Canada and the European Union on Friday held talks to deepen cooperation on areas spanning critical minerals, artificial intelligence and trade; to better navigate global tensions and reduce reliance on the United States and China.
Issued on: 30/10/2026
By: FRANCE 24
The EU and Canada have sought to move closer together since US President Donald Trump's return to the White House upended relations with Washington's traditional allies. © Christopher Katsarov, AFP
European Union (EU) chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa held talks with Canada's Mark Carney in Montreal on Friday to finalise a new partnership in a world dominated by the United States and China.
The two parties are set to unveil a series of deals – from critical minerals to artificial intelligence – and lay the groundwork for a broader alliance, also open to other democracies seeking to better navigate global trade tensions.
READ MORECanada and EU drop associate membership plan in bid to deepen ties
"It means affordability, more competition, more choice, easier access. It means opportunity," Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said of closer cooperation with the EU, as he arrived at the talks.
"And it means, at its base: sovereignty, greater resilience, ability to withstand shocks together."
Already sharing a free trade agreement, Canada and the EU have sought to move closer together since US President Donald Trump's return to the White House upended relations with Washington's traditional allies.
Both Canada and the EU have been hit with US tariffs and territorial threats.
‘Stronger together’: Canada’s Carney welcomes EU ‘associate member’ proposal
European Union (EU) chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa held talks with Canada's Mark Carney in Montreal on Friday to finalise a new partnership in a world dominated by the United States and China.
The two parties are set to unveil a series of deals – from critical minerals to artificial intelligence – and lay the groundwork for a broader alliance, also open to other democracies seeking to better navigate global trade tensions.
READ MORECanada and EU drop associate membership plan in bid to deepen ties
"It means affordability, more competition, more choice, easier access. It means opportunity," Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said of closer cooperation with the EU, as he arrived at the talks.
"And it means, at its base: sovereignty, greater resilience, ability to withstand shocks together."
Already sharing a free trade agreement, Canada and the EU have sought to move closer together since US President Donald Trump's return to the White House upended relations with Washington's traditional allies.
Both Canada and the EU have been hit with US tariffs and territorial threats.
‘Stronger together’: Canada’s Carney welcomes EU ‘associate member’ proposal
Cover image: ‘Stronger together’: Canada’s Carney welcomes EU ‘associate member’ proposal © Reuters
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President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen said Canada could not become a "full-fledged" EU member due to its geographical location, but said the bloc wanted to bring it "as close as possible".
A senior EU official explained the new relationship would be unique to Canada.
It entails aligning policies – such as on climate and artificial intelligence – Canada joining some EU programmes, and creating a stable governance framework, the official said.
The partners are expected to kick off with a series of deals on Friday.
Critical minerals are a key focus of the two-day summit which officially began Thursday evening.
They are needed for green technologies such as batteries and wind turbines that Europe sources mostly from China but are also in plentiful stock in Canada.
But Canada needs massive infrastructure investment to jump-start its mining industry.
An agreement allowing the European Investment Bank to back Canadian critical mineral projects is expected to be unveiled at the summit.
'Alliance for the Future'
Brussels and Ottawa also want to collaborate on AI, a field where they are playing catch-up with the United States and China.
Europe is ready to open its supercomputing infrastructure to Canadian researchers, industry and start-ups, von der Leyen said.
On Thursday, Ottawa announced a CAN$1.6 billion ($1.1 billion) investment in Canadian AI firm, Cohere. The company has recently partnered with Germany's Aleph Alpha in a move that Carney said was an example of what Europe and Canada could do together.
"We are not waiting for the future of AI to be decided somewhere else by those we don't know or by those we don't trust," Carney said.
A digital trade deal allowing faster and cheaper online transactions is also in the offering.
The two parties should also work towards Canada's participation in EU initiatives like the Erasmus programme, which allows university students to spend a semester abroad, and the Galileo satellite programme – an alternative to the American Global Positioning System (GPS).
The summit will additionally establish the basis for a larger "Alliance for the Future" open to other "trusted partners" such as Japan, South Korea or Australia, the senior EU official said.
This idea is to form a "common space for economic prosperity" and better coordinate trade policies such as tariffs to avoid mutual harm, the official said.
"There is always a risk that inadvertently you hit one of your partners with your economic measures," the official noted.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Canada and EU drop associate membership plan in bid to deepen ties
Canada and the European Union will pursue closer ties but have dropped a proposal for associate EU membership, according to a joint declaration ahead of Thursday’s summit in Montreal. Prime Minister Mark Carney is seeking to reduce Canada’s reliance on the US, despite warnings from Donald Trump.
Issued on: 29/10/2026
By: FRANCE 24
Trump previously called the EU’s proposal to make Canada an associate member “laughable” and said if he interpreted the move as a “hostile act,” the US might stop trading with Europe “on many things”.
Carney told reporters on Tuesday that the summit this week is the launch of further formal negotiations that will take another year.
“The good news is it doesn’t matter about specific names or nomenclature,” Carney said. “What matters is the difference it will make to the lives of Canadians.”
A previous draft statement had included at least two references to Canada as an associate member, including an acknowledgement that defining the term would take another year.
The statement includes a joint initiative to improve international connectivity between Europe, Canada and Asia through "new subsea cable infrastructure". It also proposes conducting a joint feasibility study on Canadian liquefied natural gas exports to Europe and enabling young Canadians and Europeans to work across the Atlantic.
