Latest news with #CanadaEU
CBC
25-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Canada isn't looking to join EU, Carney says, but still wants closer ties
Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada is "looking for a closer partnership" with the European Union — but not to become a member. While speaking from the NATO summit in the Netherlands — where he announced Canada's promise to spend five per cent of gross domestic product on defence by 2035 — Carney was asked whether he has given any thought to trying to join the bloc of European nations. "The short answer is no," he said. "That's not the intent. That's not the pathway we're on." WATCH | No plans for EU membership, says Carney: No plans for Canada to seek EU membership, Carney says 6 hours ago Duration 2:21 Prime Minister Mark Carney, asked Wednesday if there were any discussion about Canada possibly joining the European Union, said his intent is to build stronger relations with the EU and become a closer partner with the bloc — not a member. "We co-operate much more clearly and broadly to our mutual benefit," he said. "Not as a member, but along that continuum." Defence partnership These comments come days after Carney took steps to draw Canada closer to Europe. On Monday, he signed a strategic defence and security partnership with the EU — seen as a move toward making Canada less reliant on the United States. A joint EU/Canada statement says the two parties agreed to a "new ambitious and comprehensive partnership" to "promote shared prosperity, democratic values, peace and security" that goes well beyond security co-operation. To do that, the statement says, Canada and the EU launched a process that "will move Canada and the EU closer together" on a number of fronts such as trade, supply chains, aligning regulations, artificial intelligence, climate change, justice and international crisis response on top of security and defence. From the NATO summit, Carney reiterated some of those values that he says make Canada "the most European of non-European nations" — a line he has repeated since becoming prime minister. He highlighted Canada and the EU's shared values of "liberty" and "democracy" as well as the importance the two parties put on "solidarity" and "sustainability." First trip as PM The prime minister made his desire to work more closely with Europe clear from the start of his mandate. Just days after being sworn into office, Carney headed on his first international trip to France and the United Kingdom. Canada must strengthen ties with reliable allies like France, Carney says 3 months ago Duration 2:53 Prime Minister Mark Carney, appearing alongside French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday, said Canada and France must strengthen their ties, adding that 'Canada is a reliable, trustworthy and strong partner of France.' Before a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron during that trip in March, Carney said in French that "it is more important than ever for Canada to strengthen its ties with its reliable allies, such as France." He said France "shares our values and lives them through action, during this age of economic and geopolitical crisis." "We are receiving you and welcoming you as a friend with great joy," Macron said of Canada during Carney's visit, highlighting both countries' ambitions for the "fair trade and protection of the planet." That trip — meant to seek support from two of Canada's oldest allies — came as U.S. President Donald Trump was continuing to attack Canada's sovereignty and economy. The president had already imposed tariffs on some Canadian products and was threatening more — all while repeatedly stating his desire for Canada to become the 51st state. The two countries are currently in negotiations to remove tariffs and counter-tariffs.
CTV News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
‘Canada is here' standing up for the country's interests: Anand at NATO
Watch Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand discusses new initiatives between Canada and the European Union, along with talks at NATO.
