Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Brussels on Wednesday while Canada works to deepen its commercial and defense ties with Europe.
The prime minister landed in the Belgian capital around 10 am on Wednesday. His one -day visit includes a meeting with the NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the two highest leaders of the European Union.
Ursula von der Leyen has been president of the European Commission since 2019, and her work implies directing the EU policy agenda and policy legislation.
The former Portuguese prime minister, Antonio Costa, has been president of the European Council since last December, and his role establishes general priorities for the block.
Trudeau is scheduled to hold a press conference of the afternoon before leaving for Ottawa.
His visit occurs after years of growing commercial ties between Canada and Europe.
Ottawa has signed agreements to export hydrogen to Germany and has launched conversations with Brussels about how Canada can provide critical minerals for things like electric vehicles.
This collaboration could deepen as European leaders join Canadians to withdraw the threats of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, of harmful tariffs and territorial expansion.
Trump signed an order on February 1 to impose punishment rates on Canada, 10 percent energy and 25 percent in all other imports, but stopped until March 4 waiting for what he called an effort To make an economic agreement with Canada. He has also repeatedly criticized EU policies and threatened to impose tariffs on European goods, highlighting the European automotive industry in particular.
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The president's repeated comments on the purchase or annexation of Greenland, which is part of the kingdom of Denmark, has also caused emergency meetings of EU leaders. His concerns echoes those of Trudeau, who said last week that Trump's declared desire to make Canada an American state is “something real.”
Liberals have said that the increase in trade with Europe is one of the options on which they support to navigate a more uncertain relationship with the United States.
The trade between Canada and the EU countries has been increasing since a free trade agreement entered into force provisionally in 2017, despite the fact that some countries, including Belgium and France, have avoided full ratification.
The ties between Canada and the EU could be further reinforced through a defense and security pact that is now negotiated.
An agenda of January 9 for the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the EU Council, which coordinates the high level of the body, included an article that sought “authorization to negotiate” a protocol for an eventual “Association of Security and Defense of Defense of the EU-Canada “.
Brussels began to form security pacts with other countries last year, after assuming the idea following the large -scale invasion of Russia of Ukraine in 2022.
The EU signed agreements with Japan and South Korea last November. Both asked “to promote concrete naval cooperation”, as joint exercises, exchange information on defense industries and allow military ships to attract to repair or replenish.
Brussels has also signed PACT with four European countries that are not part of the EU, focusing on issues such as underwater infrastructure and border management.
Last September, Global Affairs Canada sent the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, an informative note marked “by decision” with the theme “Association of Security and Defense between Canada and the European Union”.
The content of the information note was drafted under exemptions to the Information Access Law and the Department would not describe the content of the document, citing confidentiality.
“Canada and the EU have a strong and multifaceted relationship, and this includes security and defense matters,” the department wrote in a statement.
Canada is already part of the defense agreements with the EU that, among other things, allows you to move the military team through the EU borders to support Ukraine. He has also sent a small number of officials to help with EU defense missions.
The EU has been assuming a more important role in continental defense, after decades of focusing on economic integration.
Since 2009, the EU has had a mutual defense clause that says that members have the obligation to help any other member who is “the victim of armed aggression in their territory.”
The idea of an EU army has been discussed throughout the decades. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, is particularly excited about the idea and has argued that he would reduce the dependence of the continent in American support.
Trudeau's visit is ahead of the next meetings in Brussels of the NATO Military Alliance and the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which will be attended by Defense Minister Bill Blair.
& Copy 2025 the Canadian press