EU and Canada Advance EV Charging Infrastructure under CETA

The European Union and Canada have formally added electric‑vehicle charging infrastructure to the agenda of the CETA Regulatory Cooperation Forum. The bilateral initiative, coordinated by the European Commission’s Directorate‑General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) and Canada’s Natural Resources department (NRCan), seeks to streamline permitting and standards for rapid charging stations, especially for heavy‑duty electric trucks. By creating a permanent channel for sharing best practices and developing interoperable technical standards, the partners aim to reduce regulatory fragmentation that currently slows investment in zero‑emission transport corridors across both regions.

The effort does not impose harmonised rules but rather encourages transparent administrative guidelines to speed up building permits, environmental approvals and grid‑connection authorisations, helping to accelerate the decarbonisation of high‑tonnage road freight.