30 October 2026 11:36 UTC · European Commission · EU Commission Press Release · Read original source ↗ · Email X Link

European Commission Reports Enhanced EU and Canada Health Cooperation

Key points

The European Commission states that Canada and the EU agreed to deepen cooperation on medical countermeasures for health emergencies.
Both parties committed to coordinated supply chains, aligned investments for CBRN countermeasures, and stronger research links.

TL;DR

Hadja Lahbib and Mélanie Joly met on October 26 to reaffirm the Canada-EU partnership on health emergency preparedness.

Original text

European Commission - Press release EU and Canada intensify cooperation in the area of medical countermeasures for preparedness and response to combat health emergencies Ottawa, 30 October 2026 On Monday 26 October, Hadja Lahbib , EU Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management, and the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, met to reaffirm the strong Canada-EU partnership on health emergency preparedness and response. Minister Joly and Commissioner Lahbib agreed to deepen cooperation, with the aim of assuring that medical countermeasures are available when they are needed to combat emerging health threats. “ As demonstrated by the joint response to world crises such as the current Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak, the Government of Canada and the European Commission share a commitment to work together and pursue tangible measures to connect and reinforce the resilience of our medical countermeasure ecosystems in the face of new and emerging health threats. “Together we are committed to: Advancing a coordinated Canada-EU approach on medical countermeasure supply chains, with a commitment to deliver a collaborative stress test of priority medical countermeasure supply chains and to pursue joint action to address identified vulnerabilities; Pursuing aligned investments to develop dual-use Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) medical countermeasures to protect populations; Supporting stronger links between Canadian and European researchers, innovators and industry actors to accelerate the development and production of innovative medical countermeasures by supporting Canada's participation in the Horizon Europe BE READY pandemic preparedness partnership. “By bringing together our respective strengths in scientific excellence and industrial capabilities, and our shared commitment to health emergency preparedness, we are building on the foundations of an enduring partnership, shaping an irrepressible architecture that is better equipped to anticipate, prevent, and respond to future health emergencies across both sides of the Atlantic .” JP/26/2309 <@rel_link@> Press contacts: Eva HRNCIROVA (+32 2 298 84 33) Quentin CORTES (+32 2 291 32 83) General public inquiries: Europe Direct by phone 00 800 67 89 10 11 or by email

European Commission Reports Enhanced EU and Canada Health Cooperation

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