FOCUS – Canada Seeks Closer Ties with Europe Amid U.S. Pressure

MONTREAL, September 14 /ATSH-AFP/ – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has described Canada as “the most European country among non-European countries,” as he seeks to strengthen relations with the European Union to an unprecedented degree, with the aim of reducing economic dependence on the United States.

Carney will visit Strasbourg, France, this week, where he will become the first head of government to take part in the State of the European Union address.

The address will be delivered on Wednesday by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. On Thursday, the Canadian prime minister will address the European Parliament.

During his visit, Carney will also stop in Liverpool, where he will hold his first meeting with the new British prime minister, Andy Burnham.

Tobias Cremer, a German MEP and the main initiator of a March resolution to strengthen EU–Canada cooperation, described Carney’s visit as an “extraordinary symbol.”

According to Cremer, Canada possesses many of the resources Europe lacks, including energy, rare minerals and mineral raw materials.

This makes the country an important partner for the EU, which is seeking to diversify supplies and reduce dependence on unreliable partners.

Canada has been hit hard by U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war, due to its close economic integration with the United States.

For this reason, Ottawa is urgently seeking new economic partners.

The European Union, shaken by Trump’s return to the White House, is also seeking to diversify and reduce risks in its international relations.