CTV News
24-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Carney to begin talks on NATO spending target as summit starts today in The Hague
Prime Minister Mark Carney takes part in a press conference during the Canada EU Summit in Brussels, Belgium on Monday, June 23, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick THE HAGUE — Prime Minister Mark Carney begins a two-day stop Tuesday in the Netherlands, where NATO alliance members are prepared to decide whether to more than double the defence spending target. The main talks in The Hague won't happen until Wednesday, with Carney first set to take part in several bilateral meetings. Carney will meet with the President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs and the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dick Schoof. He will also meet with leaders of Nordic countries for talks focused on Arctic and transatlantic security. The prime minister will also meet with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is set to speak to reporters twice today, first in The Hague at around 7:15 a.m. ET and then virtually at 8:30 a.m. ET. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte have both said they expect alliance members to commit to a new target to spend the equivalent of five per cent of GDP on defence, up from the current two per cent target set in 2014. None of NATO's 32 members spent that much on defence in 2024, according to the alliance's own data. All of them are pledging to meet the two per cent figure this year, including Canada for the first time since the target was created. A Canadian government official who briefed reporters on background before the trip said the spending target and its timeline are still up for discussion. Some allies have indicated they would prefer a seven-year timeline, while others want a decade to reach the five per cent target. Canada's defence spending hasn't reached five per cent of GDP since the 1950s. NATO estimates that Canada spent $41 billion in 2024 on defence, or 1.37 per cent of GDP. In 2014, Canada spent $20.1 billion, or 1.01 per cent of GDP, on defence. In 2014, when the current two per cent target was first set, only three NATO members hit the mark — the U.S., the U.K. and Greece. Any new spending guidelines have to be made with the consensus of all 32 NATO member states, and no member is currently anywhere close. The U.S., at 3.38 per cent in 2024, was the highest, but President Donald Trump has said the figure shouldn't apply to the United States — only to its allies. The plan Rutte is expected to put forward at the summit contains some wiggle room to help allies reach that high figure. It would commit members to spending 3.5 per cent of annual GDP on core defence needs — like jets and other weapons — and 1.5 per cent on defence-adjacent areas like infrastructure, cybersecurity and industry. Internal divisions have emerged in the lead-up to the summit. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Sunday that Spain reached a deal with NATO to be excluded from the new spending target. Like Canada, Spain has long struggled to meet the two per cent target and has rejected the new proposal. Rutte warned Monday that no country can opt out of the target and that progress made toward the new target will be reviewed in four years. NATO's defence buildup is also controversial in Italy, where defence minister Guido Crosetto said recently the alliance 'no longer has a reason to exist.' Countries much closer to Russia, Belarus and Ukraine all have agreed to reach the target, as have nearby Germany, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands, which is hosting the two-day summit starting Tuesday. Canadian Defence Minister David McGuinty said 'stay tuned' when asked earlier this month if Canada would agree to the five per cent plan. Jan Techau, a senior fellow with the transatlantic defence and security program at the Center for European Policy Analysis, said the overall level of ambition in Europe on defence has 'massively' increased over the last several years in response to Russian aggression. 'The closer to Russia you are, the more ambitious you are,' he said. Speaking to reporters at a military cemetery in Antwerp Monday, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said that while he isn't comfortable with the five per cent target, it's important that the country remain in NATO. He also said the proposed 3.5 and 1.5 per cent breakdown 'helps a bit.' Lauren Speranza, a fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, said the NATO summit is coming at a 'very precarious moment,' marked by uncertainty about the U.S. commitment to Europe, the grinding conflict between Russia and Ukraine and ongoing tensions over transatlantic trade. Speranza said the meeting will offer some insights into how the Trump administration will approach the alliance going forward, following its criticisms of NATO and calls for Europe to take more responsibility for its own defence. On Monday, Rutte said recent U.S. strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities were not a violation of international law. Prime Minister Carney, who has called for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, said Monday that Iran has pursued nuclear weapons while expressing a desire to eliminate the state of Israel. In a statement Sunday, Carney said Iran's nuclear program is a 'grave threat' to international security and that Canada has been 'consistently clear' that Iran 'can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.' Tuesday's schedule also includes a reception and a social dinner hosted by the king and queen of the Netherlands. With files from Kyle Duggan in Ottawa and The Associated Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2025. Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press
CTV News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
CTV National News: PM Mark Carney's European outreach amid uncertain times
