{"id":2555,"date":"2026-06-19T16:35:46","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T20:35:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/eetn\/?p=2555"},"modified":"2026-06-19T16:37:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T20:37:54","slug":"canada-and-the-future-of-european-transatlantic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/eetn\/2026\/canada-and-the-future-of-european-transatlantic\/","title":{"rendered":"Not just the United States: Canada and the Future of European Transatlantic Cooperation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Not just the United States: Canada and the Future of European Transatlantic Cooperation \n <\/h1>\n \n \n \n\n

By Eva Palo, University of Roma Tre<\/p>\n\n\n <\/header>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

Executive\u00a0Summary\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Transatlantic relations are\u00a0currently\u00a0facing growing uncertainty due to significant strategic divergences in the fields of trade, security, technology, and global governance.\u00a0From the trade tariff disputes to\u00a0President of the United States (US) Donald\u00a0Trump\u2019s\u00a0territorial claims on\u00a0Greenland, ties between the European\u00a0Union\u00a0(EU)\u00a0and the\u00a0US\u00a0are\u00a0under growing stress.\u00a0This\u00a0tension\u00a0has\u00a0heavy repercussions on\u00a0the\u00a0EU\u00a0and its\u00a0member states.\u00a0Fears\u00a0about\u00a0an effective\u00a0transatlantic\u00a0decoupling\u00a0have reenergized calls\u00a0for the EU\u00a0to\u00a0acquire\u00a0a capacity\u00a0to act on its own.\u00a0In this context, Canada can play a decisive role.\u00a0Stronger EU-Canada cooperation\u00a0could\u00a0provide\u00a0an\u00a0answer to this\u00a0new\u00a0strategic\u00a0anxiety.\u00a0It\u00a0would\u00a0also\u00a0allow\u00a0to\u00a0reduce\u00a0dependency\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0US\u00a0and\u00a0help\u00a0develop\u00a0both Canadian and\u00a0European\u00a0strategic autonomy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Changing Transatlantic Relations: An Opening for Deeper Canada-EU Ties<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Image<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While the first Trump administration tested traditional transatlantic relations, Trump\u2019s second term has marked a significant recalibration of US foreign policy that has fundamentally challenged the core values that have underpinned this relationship for the last 80 years. From recurring trade tariff disputes to territorial claims over Greenland, Trump\u2019s actions have often questioned \u2013 and even opposed \u2013 the US\u2019s role as the principal guarantor of transatlantic stability and security. His administration has delegitimized multilateralism in favour of a \u201cselective engagement\u201d strategy with individual US partners. The recent US National Security Strategy<\/a>, released in November 2025, formalized this major shift in American foreign policy. This new strategy reorders global priorities, reframes NATO Allies\u2019 roles, and seeks stability in Europe to allow Washington to redirect its focus and resources to the Indo-Pacific and the Western Hemisphere. At the same time, it adopts confrontational language<\/a> toward the EU, portraying it as a source of instability and accusing it of undermining political liberty, sovereignty, and social cohesion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These dynamics raise fundamental questions about the stability, predictability, and future shape of the transatlantic relationship. For the EU, the implications are immediate: increased strategic risk, reduced certainties, and stronger pressure to develop autonomous capabilities and diversified partnerships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Canada\u00a0Matters\u00a0to the EU (and why the EU Matters to Canada)<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In this rapidly-changing international environment marked by geopolitical fragmentation, erratic US behaviour, and Russia\u2019s ongoing war against Ukraine, the EU must meet three conditions in order to become a more credible and decisive actor at the global level: one, it must sway sufficient economic power; two, it must demonstrate political will to act cohesively both amongst its member states and with its international partners; and three, it must be perceived as a legitimate and credible entity by other democracies<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Photo
Photo Credit: EC – Audiovisual Service<\/a>, 2025, Photographer: Dati Bendo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To achieve these conditions, the EU needs to strengthen its ties with like-minded democracies, such as Australia, Canada, Japan, and South Korea<\/a>. Among them, Canada appears as an especially natural and highly compatible partner for the EU. Throughout the last 50 years, Canada and the EU have built an exemplary partnership based on shared democratic values and worldview. But in today\u2019s challenging global landscape, the EU and Canada stand together more firmly than ever as stable and trusted partners. And while the 2017 Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement (CETA)<\/a> and Strategic Partnership Agreement<\/a> serve as the foundation of the contemporary EU-Canada relationship, increased cooperation to both reinforce current areas of coopetition \u2013 such as security and defence \u2013 as well as joint ventures in