Carney announces a “special alliance” between Canada and the EU
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in Toronto that Ottawa is not seeking to become a member of the European Union but wants to begin negotiations on a “special alliance” with the bloc. Deutsche Welle English reports.
“We are not seeking to become members of the European Union,” Carney told journalists at the Toronto International Film Festival. According to him, Canada and the EU share the same values and priorities and also have complementary strengths.
Reports of associate membership
The Canadian prime minister’s statement came after an article by The Wall Street Journal, which claimed that Ottawa was exploring the possibility of obtaining EU associate member status. The newspaper also wrote that the European Union was open to the idea, although a separate status would need to be created for Canada.
Carney explained that Canada instead hopes for a special format of alliance with the European Union. According to DW, the Canadian prime minister is seeking unprecedented rapprochement with the EU to reduce the country’s dependence on its economically hostile neighbor.
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Visit to France and summit in Montreal
This week, Carney is due to visit France. In Strasbourg, he will become the first head of government to attend the annual State of the European Union address and will then speak at the European Parliament.
German MEP Tobias Kremer, the main initiator of a March resolution on strengthening EU-Canada cooperation, called the visit an important symbol. He noted that Canada has resources that Europe lacks, particularly in energy, as well as rare-earth metals and raw materials.
Canada has already become the first country outside the EU to join the bloc’s defense procurement program. An EU-Canada summit is planned in Montreal, where, according to Carney, discussions on a deeper economic and security partnership are to begin.
