Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is traveling to Europe this week to pursue deeper ties with the European Union, as Canada’s trade dispute with U.S. President Donald Trump continues to escalate.
Carney will attend European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union address on Wednesday as a guest of honor, before addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday.
According to a senior Canadian official, Ottawa is seeking an arrangement that would let Canadians live and work in Europe without visas, as part of a broader strategic partnership. The official said Canada is not pursuing an arrangement modeled on Norway’s or Switzerland’s relationships with the bloc, nor seeking “associate membership,” but wants a partnership built around investment and tailored to Canadian priorities.
The visit comes after trade talks between Canada and the United States collapsed last week, deepening a rift that has included tariffs and public criticism from Trump. Roughly 70% of Canadian exports currently go to the United States, a dependence Carney has said he wants to reduce.
Carney’s push for European engagement follows a January speech in Davos that drew a personal rebuke from Trump after the prime minister warned of a “rupture” in the global order. Officials say another strong defense of “middle powers” resisting economic coercion could further strain relations with Washington.
Canada and the EU already cooperate across trade, defense, energy, technology and critical minerals, with bilateral trade reaching about $147 billion in 2025 — making the EU Canada’s second-largest trading partner. Underscoring the deepening relationship, the European Parliament said Monday it will open a new office in Ottawa, its tenth outside the EU, with a mandate extending to the Arctic region.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has called Carney’s visit an opportunity to “deepen EU-Canada ties,” while some analysts caution that European governments remain wary of following Canada’s more confrontational posture toward Washington.
