Carney to seek closer Canada-EU ties during Strasbourg visit

Strasbourg, France. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to Strasbourg on Wednesday, becoming the first foreign head of government to attend the European Commission president’s State of the Union address. He is seeking new partnerships amid repeated threats by U.S. President Donald Trump against Canada’s sovereignty.

European Parliament address

Carney will speak to the European Parliament on Thursday, setting out his vision for what he described as “a unique alliance” between Canada and Europe.

He has pledged to double Canada’s non-U.S. trade over the next decade as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on the United States amid an increasingly acrimonious trade war.

Cooperation discussions

Seven EU diplomats in Canada and Europe told Reuters that efforts were under way to deepen cooperation on trade, defence and digital security. However, they said no specific plan for a more comprehensive Canada-EU relationship had been discussed at a high level.

Carney said on Tuesday that more detailed discussions would begin at the Canada-EU summit in Montreal in late October.

“Our relationship with the EU has become increasingly close, especially over the past year and a half,” Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand told Reuters. “The EU stands out as a jurisdiction where there are not only shared values, but shared economic interests.”

Membership question and trade obstacles

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Carney had suggested to European leaders that Canada become an “associate member” of the EU.

Four EU diplomats in Canada said any form of EU membership for Canada was impossible, citing geographical constraints and the legal implications of membership in the bloc.

“We want to upgrade the Canada-EU relationship, but even though we both believe in a rules-based global order, there is an ocean that separates us,” one diplomat said.

Obstacles also remain to expanding trade. Mark Manger, a professor of political economy and global affairs at the University of Toronto, said EU officials had been frustrated by Canada’s refusal to open its protected telecommunications and dairy industries.