Canada approaches the EU in a historic swing – leaving the US behind

When the Eurovision song contest kicks off next spring in Burgas, Bulgaria, there will be a new country among the contestants: Canada. This is because the Canadian public service channel CBC has become a full member of the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the musical spectacle.

It may seem like an odd little thing, but it's part of a clear trend: Canada is forging ever stronger ties to Europe.

This summer, Canada chose the German company TKMS to deliver a new submarine fleet – the largest defense deal in the country's history. At the same time, sources tell the CBC that the government in Ottawa is considering buying Swedish Jas Gripen instead of American F-35 planes, as previously planned.

The pattern repeats itself everywhere:

Earlier this year, Canada's government concluded an agreement with the EU to become the first country outside the Union to participate in Safe, the EU's 150 billion euro defense investment fund.

A separate deal with the European Investment Bank is to attract investment to Canada to extract critical raw materials – and export them to Europe.

During the year, Canadian ministers have been increasingly invited to EU ministerial meetings, about the war in Ukraine and the new world order, most recently in Ireland the other week.

Canada's shameless flirtation with Europe stems from its historically poor relationship with the United States. Last week, negotiations on a trade agreement collapsed, after US President Donald Trump, among other things, demanded a veto over Canada's agreements with other countries. Now the US threatens with sky-high tariffs, while Carney responds with the same coin "dollar for dollar".

- Since a fair deal was not on the table, we did the right thing by leaving a bad deal, Carney said afterwards in a speech to the nation.

- This is not the first time that the US has tried to use tariffs to break us.

Since the Liberal took office as prime minister a year and a half ago, Canada has tried to reduce its dependence on the United States, especially in trade and defense. The key word is "diversification".

Above all, Canada wants to get closer to the EU.

In 2016, the EU and Canada concluded a far-reaching free trade agreement, Ceta. Since then, trade in goods and services has increased enormously, by over 80 percent. But still, Canada's trade with the EU is only a fraction compared to trade with the US.

Carney now wants to establish a partnership with the EU that goes much further than free trade and occasional collaborations. The government in Ottawa sums it up as "everything but EU membership itself".

How Brussels should respond to Canada's outstretched hand is currently one of the EU's main concerns. A first round of discussions was held last week between the EU countries' 27 ambassadors.

EU diplomats tell DN that the EU actually wants the same thing as Canada, but warns that it will be difficult to find the right form. From Brussels, there is concern that Canada is underestimating what demands the EU will make, just as Britain did after Brexit.

If a country outside the EU is to gain full access to the EU's internal market, the country must comply with EU laws; in order to participate in EU projects, it is necessary to raise money yourself, and so on.

But while the civil servants are pondering over the law, the top politicians are betting hard on symbolism: On Wednesday, the EU leader Ursula von der Leyen will give her annual line speech on the EU's priorities. And in the audience is Mark Carney – the first leader of a non-EU country ever to be invited.