European Union Expands Vaccine Cooperation With Canada

The European Union is expanding its cooperation with Canada to research, stockpile, and produce vaccines and medical countermeasures. European Crisis Management Commissioner Hadja Lahbib announced in Ottawa that Canada is the only non-EU country with which the bloc shares sensitive information regarding production and research capabilities.

This partnership stems from a June 2025 agreement between the EU's health agency and Health Emergency Readiness Canada. The collaboration focuses on securing supply chains for protective gear and raw vaccine ingredients, while sharing intelligence on chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats. A Moderna plant in Montreal is already contributing to Ebola vaccine research as part of these efforts.

Lahbib stated the shift is necessary to avoid dependence on actors she described as less and less predictable, specifically citing the United States under President Donald Trump. She noted that U.S. policy changes and the promotion of vaccine skepticism have hindered medical research and increased the risk of disease outbreaks, such as measles, which could potentially spread to Europe.