EU Eyes Sweeping New Partnerships With Canada as Von der Leyen Prepares Carney Talks
The European Union is preparing a broad package of new agreements with Canada spanning defence, trade, and strategic resources, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen readies herself for substantive talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, according to reports familiar with the discussions.
The anticipated meetings come at a moment of heightened geopolitical flux, with both Brussels and Ottawa seeking to deepen transatlantic partnerships beyond their traditional ties with Washington. Officials on both sides have signalled that the agenda will be notably ambitious, reflecting a shared interest in reducing strategic vulnerabilities exposed by recent global disruptions.
Central to the emerging framework is cooperation on critical raw materials — the minerals and metals essential to clean energy technologies, advanced manufacturing, and modern defence systems. Canada, endowed with vast deposits of lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements, is seen in Brussels as a natural partner in efforts to diversify supply chains away from dominant producers, particularly China. Reports indicate that a formal raw materials partnership could be among the headline deliverables of any agreement reached.
Defence and Security Take Centre Stage
Beyond resources, defence cooperation is expected to feature prominently on the agenda. As European nations accelerate spending on their own security in the wake of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, officials have pointed to Canada’s role within NATO and its established defence industrial base as assets that align naturally with EU priorities. Discussions are said to include potential frameworks for joint procurement, technology sharing, and industrial collaboration — areas where the EU has been moving quickly to build collective capacity.
The broader diplomatic context lends additional weight to the talks. With uncertainty surrounding the reliability of longstanding alliances — and Canada itself navigating a complicated relationship with the United States under renewed trade pressures — both sides appear motivated to institutionalise closer ties. Von der Leyen’s team is reportedly keen to position the EU as a stable and like-minded partner for Ottawa at a time when Canadian policymakers are reassessing their strategic alignments.
The two sides already share a significant economic relationship underpinned by the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, known as CETA, which has been in provisional application since 2017. However, ratification remains incomplete in several EU member states, a political irritant that Brussels would prefer to resolve. Any new package of agreements would likely seek to build upon CETA’s foundations while adding dimensions not covered by the original deal.
Trade in goods, digital cooperation, and climate-aligned investment are also expected to feature in the discussions, according to reports. Officials close to the Commission have suggested that von der Leyen sees the Canada relationship as a template for the kind of values-based, strategic partnership the EU wishes to cultivate with democratic allies globally — one that goes well beyond conventional market access arrangements.
No date for a formal summit has been publicly confirmed, but preparations are understood to be at an advanced stage. The outcome of the talks could set the tone for EU engagement with a broader circle of like-minded partners as Brussels works to cement its place in a rapidly reconfiguring global order.
