EditEU-Canada, toward an ever-closer partnership: Carney special guest in Strasbourg
Before the visit the Canadian PM said his country is seeking a “unique” alliance with the EU, while ruling out formal membership
There is keen anticipation for the speech Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will deliver on 17 September in Strasbourg before the European Parliament plenary, after first attending as a special guest the State of the Union address by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
In recent days speculation has grown over the kind of privileged relationship the Liberal leader and former central banker intends to offer the EU as an alternative to increasingly strained ties with the United States.
Speaking to journalists in Toronto, Carney said Canada is seeking a “unique” alliance with the EU, while ruling out formal membership. “What we are looking for – and what we will begin discussions on – is a unique alliance with the European Union,” he said.
The Wall Street Journal had earlier reported, citing sources close to the file, that there is openness to making Canada an “associate member” of the bloc. According to the U.S. newspaper, Carney instructed his special envoy for Europe to “examine the most ambitious possibilities short of full membership.”
Speaking again to reporters at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Canadian prime minister reiterated that he is not seeking formal accession to the EU. “We share the same values. We have the same priorities and highly complementary strengths… Together we are stronger. And this at a time when the world is more dangerous and divided, and in these moments friends must stand together.”
The rapprochement between the EU and Canada has accelerated sharply since Carney took office in March 2025. At the EU-Canada summit on June 23, 2025, Brussels and Ottawa adopted a new “Strategic Partnership of the Future” and signed a security and defence partnership, expanding cooperation to areas including support for Ukraine, military mobility, the defence industry, hybrid threats, cybersecurity, space, artificial intelligence and energy.
A further qualitative leap came in 2026 with Canada’s entry into the European SAFE programme. Ottawa became the first non-European country to take part in the €150 billion instrument for joint defence procurement, after an agreement signed in February and formally concluded by the Council in June. In May, Carney also became the first non-European leader to attend the European Political Community Summit, a forum aimed at strengthening security and economic resilience across the continent.
According to the Financial Times, the relationship could now extend to financial support for Ukraine. Canada is reportedly negotiating participation in the EU’s €90 billion loan for Kyiv, also with the goal of further strengthening ties with Brussels and reducing its strategic dependence on the United States. Also on the table are closer cooperation on artificial intelligence through supercomputer networks, a possible digital trade agreement, and new projects in energy, critical raw materials and economic security.
For now the European Commission is keeping a tight lid on Carney’s proposal to build a “unique alliance” between Canada and the European Union, while confirming its desire to deepen a relationship Brussels already regards as strategic.
Two days before the Canadian prime minister’s presence in Strasbourg as special guest at von der Leyen’s State of the Union address, the Commission’s deputy chief spokesperson, Olof Gill, declined to comment in detail on the Canadian proposal but stressed the unusually high level already reached in relations between Brussels and Ottawa.
“Canada is a strategically important partner for the European Union and is, in fact, a close friend,” Gill said at the Commission’s daily briefing, recalling that at last year’s EU-Canada summit the two sides had already set “a very high level of ambition for cooperation in all areas.” “This year our ambition is even greater,” he added.
The spokesperson noted that the next EU-Canada summit will take place on October 29-30, but that Carney’s presence in Strasbourg beforehand will offer an early political indication of the future of the bilateral relationship.
Gill hinted that the subject will feature in the Commission president’s speech. “I am sure our president will have something positive and significant to say about EU-Canada relations in her address,” he said.
The Commission refused to specify what a closer partnership of the kind evoked by Carney might actually include. Asked which files are on the table in talks with Ottawa, Gill replied simply: “Nice try, but I will not say more at this precise moment.”
The same reserve applied to the possibility that Canada might contribute to new financial mechanisms in support of Ukraine or help cover Kyiv’s budgetary needs. Again the spokesperson declined to give details, repeating the previous answer.
The most delicate question, however, concerns the legal nature of any new relationship between Canada and the EU. During the briefing the Commission was asked whether Ottawa has formally requested the opening of negotiations for this “unique alliance” and what legal precedents exist for a form of association that would correspond neither to EU membership nor to existing partnership models with third countries. On this point too the Commission spokespersons offered no clarification.
Meanwhile, to mark Carney’s presence in Strasbourg, the European Parliament announced the opening of a liaison office in Ottawa to further strengthen parliamentary relations between the European Union and Canada. According to an EU press release, the decision also follows discussions begun at the meeting of G7 Speakers of Parliament in Canada in 2025.
“The initiative underlines the European Parliament’s commitment to intensifying political dialogue and cooperation with Canada,” the statement said. “With a regional mandate extending to the Arctic, the office will also constitute an important platform for parliamentary engagement on issues of growing strategic importance.”
The article in Italian by EUalive’s partner FocusEurope.it can be found here.
Caption: On 23 June 2025, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, participated to the 20th EU-Canada Summit, alongside António Costa, President of the European Council, and Mark Carney, Canadian Prime Minister. [Europe by Satellite]
Updated: September 15, 2026 - 06:51
