On 23 June, Canada and the European Union signed a comprehensive defence and security agreement, expanding cooperation on military, cyber, maritime, space security, and affirmed its support for Ukraine. The pact also covers joint work on climate change and artificial intelligence.
The defence agreement allows Canada access to the EU’s €150 billion Security Action for Europe (SAFE)
defence fund and be part of ReArm Europe initiative.
This will foster greater collaboration between the two, and improve defence capabilities.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President António Costa signed the deal in Brussels.
At the press conference, PM Carney described Canada as “the most European of the non-European countries…” and reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to diversifying global partnerships. While António Costa echoed the sentiment by calling “The EU and Canada are closest allies in transatlantic space….”
The pact comes amid cooling relations with U.S. President Donald Trump, whose recent comments have pushed traditional allies to deepen bilateral ties.
Economically, EU and Canada already have a €125 billion trading relationship through the CETA agreement, though full ratification remains pending in several EU countries.
As the U.S. retreats into isolationist policies, its long-standing allies are turning to one another seeking new defence and economic alignments to safeguard shared values and global stability.
𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫: The article has reference to open sources including the Guardian and Forbes.