Canada is getting closer to the EU - talks on cooperation in energy, AI and free movement of people

According to "WSJ", Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has already talked to some EU politicians about the formula for Canada's participation in the EU's activities and market. Both the Canadian and the EU sides are ready to create a new framework for cooperation, says "WSJ" citing its sources.

Canada closer to the EU. What are the conversations about?

Discussions will concern the possibility of free movement of goods, services and employees in sectors such as energy, AI, defense and critical minerals, the daily wrote.

In addition, talks are underway on shared underwater cables, the construction of data centers, cloud services, new satellite networks and infrastructure, also with a view to exporting Canadian energy to the EU.

"WSJ" also mentioned the Canadian Prime Minister's talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and other European politicians on creating visa-free residence and work opportunities in the EU for Canadians and on participating in the EU's Erasmus program.

Carney will listen to von der Leyen's speech

In the middle of the week in Strasbourg, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will deliver her annual State of the Union address. The Prime Minister of Canada will also listen to the message, being the first head of government of a third country to do so. Carney himself will also deliver a speech in the European Parliament on September 17.

Carney, quoted in Saturday's press office release, said that "Canada and our European partners are becoming increasingly closer." Our shared values, complementary strengths and common interests serve as a strong foundation on which we can build a stronger future, he added.

After his visit to Strasbourg, Carney will travel to the UK, where he will meet Prime Minister Andy Burnham in Liverpool.

Then, on September 20, Carney will visit the French archipelago of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon near the Canadian coast and meet with the French president there. Both politicians will talk about cooperation, among others: in aviation, energy, critical minerals and advanced technologies.

USA vs. Canada

When, in early 2025, after Donald Trump took office as US president, Canada's relations with the US began to deteriorate, both due to tariffs and Trump's statements about the "51st State of the USA", annexation and Canada's alleged mistreatment of the US, the government in Ottawa began to look for broader cooperation with other partners.

In January this year, Carney gave a widely commented speech in Davos, in which he emphasized that the old world order was breaking down, the superpowers were using economic integration as a weapon, but the "middle powers" were not powerless.

Last Tuesday, Carney, summarizing the negotiations with the US that Canada withdrew from on August 21, characterized American actions as an attempt to make Canadians "even more dependent on them (the US - ed.)." He emphasized that he had already warned last year that the US wanted to take over Canada.

Decisions about our future will not be made in Washington, Carney said in a speech posted on YouTube.

"Why Canada should join the European Union"

In January last year The Economist weekly published an analysis entitled "Why Canada should join the European Union", pointing to the EU's needs for space and raw materials and Canada's needs for workers. In March last year during his first foreign visit as prime minister, to France and Britain, Carney said that Canada was "the most European of non-European countries." Last June Canada expanded its partnership with the EU, also to include defense issues, and joined the SAFE program.