EU – Canada Partnership in Mining

In the context of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the overall objective of the project is to create an EU-Canada strategic partnership across the non-energy extractive industry (NEEI) in order to foster investment and growth in both Canada and the EU.

Agnico Eagle Mines Limited is a Canadian gold producer that has been in the precious metals business for 60 years. It began in 1957 as a silver company in Cobalt, Ontario and is now one of the largest gold producing companies in the world. Today, it operates eight mines located in Canada, Finland and Mexico, with exploration and development activities in each of these regions, as well as the United States and Sweden. The Company employs over 8,300 people. 

A nation’s mineral wealth can be a distinct competitive advantage if leveraged responsibly.  In Canada, mining contributes considerably to the Country’s economic strength.  Mining could do the same for Greece.

In March 2017, 125 industrial sectors across Europe called for an ambitious industrial strategy for the EU, which still is the cradle of manufacturing industry and has been at the forefront of industrial revolutions and technological innovations. The EU industry employs over 34 million people across all Member States in supply chains comprising of hundreds of thousands of SMEs and larger suppliers.  The European manufacturing industry has tremendous capacity for innovation, boasts a skilled workforce and has earned a reputation for quality. 

On June 15, the first workshop was held to discuss challenges and opportunities around investment possibilities between the EU and Canada across the entire non-energy extractive industry (NEEI) value chain. The workshop was attended by critical members of the NEEI value chain who are potential future partners in the endeavor.