Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement Regulatory Cooperation Forum - Work plan 2025

First published on: June 9, 2025

Status: Closed

Reference period

This work plan covered activities planned under the Regulatory Cooperation Forum (RCF) between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025 (i.e. the ‘reference period’), and has now been closed. The work plan has been updated to include the results of planned activities, in order to share progress and keep stakeholders informed about ongoing efforts.

Background

The RCF was established under the Canada-European Union (EU) Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which lays out the framework for regulatory cooperation between Canada and the EU in Chapter 21 of the agreement. The chapter builds on, and replaces, an existing agreement between Canada and the EU on regulatory cooperation, referred to as the Framework on Regulatory Co-operation and Transparency between the Government of Canada and the European Commission (December 21, 2004).

The role of the RCF is to facilitate and promote regulatory cooperation between the Parties. The RCF performs the following functions:

• Provides a forum to discuss regulatory policy issues of mutual interest that the Parties have identified through various means, including stakeholder consultations
• Assists individual regulators to identify potential partners for cooperation activities and provides them with appropriate tools for that purpose, such as model confidentiality agreements
• Reviews regulatory initiatives, whether in progress or anticipated, that may provide potential for cooperation
• Encourages the development of bilateral cooperation activities and reviews the progress, achievements and best practices of regulatory cooperation initiatives in specific sectors

RCF structure

The work is led jointly by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and Global Affairs Canada on the Canadian side, and the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) and the Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security (DG TRADE) on the EU side.

Canadian co-chairs:

• Jenelle Power (Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat)
• Pierre Marier (Global Affairs Canada)

EU co-chairs:

• Outi Slotboom (Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, European Commission)
• Lucian Cernat (Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security, European Commission)

The RCF:

• Reports annually to the CETA Joint Committee on the implementation of CETA Chapter 21
• Convenes annually unless the Parties decide otherwise
• Provides an annual forum, unless the Parties decide otherwise, for regulators to engage in topic-specific discussions and update the RCF co-chairs on the status of their cooperation activities
• As required, provides ongoing support and guidance to facilitate regulator-to-regulator discussions on existing and potential regulatory cooperation issues
• Posts online RCF agendas, work plans and reports

Stakeholder engagement

The RCF recognizes the importance of stakeholder engagement in identifying regulatory barriers to trade and opportunities for regulatory cooperation and alignment.

To this end, following each annual meeting of the forum, the RCF co-chairs hold a debriefing session to provide stakeholders with an update on all active work plan items and items of interest.

Stakeholders are welcome to submit their comments, suggestions, and potential topics for EU-Canada cooperation at any time.

• The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat has established a centralized mailbox (rcd-dcmr@tbs-sct.gc.ca.) for stakeholders interested in providing input to Canada on matters of regulatory cooperation. Guidance is also available regarding what information to include when reporting a regulatory barrier to trade.
• For submissions to the EU, a dedicated functional mailbox has been set up at EU-CETA-RCF@ec.europa.eu.

Work plan development

New work plan items can be formally proposed by either Party at any time, based on discussions with regulators, stakeholder input, external consultations, or internal analysis. Once a general topic is identified, the Parties work with regulators in their respective jurisdictions to gauge interest and discuss the opportunity. The Parties subsequently exchange views on potential topics to gauge whether there is mutual interest to add the topic to the work plan as a new item. A formal work plan item is only established once both Parties agree on its terms (including scope, objectives, activities etc.).

Work plan items

1. Consumer product safety

Canadian lead: Health Canada

European lead: European Commission, Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers (DG JUST)

Regulatory cooperation statement: The safety of consumer products is a major concern for regulators around the world. The increased globalization of markets and supply chains, the rise of online/cross-border shopping, and the increasing number of new products reaching markets have made physical borders non-existent. The same consumer products or types of products appear in similar markets, which means that authorities in the EU and in Canada often face similar product safety challenges. In this context, it is imperative that the Government of Canada and the European Union regulators cooperate to efficiently identify and take appropriate action on potentially dangerous consumer products.

Initiative: Regular exchange of information between the EU RAPEX alert system and Canada's RADAR consumer product incident reporting system; ad hoc information exchange and cooperation on other aspects of non-food product safety.

