Canada, EU forge historic defence pact as Trump era redraws global alliances

Canada has signed a landmark defence and security pact with the European Union, marking a significant pivot in international alliances as traditional partners respond to global instability and political uncertainty in the United States.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney joined European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa in Brussels to seal the wide-ranging agreement. The pact strengthens transatlantic ties between Canada and the EU, enhancing cooperation on defence, cybersecurity, space and maritime security, arms control, and support for Ukraine, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

At the joint press conference, Carney emphasized Canada’s alignment with European values, stating, “Canada is the most European of the non-European countries” and that it “looks first to the European Union to build a better world.”

Costa echoed the sentiment, saying, “The European Union and Canada are among the closest allies in the transatlantic space. We see the world through the same lens. We stand for the same values.”

Though not directly referenced, the backdrop of cooling relations with Washington under US President Donald Trump loomed over the event. Trump's erratic diplomacy and push for NATO allies to spend 5 per cent of GDP on defence — a proposal expected to dominate this week’s NATO summit in The Hague — have pushed traditional allies to seek alternatives.

Carney, who swept to victory in April on a campaign to assert Canada’s sovereignty, reiterated his promise to “diversify and strengthen our international partnerships.” He described the EU summit as occurring “in a hinge moment of history, a world that is more dangerous and divided, a time where the rules-based international global order is under threat.”

The pact allows Canada to collaborate more closely with the EU’s €150bn Safe defence fund. Von der Leyen said, “The access of Canada to our joint procurement in the European Union, the door is open.” Both sides will now negotiate technical terms for full participation.

Canada’s defence spending remains below NATO targets, at 1.37 per cent of GDP in 2024. However, Carney believes this new agreement will “deliver on our new capabilities more rapidly and more effectively.”

The defence accord builds on a robust €125bn trade relationship under the 2016 CETA agreement, parts of which remain unratified by 10 EU member states.

Earlier, Carney and his wife, Diana Fox Carney, visited the Schoonselhof military cemetery in Antwerp. “Brave young soldiers who ventured across the Atlantic to defend the freedom of Europe,” Carney wrote on social media after laying wreaths with Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart De Wever.

By Vafa Guliyeva