Canada and the EU open talks on IRIS² cooperation and Galileo access
Leaders launched an Alliance for the Future at their Montréal summit on 30 October, with negotiations on Canadian access to Galileo services and exploratory talks on IRIS² among its space measures.
Canada and the European Union launched what they called an Alliance for the Future at their 21st summit, held in Montréal on 29 and 30 October 2026. In the joint statement agreed by Prime Minister Mark Carney, European Council President António Costa and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the two sides said they would expand space cooperation, “in particular on secure connectivity”.
Under the statement, Canada and the EU will launch negotiations toward a framework for Canadian access to Galileo services, and exploratory talks on a cooperation framework for IRIS², the EU’s planned secure satellite constellation. The leaders also committed to accelerate their Security and Defence Partnership, including work on the defence industry and space security, and to closer cooperation on cyber security and on protecting critical undersea infrastructure.
The Canadian government’s release adds that Canada has a second contract under SAFE, the EU’s defence loan instrument, which Canada joined in February 2026. Under that contract, worth more than $44 million according to the release, Montréal-based Galvion will supply military helmets to Latvia. The first, announced in June, has Marconi Technologies building ORION tactical radios for Poland’s Cyber Command.
The leaders said they would work to define, by the 2027 summit, a closer association of Canada to the EU that stops short of full membership.
Source: Council of the European Union