Minister Wilkinson and Minister Síkela Discuss Shared Interest in Advancing Climate Action and Clean Energy

OTTAWA, ON, June 14, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, met with Jozef Síkela, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, to discuss the importance of international collaboration on global energy security and the transition to net zero. Their discussion focused on how Europe, the Czech Republic and Canada can strengthen their cooperation to ensure a more resilient and sustainable energy policy, increase critical mineral supply chains and advance the fight against climate change through clean technology and energy. The Ministers also signalled their desire to work together on topics of common interest, including hydrogen and critical minerals.

Canada and the Czech Republic have a long-standing friendship and close partnership, and the Ministers agreed to continue strengthening Czech?Canadian relations and working together to enhance energy security and accelerate the global energy transition. To these ends, they affirmed their shared interest in the following areas:

• Hydrogen, in particular their mutual understanding of the key role of hydrogen in future energy needs, especially with respect to hydrogen produced from renewable resources;
• The import and export of hydrogen, taking into account Canadian industry's plans to export hydrogen and the Czech Republic´s intention to import hydrogen to satisfy its energy needs with low-carbon sources; and
• Critical minerals and their supply chain, as well as clean technologies to make mining more sustainable.

Canada's Critical Minerals Strategy
Hydrogen Strategy for Canada
Canada's Emissions Reduction Plan

"By advancing the development of clean energy supply chains ? including hydrogen and critical minerals ? Canada, the Czech Republic and other like-minded countries are reinforcing energy security, advancing climate action and spurring economic opportunity and the creation of sustainable jobs. It was a pleasure to welcome my counterpart Minister Síkela to Canada. Canada will always be a reliable, predictable and secure supplier of clean energy to our European partners." 

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson 
Minister of Natural Resources

"In 2022, Europe was hit with the largest energy crisis in modern history, which we were able to overcome with the support of our friends and allies. We are looking to increase the resilience of our energy sector, also through building tighter relationships with like-minded countries, such as Canada. We had a great discussion today, and I am certain that cooperation in the field of hydrogen is one of the most promising areas to deliver mutual benefits for our countries. By working together on the green transition and increasing our energy security, we will make our industries more resilient and consequently speed up decarbonization efforts on both sides of the Atlantic."

Jozef Síkela 
Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic

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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada