From Trade to Defense
Carney was warmly welcomed by many of the MEPs present, including European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, who, after addressing him as “dear Mark”, recalled Canada’s involvement in World War I and the fight against Nazism.
As prime minister of a bilingual country, he addressed the assembly in French and English and, paraphrasing the writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, also spoke in German: “Only those who fight for them every day deserve freedom and life” (Faust, Part 2, Act 5).
In doing so, he reminded the audience that the connection between Canada and Europe is not merely commercial, even though that is the main focus today. According to Carney, the economy is not an end in itself, but a means of achieving freedom and prosperity. He added that the connection runs much deeper – it is the foundation of both European and Canadian culture.
“Canada and Europe are not geographically close – although the Danes know that we share a 3,000-kilometer border”, he noted, referring to Greenland – another sticking point in relations with Trump. “We are not just fair-weather allies; there are no zero-sum deals between us”, Carney continued.
He also recalled veteran Leslie Miller, who, after the Battle of Vimy Ridge in northern France in 1917, brought several acorns back to Canada and planted them on his property after the war. The resulting oak grove is part of a series of World War I memorials in Canada.
Carney also noted that several of these oak trees were later transplanted to France, which, he said, was further proof that the connection between the two sides of the Atlantic is not merely economic.
“Dominance is the arrogance of the powerful. Perfection is the enemy of the good. The goal is not self-sufficiency, but shared resilience”, the prime minister continued, noting that both Canada and the EU are strong in their own right. He also praised the statement made the previous day by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen regarding an alliance for the future.
As part of efforts to deepen cooperation, he outlined possibilities including Canadian participation in the Erasmus+ university program, free movement and residence for Canadian citizens in the EU, an integrated financial services market and even supplies of rare earth minerals, hydrogen and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Canadian North to support European energy security.
“Sovereignty requires secure access to artificial intelligence, semiconductors, critical minerals, payment systems, clean energy, vaccines, and satellite communications”, Carney said, listing sectors in which he would be willing to cooperate with Brussels.
“I’m not proposing the creation of some kind of third bloc that would challenge the superpowers, only with more refined methods”, he noted, drawing laughter and applause from the audience. “We are not seeking power to rule over others”, he added.
“Quite the contrary. We are striving for resilience so that no one can control our open markets, restrict our sovereignty, threaten our territorial integrity, or undermine our freedoms, our democracy, and our rule of law”, he continued, making further references to Trump’s threats.
According to Carney, the European-Canadian alliance could be a “beacon for other democracies”, defined “not by what we are against, but by what we stand for: freedom, solidarity, prosperity, and sustainability”.
“An alliance that builds resilience so that we can act in the best interests of our citizens and so that our citizens can work for themselves. An alliance strong enough that no one can dictate our decisions to us, an alliance open enough that others can join it, and an alliance principled enough that our strength reinforces international law, rather than seeking to replace it”, he stated, making another reference – this time to Trump’s Peace Council.
Carney concluded his speech by once again invoking the Canadian oaks of Vimy Ridge and describing the alliance between Ottawa and Brussels as “a transatlantic forest in which our citizens can thrive”.
More than half of the MEPs gave him a standing ovation, while on the right of the chamber representatives from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) groups remained seated. German Green MEP Theresa Reintke had already attracted attention before the speech by arriving in a Canadian hockey jersey.
An Alliance Aimed at No One
In her State of the Union address on Wednesday, the European Commission president presented a plan under which Canada would become an associate member of the EU. She also announced the establishment of a European Security Council modeled on one of the UN’s most powerful bodies. In addition to member states, it would include “partner countries” such as Ukraine, the United Kingdom and Norway; von der Leyen again mentioned Canada.
Last week, Carney spoke of a “unique alliance” between Ottawa and Brussels. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, he contacted several European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, to discuss expanding associate membership.
Trump responded to the rapprochement with threats. In a speech in Charlotte on Wednesday, he described the agreement between the EU and Canada as a potentially “hostile move” and noted that the United States “doesn’t need” its partners on the other side of the Atlantic.
“We’re keeping the European nations afloat. All we have to say is, ‘You know what? We’re not going to trade with you anymore.’ They have nothing we need; we have everything we need”, the US president declared.
The deepening cooperation dates back to June last year, when a defense and security partnership framework was signed at a joint EU-Canada summit. The agreement covers several areas of common interest that, under normal circumstances, might fall within the remit of NATO, such as cybersecurity, military interoperability, space security and counterterrorism operations.
Another promising sign in European-Canadian relations was Ottawa’s accession to SAFE (Security Action for Europe), the EU's €150bn loan instrument for joint defense procurement. Negotiations concluded on 1 December 2025, making Canada the first non-European country eligible to take part in SAFE-financed purchases under agreed rules.
According to Politico, Ottawa’s adoption of the “loans-for-arms” model allows the world’s second-largest country to bid for contracts in European procurement.
How Far Will Canada Shift from the US?
However, the decisive moment in Canada’s move away from the United States and its efforts to engage with non-American structures was Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss resort of Davos in January. After recalling the words of former Czech President Vaclav Havel and Thucydides’ account of the ancient conquest of Melos – an episode often invoked in modern discussions of the so-called Thucydides Trap – he declared that “middle powers” must stick together because “if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu”.
Even before Thursday’s speech, Carney received warm welcomes and praise from members of the European Parliament. Javier Moreno Sánchez, chair of the European Parliament's delegation for relations with Canada, described Canadians as “the most European” nation outside Europe.
Despite the optimistic expectations, however, this prospective alliance still has a long way to go. The Guardian noted that 10 EU member states have not ratified the trade agreement known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA): Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Ireland, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and Italy.
At the end of his speech, Carney confirmed that any association agreement between the EU and Canada would have to be debated in a plenary session of the Canadian Parliament. However, he rejected the need to insist on the term “associate member”, arguing that what matters is not the label but the substance of the relationship.