'Highly provocative' statement
The statement says European and Canadian leaders pledge to reaffirm their commitment to a rules-based international order and that they “deeply regret” the sanctions the US imposed on the Netherlands-based International Criminal Court.
“All that talk of multilateralism and support for international law is basically like sticking a finger into President Trump’s eye,” said Barry Appleton, an international trade lawyer and fellow at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo, Ontario.
Appleton said Canada and the EU agreeing to work closely on economic security measures might anger the US. He added that the statement commits Canada to making its AI and digital rules work alongside Europe’s, when Washington considers EU-style digital regulation a trade barrier.
“This is a highly provocative statement from the EU and Canada,” Appleton said.
The White House said in response to a request for comment that US and Canadian trade officials are talking.
EU officials said at a briefing Tuesday that the summit was a “historic milestone”, saying it was about renewing their commitment to Canada and shaping an ambitious new chapter in the partnership. They said all member states support the closest possible relationship with Canada.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
Canada and the European Union will pursue closer ties but have dropped a proposal for associate EU membership, according to a joint declaration ahead of Thursday’s summit in Montreal. Prime Minister Mark Carney is seeking to reduce Canada’s reliance on the US, despite warnings from Donald Trump.
Issued on: 29/10/2026
By: FRANCE 24
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on September 17, 2026. © Pascal Bastien, AP
Canada and the European Union (EU) agreed to "ever closer association" but dropped the contentious idea of associate EU membership in a joint declaration seen by Reuters ahead of a Montreal summit hosted by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney starting on Thursday.
The declaration, which officials plan to make public on Friday, said work to define the Canada-EU relationship would continue until another summit next year.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's suggestion of associate membership six weeks ago had been a divisive issue in negotiations among EU countries on the summit declaration, with Germany leading a group that argued they could not sign up to a concept that had no legal status and had not been fleshed out, diplomats said.
Deeper ties to Europe are an important part of Carney's strategy to reduce Canada’s economic and security reliance on America since US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods. Still, Canada's efforts to draw closer to the EU risk angering Trump as trade talks between Canada and the US continue.
There is no precedent or legal definition for an EU “associate member”.
Canada and the European Union (EU) agreed to "ever closer association" but dropped the contentious idea of associate EU membership in a joint declaration seen by Reuters ahead of a Montreal summit hosted by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney starting on Thursday.
The declaration, which officials plan to make public on Friday, said work to define the Canada-EU relationship would continue until another summit next year.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's suggestion of associate membership six weeks ago had been a divisive issue in negotiations among EU countries on the summit declaration, with Germany leading a group that argued they could not sign up to a concept that had no legal status and had not been fleshed out, diplomats said.
Deeper ties to Europe are an important part of Carney's strategy to reduce Canada’s economic and security reliance on America since US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods. Still, Canada's efforts to draw closer to the EU risk angering Trump as trade talks between Canada and the US continue.
There is no precedent or legal definition for an EU “associate member”.
Cover image: TALKING EUROPE © FRANCE 24
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Trump previously called the EU’s proposal to make Canada an associate member “laughable” and said if he interpreted the move as a “hostile act,” the US might stop trading with Europe “on many things”.
Carney told reporters on Tuesday that the summit this week is the launch of further formal negotiations that will take another year.
“The good news is it doesn’t matter about specific names or nomenclature,” Carney said. “What matters is the difference it will make to the lives of Canadians.”
A previous draft statement had included at least two references to Canada as an associate member, including an acknowledgement that defining the term would take another year.
The statement includes a joint initiative to improve international connectivity between Europe, Canada and Asia through "new subsea cable infrastructure". It also proposes conducting a joint feasibility study on Canadian liquefied natural gas exports to Europe and enabling young Canadians and Europeans to work across the Atlantic.
Cover image: PEOPLE & PROFIT © FRANCE 24
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Julian Karaguesian, a former adviser at Canada’s Finance Ministry, described the summit as “a bit of a show”. “Canada’s effort to be closer friends with the EU is very ill-defined,” he said, adding that increased collaboration with the EU would not necessarily address Carney’s drive to diversify the country's relationships. Canada ships nearly 70% of its exports to the US while the EU accounts for about 9% of Canada’s total trade.
Carney's office declined to comment.
Carney's office declined to comment.
'Highly provocative' statement
The statement says European and Canadian leaders pledge to reaffirm their commitment to a rules-based international order and that they “deeply regret” the sanctions the US imposed on the Netherlands-based International Criminal Court.
“All that talk of multilateralism and support for international law is basically like sticking a finger into President Trump’s eye,” said Barry Appleton, an international trade lawyer and fellow at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo, Ontario.
Appleton said Canada and the EU agreeing to work closely on economic security measures might anger the US. He added that the statement commits Canada to making its AI and digital rules work alongside Europe’s, when Washington considers EU-style digital regulation a trade barrier.
“This is a highly provocative statement from the EU and Canada,” Appleton said.
The White House said in response to a request for comment that US and Canadian trade officials are talking.
EU officials said at a briefing Tuesday that the summit was a “historic milestone”, saying it was about renewing their commitment to Canada and shaping an ambitious new chapter in the partnership. They said all member states support the closest possible relationship with Canada.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
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