada and the EU remain committed to deepening our trade and investment ties, and frameworks like the Strategic Partnership on Raw Materials provide avenues for collaboration. EUCCAN and its members have long advocated for the reduction of inter-provincial trade barriers. We discussed the opportunities reduced internal barriers could bring to our two highly integrated markets with a combined population of nearly half a billion people.

         

EU Commission CETA Evaluation Report: CETA evaluation shows strong economic and social benefits, June 15th

 

A study published in June reports the EU and Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) boosted trade exports and diversified supply chains across all EU Member States. The study is carried out by independent experts.

 

Read Press Release Here

 

 

Bi-Lateral Collaborations

 

EUCCAN participated on a panel at the Ireland-Canada Business Summit focused on “Leveraging Opportunities under CETA as the U.S. Intensifies its Protectionist Policies”, asking how can Ireland and Canada strengthen their partnership and seize this moment for mutual growth?  EUCCAN President Adrian Thomas joined Peter Van Loan, PC, KC (Partner Aird and Berlis LLP); Sue Rauth (Regional Director and Senior Trade Commissioner, Ontario Regional Office, Trade Commissioner Service: Global Affairs Canada); and Deirdre Moran (SVP Technology and Country Manager – Canada, IDA Ireland), with moderation by EUCCAN’s representative from the Irish Chamber, Cathy Murphy.

EBOWN Update

Cathy Murphy, EUCCAN Vice-President

 

The Annual General Meeting of the European Business Organisation Worldwide Network (EBOWN) convened in Brussels in early June, gathering representatives from European Business Organisations (EBOs) active in over 50 third-country markets. The purpose: to sharpen Europe’s economic edge overseas amid shifting global tides.

EBOs, such as the EU Chamber of Commerce in Canada (EUCCAN), represent the interests of European enterprises operating beyond the bloc’s borders. This year’s gathering combined internal deliberations and exchanges with EU institutions, focusing on a host of strategic topics: the EU’s “competitive compass”, the Global Gateway infrastructure initiative, EU Business Forums, critical raw materials, the carbon border adjustment mechanism, and trade and investment policy.  In a more uncertain geopolitical landscape, the EU is revisiting its approach to economic resilience—and is increasingly looking to its network of overseas business organisations to bolster that agenda. EBOWN has called for more practical and accessible business environments, both within Europe and in partner economies. Last year, it published a position paper on the Corporate Due Diligence Directive, warning that its original design risked eroding European competitiveness abroad.  One year on, there is some reprieve. “It comes as a major relief that Omnibus Package has set out to simplify many of the unclear and impractical aspects of the original directive”, says Adam Dunnett, Secretary-General of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China.

EBOWN casts itself as a core component of “Team Europe”, contributing frontline insights to free-trade negotiations and helping shape agreements that are more economically meaningful. As the EU continues to ink deals across the globe—notably the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada—the EBOWN network provides crucial, on the ground information to bring the most value to these agreements, strengthening Europe’s competitiveness.

EBOWN Annual Report 2025

Read HERE

EBOWN Business Sentiment Report

Read HERE

 

Watch Here