Readout: Minister Ng speaks with European Union member states about vaccine exports

The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, spoke with Sophie Wilmès, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade for Belgium on January 31, followed by a conversation today with María Reyes Maroto Illera, Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism for Spain, to discuss the European Union’s newly adopted export transparency and authorization mechanism for vaccines.

During the respective conversations, Minister Ng pressed on the Government of Canada’s continued expectation that the EU’s new mechanism will not affect vaccine shipments to Canada. Minister Ng also emphasized the urgency to ensure Canadians have access to essential vaccines as rapidly as possible.

Minister Wilmès and Minister Maroto reiterated assurances that the new measures will not affect vaccine shipments to Canada. They committed to stay in close contact and work together to facilitate the distribution of vaccines and to ensure our critical health and medical supply chains remain open.

These bilateral meetings follow two recent calls between Minister Ng and Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commission Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Trade, where Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis also reiterated assurances to Minister Ng that the mechanism will not affect vaccine shipments to Canada.

This call is part of a broader ongoing engagement across government, including by the Prime Minister, and counterparts in key EU member countries, to ensure that Canada’s access to vaccines are not disrupted.

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