Euratex and Canada seek closer textile cooperation

Euratex, the Canadian Textile Industry Association and the Canadian Apparel Federation have called for stronger transatlantic textile and apparel cooperation at the EU–Canada Summit in Montréal.

The groups urged leaders to improve implementation of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, which has been provisionally applied since September 2017.

They said companies, particularly SMEs, still struggle to use CETA’s tariff preferences. The preference utilisation rate for EU exports to Canada rose from 38.7% in 2018 to 63.2% in 2024.

The associations also called for joint research in technical textiles, advanced materials, circularity and recycling, alongside cooperation on traceability, eco-design and digital product information.

“Further efforts are needed to ensure that companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), can make full use of CETA,” the joint statement said.

EU textile and clothing exports to Canada approached €997 million ($1.16bn) in 2025, while imports from Canada reached €147 million ($172m).