Desired outcome:

• Easier access to important and timely information related to potentially dangerous products in each jurisdiction
• Better capacity for coordination of communication, market surveillance and enforcement activities in both jurisdictions
• Improved collaboration between regulators in both jurisdictions

Planned activities and results:

2. Heavy Duty Electric Vehicle Charging

Canadian lead: Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)

European lead: Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE)

Regulatory cooperation statement:  Both Canada and the EU recognize the importance of developing efficient and scalable charging infrastructure for heavy-duty electric vehicles, as part of a broader initiative to reduce carbon emissions and transition toward a more sustainable transportation sector. Through regulatory cooperation, the two jurisdictions will exchange lessons learned and best practices to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of infrastructure development. While regulatory harmonization is not the primary objective, the exchange of lessons learned may naturally lead to similarities in our systems, fostering greater efficiency and potentially reducing barriers to trade.

Initiative: Share information on work underway in both jurisdictions to develop charging infrastructure for heavy-duty electric vehicles, focusing on technical standards, deployment strategies, and regulatory frameworks.

Desired outcome:

• Enhanced mutual understanding of challenges and solutions in charging infrastructure development for heavy-duty electric vehicles.
• Identification of opportunities that support more efficient and cost-effective deployment in both jurisdictions.
• Exploration of best practices in interoperability and grid integration to improve infrastructure resilience and functionality.

Planned activities and results:

Items of Interest

In addition to official work plan items, the table includes items of interest. These are topics that are of interest to both Parties but, due to the nature of the work, are not well placed as formal work plan items (for example, if an item is led by a third-party organization). These items have the full support of the forum and are discussed at annual meetings.

1. 1. Cooperation on standardization topics of common interest to the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization

Canadian lead: Standards Council of Canada (SCC)

European lead: The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC)

Description:

CEN-CENELEC and SCC work together under a cooperation agreement to strengthen the role of voluntary, consensus-based standards in enabling regulation, supporting market access and advancing the public good. Under this agreement, they jointly advance standards-related initiatives and explore additional opportunities within the framework of the RCF.

This work is focused on the interface between regulations and standards and relates specifically to the development, adoption, and implementation of standards, including international standards, in Europe and Canada. It aims to deepen mutual understanding, support the sharing of expertise, perspectives, and best practices, as well as to promote transparency and predictability in the development and implementation of standards. This work may identify new ways for SCC and CEN-CENELEC to advance specific topics.

Planned activities and results:

In October 2025, the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) renewed their cooperation agreement for a fourth time, strengthen cooperation on standards to support trade, innovation and regulatory alignment.

2. Certification of small solid biomass combustors in Canada

Canadian lead: This item is within provincial jurisdiction in Canada. The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat serves as the liaison between the SCC, the CSA Group (formerly the Canadian Standards Association) and the European Commission.

European lead: European Commission, DG GROW and CEN & CENELEC

Description:

The design, manufacture and conformity assessment of small solid biomass combustors (SSBCs) substantially differ between the two jurisdictions. Currently, European-built SSBCs that meet European standard EN 303-5 cannot be installed in Canada unless they also meet Canadian standard CSA B51. The CSA B51 standard is a broad standard used for all boilers with combustion chambers and requires third party certification, while EN 303-5 standard covers smaller boilers that operate at lower temperatures and pressures, with certification that is self-declaratory in nature. EU stakeholders have raised concerns that obtaining third party certification through CSA B51 in Europe is expensive. As a result, European manufacturers only offer a select few models in the Canadian market.

In terms of benefits, Canada is the world’s third largest producer of wood pellets, and currently retains a small portion of this fuel type. Stakeholders believe that an increase in accessibility to SSBCs could be an opportunity to expand their use in Canada. Since SSBCs sold in Canada are primarily sourced from the European Union, acceptance of the EN 303-5 standard could expedite the export process and allow for a larger variety of European combustors to be brought to market in Canada.

Regulations governing pressure vessels is within provincial jurisdiction and, as such, the Canadian federal government has no regulatory role. Canada continues to facilitate conversations between the EU and Canadian stakeholders (provinces and territories, SCC and the CSA group) to determine a path forward.

Planned activities and results: