Ursula von der Leyen in Canada for talks on renewable energy and Ukraine aid [Video]

On her visit to Canada, the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, addressed the Canadian parliament as part of her charm offensive across the Atlantic. Her goal is to promote cooperation in areas such as energy transition, climate action and support for Ukraine.

With the fallout from the war in Ukraine felt across the European Union, the bloc is racing to end fossil fuel reliance on Moscow and ramp up the production of homegrown renewable energy. But Von der Leyen knows that will require more access to critical minerals and raw materials like lithium – which Canada has.

Both Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the European Commission president agreed to develop cross-Atlantic trade in green hydrogen to help the EU meet its energy needs. “The European Union is planning on producing on its own 10 million tonnes of hydrogen by 2030, but also importing 10 million tons …