Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is pursuing closer ties with the European Union as Ottawa seeks to reduce its economic and strategic dependence on the United States amid President Donald Trump's trade policies.
Describing Canada as “the most European of non-European countries,” Carney is heading to Strasbourg, France, this week to become the first head of government to attend the European Union's State of the European Union address, according to AFP. He will subsequently address the European Parliament before travelling to Liverpool, where he is scheduled to meet Britain's new Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
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Carney's visit comes as both Canada and the EU seek to diversify their partnerships and reduce exposure to geopolitical and economic pressure from Washington.
Ottawa has already taken steps toward deeper integration with Europe. Canada became the first non-EU country to join the bloc's defence procurement programme, while cooperation is also expanding in areas including climate policy, artificial intelligence and digital trade.
Carney is expected to host an EU-Canada summit in Montreal next month, where discussions will focus on building a stronger economic and security partnership. A proposed digital trade agreement could strengthen the existing Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, which officials say still has significant untapped potential.
Speculation has also grown over whether Canada could eventually seek EU membership. Carney has declined to rule out the possibility.
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Despite growing ties, Europe is unlikely to replace the United States as Canada's main market. In July, about 70% of Canadian exports went to the U.S., compared with only 5% to the EU. Still, officials on both sides see deeper cooperation as a strategic opportunity to strengthen economic resilience and security.
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