What could greater cooperation between Canada and the EU look like?

Prime Minister Mark Carney was tight-lipped Thursday when asked whether Canada could seek future membership in the European Union, but reiterated his desire that the country “deepen” ties with the economic and political bloc.

While Canada officially joining the EU has been recently raised in the context of worsening relations with the United States and U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, experts suggest that formal membership is unlikely.

Still, with Carney set to address the European Parliament next week, the prime minister has made it no secret that he wants to see closer economic, security and political ties with European nations.

“We will be looking to use the coming months to explore a deepening of that partnership across a broad range of areas and we’ll have more to say to that (next week) in Strasbourg,” Carney told reporters in Banff, Alta., Thursday, where his cabinet is gathering for a planning session.

Both the Canadian and European sides have been talking up the idea of “deepening” ties for more than a year, largely driven by their shared most important ally — the U.S. — pursuing sharply protectionist trade policies including trade wars and tariffs on broad swathes of the globe, as well as a broader retreat from diplomatic and strategic partnerships with allies.

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In June 2025, Canada and the EU laid out a framework for greater cooperation, identifying fostering increased trade and economic security, cooperation on supply chains, and regulatory alignment.

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The document also outlined a desire for stronger defence partnerships, collaboration on the “digital transition” and educational exchanges, and shared action on both climate change and other geopolitical crises.

Christian Leuprecht, a professor with the Royal Military College in Montreal, said the EU is the “most obvious partner” if Carney wants to make good on his push to diversify Canada’s trading relationships.

Leuprecht suggested there was a particular opportunity in Canada sourcing more of its military purchases from European partners, as the Liberals attempt to dramatically boost defence spending over the coming decade.

Europe, in turn, could benefit from Canada’s supply of liquified natural gas, oil and critical minerals, Leuprecht said.

“And so the opportunity here is a sort of grand bargain, that Canada doubles down on security and defence with Europe,” Leuprecht said.

“And in return, European countries provide both the political top cover to explain to Canadians why this is an existential moment in Europe and the capital. Because, of course, the problem in Canada is always for these large infrastructure projects, we don’t have enough capital and so the capital inherently comes from the United States.”

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Geneviève Tuts, the EU’s ambassador to Canada, recently told the Canadian Press that the two sides are envisioning a “unique” partnership that is “something different from what we have with” countries like Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

“The idea is to go further in the integration, on substance and on the way we are working together,” Tuts said.

“It’s more than filling gaps.”

But Aurel Braun, a professor of international relations at the University of Toronto, said that while Canada and the EU may find ways to strengthen ties “on the margins,” he’s doubtful that the relationship can fundamentally change Canada’s economic realities.

The twin imperatives of geography and history mean that the U.S. will remain a key trading and political partner for the country going forward, even with someone like Trump at the helm, Braun said.

“(Carney) is brilliant at promissory notes. And everything seems to be moving at great speed towards resiliency, towards less reliance on the United States, moving closer to the EU … The reality, however, I would argue is very different,” Braun told Global News in an interview.

“Yes, we could probably have some carve-outs in the case of the Europeans that would allow a few more things in (trade). But they’re not going to dramatically alter the structure of trade.”