The summit between the European Union and Canada opens in Montréal today, and few such meetings have carried so much political weight. In mid-September, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she wanted to open the door for Canada to become the EU’s first associate member. The following day, Prime Minister Mark Carney made the case in the European Parliament for an alliance of a special kind, while stressing that Canada was not seeking membership. (Prime Minister of Canada, 25 Oct)
The agenda covers defence, artificial intelligence, critical minerals, energy and youth mobility. According to reports, public health is mentioned in the draft summit declaration as one item among many. (PIIE) The supply of medicines plays no visible role. Medical cannabis shows why that is a gap.
Almost every second imported gram comes from Canada
For patient care in Germany, Canada is no distant partner. Around 201 tonnes of medical cannabis were imported into Germany in 2025, about 93 tonnes of it from Canada. No other country comes close. (StratCann)
At the same time, quality requirements are rising. The Hessian State Office for Health and Care (HLfGP) classifies the drying of cannabis flower as a critical manufacturing step and considers GMP-compliant processing, including drying and trimming, to be required in principle at the place of harvest. (HLfGP guidance, as of 18 Aug) With good reason: without controlled drying, moulds and bacteria can multiply and cannabinoids degrade. Irradiation at a later stage reduces the microbial count, but it does not remove mycotoxins that have already formed.
Hesse, however, is so far the only state authority to have set out its interpretation publicly. Oversight lies with Germany’s federal states, and as long as they apply different standards, the lowest standard effectively determines the quality that reaches patients.
The gap in the agreement
Under CETA, the EU and Canada mutually recognise each other’s Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) inspections. A manufacturing site inspected by Health Canada does not need to be inspected again in Europe. In March, both sides agreed to extend this recognition to active pharmaceutical ingredients, and in May the Council of the EU adopted the corresponding decision. (European Commission, 5 Mar) (Council of the EU, Decision (EU) 2026/1070)
Medical cannabis, however, remains outside this framework. The agreement covers only medicinal products within the meaning of Canada’s Food and Drugs Act. Cannabis produced under Canada’s Cannabis Regulations is expressly exempt from that Act and is subject to a separate production standard. (Justice Laws Website, Government of Canada) This standard, Good Production Practices (GPP), is designed for the Canadian market and is no substitute for European GMP. Canadian producers wishing to supply the European market must therefore be inspected by European authorities themselves. For the most important supplier to patient care in Germany, this means duplicate inspection routes and long lead times.
Tailwind from Washington
The issue is gaining weight now partly because of US trade policy. Since 31 July, the United States has imposed tariffs on patented medicines: 100 per cent as a rule, 15 per cent on imports from the EU. (Crowell) Europe, meanwhile, is working to make its supply more resilient. The pharmaceutical package is nearing completion, and the Critical Medicines Act aims to reduce dependence on a small number of supplier countries. (Mills & Reeve, June) Anyone seeking to diversify supply chains looks for partners whose regulation rests on comparable principles. Canada is such a partner, and in medical cannabis this partnership is already part of everyday patient care.
Three ways forward
Mutual recognition is not an end in itself. It only works if both sides apply the same standard. This is already evident within the EU: because GMP certificates issued by other member states are mutually recognised, a uniform standard for drying cannot be enforced by Germany’s federal states alone. The same applies to Canada, on a larger scale.
First, Health Canada could itself issue GMP certificates for medical cannabis that are recognised in Europe. This would require Canada to have medical cannabis intended for export manufactured and inspected under the rules for medicinal products, and both sides to bring it within mutual recognition. The benchmark would be European GMP, particularly for critical steps such as drying and trimming. The EU and Canada have shown this year that recognition can be extended: following the decision in May, inspections of active pharmaceutical ingredients, previously excluded, are also set to be mutually recognised.
Second, European and Canadian authorities could coordinate inspections or carry them out jointly while formal recognition is pending. This requires Europe itself to speak with one voice. Germany’s federal government and states should therefore press at European level, for example in the European Medicines Agency’s GMP/GDP Inspectors Working Group, for a uniform clarification.
Third, research is an obvious area for cooperation. Carney has floated Canadian participation in Horizon Europe, the EU’s research programme. Canada has regulated medical access to cannabis since 2001 and has correspondingly long experience of patient care. Joint studies could broaden the evidence base that doctors and payers rightly call for. Our previous edition showed how much is currently moving in research.
The next window opens in Berlin
Montréal is unlikely to produce firm commitments on medicines. Observers expect a declaration focused mainly on principles and mandates for further work. The next window therefore opens in Berlin. Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Prime Minister Carney aim to conclude a strategic partnership by the end of the year. So far, defence, technology, supply chains and energy have been named. (German Federal Government, 7 Jul) The supply of medicines belongs on that list.
A partnership that makes trust in each other’s institutions its guiding principle must prove itself in concrete cases. Medical cannabis is one such case: highly regulated, dependent on international supply chains and part of the treatment of hundreds of thousands of patients in Germany. If the new alliance can show here that joint oversight can be faster and safer than duplicate oversight, that would be more than a detail. It would be proof that it delivers on its promise.
From the editorial team:
Do you have any questions, suggestions or ideas for topics for the Cannabis Briefing?
If so, please feel free to email us at briefing@cansativa.de.
This edition was written by:
Nicole Borges Steeb
External Affairs Manager
Cansativa Group