new sectors \u2013 including the digital domain \u2013 will play key roles in the near future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Security and\u00a0Defence\u00a0Cooperation\u00a0Between Canada and the EU:\u00a0A\u00a0Win-Win\u00a0Opportunity<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Canada\u2019s contribution to European security and defence policy is hardly new: Ottawa has been a valued contributor to EU-led security and defence efforts for over a decade. It was the first country to establish a Security and Defence Dialogue with the EU in 2015; it participates in CSDP missions<\/a> and has contributed to PESCO projects on military mobility and logistical support<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, at the 20th<\/sup> EU\u2013Canada Summit in Brussels last June, Ant\u00f3nio Costa, President of the European Council, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, together pledged to further strengthen their bilateral cooperation. Both sides committed to an ambitious and comprehensive partnership, the new EU-Canada Partnership of the Future<\/a>, aimed at deepening cooperation across key areas such as trade, security, energy and other critical sectors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of their re-energized relationship, the EU High Representative of Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anita Anand, and the Canadian Minister of Defense, David J. McGuinty, also signed the 2025 Security and Defence Partnership<\/a>, which provides a framework for cooperation on cyber defence, hybrid threats, space security, maritime issues, crisis response and assistance to partners, such as Ukraine. This agreement also includes provisions for joint research in emerging technologies, which can help position both Canada and the EU as global leaders in these fields.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This new agreement importantly lays the groundwork for increased defence procurement collaboration, primarily related to the EU\u2019s Re-Arm Europe Plan<\/a>. It also opened the door for Canada to join the Security Action For Europe (SAFE)<\/a>  \u2013 a new European loan instrument for joint procurement \u2013 and for an administrative arrangement between Canada and the European Defence Agency, the body that supports cooperative European defence projects<\/a> and provides a forum for European ministries of defence to coordinate their policies. As a result of this increased cooperation, both Brussels and Ottawa have made tangible steps to diversify their defence partnership and become less reliant and vulnerable to Washington\u2019s shifting moods on collective security. Similarly, this new agreement enhances the resiliency of the European pillar within NATO, without either undermining the NATO Alliance or trying to substitute it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Areas of\u00a0Cooperation in the\u00a0Digital\u00a0Domain<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As\u00a0part of\u00a0their\u00a0cooperative efforts,\u00a0the Canadian Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, Evan Solomon, and the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen,\u00a0have also agreed\u00a0to strengthen cooperation in the\u00a0digital domain<\/a>. On 8\u00a0<\/sup>December 2025, the first meeting of the EU-Canada\u00a0Digital\u00a0Partnership Council\u00a0took place\u00a0in Montreal, Quebec.\u00a0The\u00a0Joint Statement<\/a>\u00a0made at the conclusion of that meeting showed that\u00a0both\u00a0sides recognized the importance that\u00a0digital\u00a0partnership plays in advancing\u00a0bilateral efforts to\u00a0boost competitiveness,\u00a0innovation,\u00a0and economic\u00a0resilience. This meeting also resulted in Canada and the EU \u00a0This meeting also resulted in Canada and the\u00a0signing\u00a0two memoranda of understanding<\/a>, one\u00a0on cooperation on\u00a0artificial\u00a0intelligence,\u00a0and another\u00a0on\u00a0digital\u00a0credentials,\u00a0digital\u00a0identity\u00a0wallets,\u00a0and\u00a0trust\u00a0services. This new partnership\u00a0will\u00a0guide\u00a0collaboration on AI governance, quantum technologies,\u00a0cybersecurity,\u00a0and digital standards. The\u00a0ultimate\u00a0goal<\/a>\u00a0of this partnership\u00a0is\u00a0to build digital systems that are secure,\u00a0transparent,\u00a0and\u00a0centred\u00a0on public trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The ongoing reconfiguration of US foreign policy and the end of\u00a0predictable\u00a0transatlantic\u00a0relations\u00a0have led the\u00a0EU and its\u00a0member states to reconsider their strategic goals and explore alternative strategies to promote their own interests and societal well-being. In this context, cooperation with Canada would be a win-win opportunity,\u00a0allowing both sides\u00a0to reduce dependencies on the\u00a0US\u00a0and\u00a0bolster\u00a0collective defence\u00a0capabilities without undermining NATO.\u00a0Strengthening the EU-Canada relationship could also help show other countries that\u00a0\u2013\u202fin an era of\u00a0re-emerging\u00a0great power rivalry\u00a0\u2013\u00a0there is still an opportunity for\u00a0states to\u00a0create and\u00a0benefit\u00a0from collective partnerships.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Policy\u00a0Recommendations\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In order to make the EU-Canada cooperation effective and concrete, both sides should consider the following policy recommendations: <\/p>\n\n\n\n