Minister continues to promote Canada as the strategic partner of choice for key European allies and strikes new arrangements to help meet growing demand for green mobility
December 6, 2022 - Munich, Germany
Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, concluded a visit to Belgium and Germany where he met with political and business leaders to promote Canada as a hub for zero-emission vehicle manufacturing, mineral sourcing and processing, and battery production, as well as to discuss new areas of collaboration for research and innovation.
In Brussels, Minister Champagne met with Margrethe Vestager, European Commission Executive Vice-President for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age and European Commissioner for Competition. They discussed ways to strengthen transatlantic cooperation in light of the current geopolitical context and announced that Canada will be entering into formal negotiations for closer collaboration under the European Commission's Horizon Europe, the world's largest science, research and innovation program. Minister Champagne also met with Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for Internal Market, to discuss economic challenges and opportunities for both Canada and the European Union.
In Germany, Minister Champagne spoke before more than 400 executives at Volkswagen's global management conference. The Minister and Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume announced that the automaker was now looking to Canada to build its first battery plant in North America. In Stuttgart, Minister Champagne attended Mercedes-Benz's Executive Board meeting to explore ways to further collaborate with the company on green batteries, steel and aluminum. The Minister also met with BMW in Munich to promote Canada as a strategic supplier of choice when it comes to green mobility.
Finally, while in Germany, Minister Champagne met with leading magnet manufacturer Vacuumschmelze (VAC) to initiate a new partnership to work together to strengthen Canada's domestic EV supply chain.
