The European Union and Canada are working on a new strategic alliance that spans areas such as trade, security, supply chains and critical raw materials. The aim is to build an alternative to the global power politics dominated by the United States and China. The plans are expected to be formalized on September 16, during the State of the Union address by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expected to attend the session and address the European Parliament the following day.
The Canadian government is actively considering all options, with the exception of formal accession to the European Union. The negotiations focus on strategic capabilities, such as cooperation in defense, space exploration and scientific research. Canada had already become last year the first country outside the bloc to join the EU's SAFE weapons program. The two sides are also considering collaborating within the framework of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, with an EU-Canada summit scheduled for October.
The rapprochement occurs at a time of strong tension with Washington. The USA and Canada are in a trade war, due to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Canadian products. In response, Canada brought into force this Tuesday new tariffs of up to 50% on more than 700 categories of products imported from the USA.
