Overview
- Canada confirmed that Prime Minister Mark Carney will attend European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union on Sept. 16 and speak to the European Parliament the following day.
- The trip follows the collapse of Canada‑U.S. trade talks and the imposition of U.S. tariffs, with Ottawa announcing dollar‑for‑dollar retaliatory levies that are scheduled to take effect in early September.
- Carney’s office says the visit is the start of intensive fall talks with the EU to deepen economic and security cooperation and to help double Canada’s non‑U.S. exports over the next decade.
- While in Strasbourg Carney will meet members of the European Parliament to build support for closer ties, and reporting cites a planned end‑of‑October EU‑Canada summit to pursue a formal upgrade in relations, though that summit has not been formally confirmed.
- The visit highlights a broader Canadian shift toward Europe that includes joining the EU’s Security Action for Europe and has drawn mixed reactions at home, with some opposition politicians criticizing the timing of the trip.