Watch PM Mark Carney and top ministers are in Belgium for a Canada-EU summit focused on joint security and defence. Jeremie Charron has the details.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Canada signs deal deepening European defence and security partnership
Canada and Europe were drawn a little closer together Monday after Prime Minister Mark Carney signed a strategic defence and security partnership with the European Union. The agreement opens the door for Canadian companies to participate in the $1.25-trillion ReArm Europe program, which is seen as a step toward making Canada less reliant on — and less vulnerable to — the whims of the United States. Eventually, it will also help the Canadian government partner with other allied nations to buy military equipment under what's known as the SAFE program. "It will help us deliver on our new requirements for capabilities more rapidly and more effectively, it will help build our industries, secure our jurisdictions," Carney said at the closing news conference of the Canada-EU summit in Brussels. "We are very pleased to be taking this important step towards participation in SAFE as part of ReArm/Readiness Europe bringing shared expertise, joint research and innovation." WATCH | Canada joins European military pact: A joint EU/Canada statement released Monday explained Canada will work to increase defence and security co-operation through SAFE and the new security and defence partnership, which will require further talks and agreements before both become reality. The statement said Canada and the EU will: Boost co-operation on maritime security, cybersecurity and other threats to further peace efforts. Expand maritime security co-operation and increase co-ordinated naval activities. Increase defence industrial co-operation. Protect democratic institutions by working together to combat disinformation. Tighten Canada's integration with EU forces to improve interoperability in the field. Co-operate on defence procurement through the ReArm Europe initiative. Work toward a bilateral agreement related to SAFE. Explore forming closer ties between Canada and the European Defence Agency. Carney has been signalling for months that his government is unhappy with spending as much as 70 per cent of its military equipment appropriation on U.S.-made gear. Other non-EU nations, including the United Kingdom, have already struck their own strategic agreements. Australia signalled last week it has started negotiations on a deal with Europe. WATCH | Retired vice-admiral on EU deal: Much of the focus has been on the joint equipment procurement aspects of the impending deal. However, the U.K.'s agreement, made public on May 19, establishes a series of institutional links for crisis management, maritime security and cybersecurity. It is nowhere near as comprehensive as the NATO alliance. But given the growing uncertainty over the reliability of the Trump administration, the partnership is important. "It could complement NATO. It's not necessarily a substitute," said Stephen Saideman, who holds the Paterson Chair in International Affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa. "It makes sense to work with the Europeans as much as we can on defence," he said. "Maybe if we do this kind of thing, NATO can live even if the United States pulls out." The joint statement released on Monday also says the two parties have agreed to forge a "new ambitious and comprehensive partnership" to "promote shared prosperity, democratic values, peace and security" that goes well beyond security co-operation. To do that, the statement says, Canada and the EU have launched a process that "will move Canada and the EU closer together" on a number of fronts such as trade, supply chains, aligning regulations, artificial intelligence, climate change, justice and international crisis response on top of security and defence. "Today this is a new era of co-operation," Carney said. "[This] brings us closer together from defence to digital, from supply chains to security." NATO spending to be debated Carney will be attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in The Hague, in the Netherlands, almost immediately after signing the defence and security deal with the EU The 32-member Western military alliance is set to debate raising the defence spending benchmark to a combined five per cent of a country's gross domestic product (3.5 per cent for direct military spending and an additional 1.5 per cent for defence infrastructure). WATCH | Canada looks to reduce reliance on U.S.: Christian Leuprecht, a professor at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ont., said the way the defence partnership and the ReArm Europe program are set up, they could not be considered a replacement for NATO because there's no operational military aspect to the individual arrangements. However, a significant aspect of the U.K. deal involves strengthening co-operation through "exchanges on situational awareness and threat assessments in areas of common interest, including classified information." The agreement goes on to say that "the U.K. and the EU will explore additional measures to ensure that classified information can be exchanged swiftly, safely and effectively" in accordance with Britain's security of information laws. That's significant because the U.K. — like Canada — is part of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network that includes the United States. It remains unclear, at the moment, whether Canada's deal will contain similar provisions. Leuprecht describes ReArm Europe as a "cartel" with a mission to drive down prices of military equipment through collective procurement. A big component of the EU scheme is the SAFE loan program that allows member countries to borrow from a $235-billion fund for military equipment at more favourable rates than direct national borrowing. It's intended for smaller countries with less fiscal capacity and lower credit ratings, Leuprecht said. There are rules to the loan program that encourage members to buy European and partner equipment.
