The Port of Antwerp and the Port of Montreal extend cooperation agreement

The ports of Antwerp and Montreal have renewed their collaboration agreement for another three years. The announcement was made jointly by both port authorities during the visit of Jean D’Amour, Minister of Transport of Quebec and the implementation of maritime strategy.
The collaboration agreement was signed between Antwerp and Montreal in 2013. The agreement now extends until spring 2016
Since 2013, trade between the two regions have developed strongly. The first visit to Belgium by a delegation of the Port of Montreal followed shortly after the signing of the initial agreement. The following year, a delegation led by the Antwerp port alderman Marc Van Peel visited Canada. Then, earlier this year, Philippe Couillard, the Premier of Quebec, paid a working visit to the port of Antwerp. And just before the summer, Antwerp was the host of another delegation of the Port of Montreal.
The forthcoming establishment of the trade agreement between the EU and Canada – Economic and comprehensive trade agreement (CETA) which must be ratified in 2016 – should give a major boost to this trade in the coming years.
A few weeks before the arrival of that delegation, Philippe Couillard, presented the new maritime strategy Quebec during a speech in Montreal. The strategy aims to create jobs, to facilitate transport and logistics and promoting sustainable development of the industry.