By Julia Payne
BRUSSELS, Sept 17 (Reuters) – Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney called for a sweeping strategic alliance with the European Union and proposed joint efforts on critical minerals, AI, defence and trade during a speech to the European Parliament on Thursday.
Carney spoke a day after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was opening the door for Canada to become an “associate member” in her annual State of the European Union address.
Here are some highlights:
CARNEY ON GEOPOLITICAL BACKDROP
“Today, our societies are being rocked by new storms: the upheavals linked to climate change, the erosion of democratic norms, and the use of trade as a weapon.”
“The multilateral institutions we relied on have been weakened. Sovereignty and openness are difficult to reconcile today. Economic integration is now being used as a weapon, and tariffs as a means of pressure.”
“Technology is transforming the nature of war, the structure of economies, and the ability of states to govern.”
“Technology platforms aspire to sovereignty. They want to set the terms of access. They want to dictate the rules of regulation—and even circumvent them. They want to control our data, spread disinformation, and steal our children’s childhoods.
“This is a ferocious storm. A single tree will come down in it. A forest will not.”
CARNEY ON ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP OFFER
“We are not fair-weather allies. We do not pursue zero-sum deals. Our commitment to the rule of law, and our unyielding defence of human dignity, individual freedom, and democracy share the same deep roots, the same unwavering dedication.”
“We believe that a strong economy is not an end in itself but the means to a just society.”
“Europe and Canada are each strong. Europe and Canada are even stronger together.”
“Yesterday, President von der Leyen spoke of moving beyond CETA to an Alliance for the Future – pening the door to Canada becoming the European Union’s first associate member. We welcome this ambition – olling shows an overwhelming majority of Canadians support much closer ties.”
“An alliance strong enough so that no one can dictate our choices. Open enough that others can join. Principled enough that our strength reinforces international law rather than replaces it. “
CARNEY ON ACTIONS A DEEPER ALLIANCE CAN TAKE
“Sovereignty requires resilience—the ability to withstand shocks.”
“Canada and Europe should secure our strategic autonomy through deep cooperation in the full range of strategic capabilities, including critical minerals, defence industrial capacity, AI and computing, energy security, space, and payments.”
“We should move towards seamless, digital trade in non-agricultural goods and a wide range of services. We should deepen our people-to-people ties, allowing our youth to live, work and study where they want on either side of the Atlantic.”
“Canada can contribute LNG and hydrogen at large scale to support Europe’s energy security including by developing and leveraging new port infrastructure in the high north and on our east coast.”
(Reporting by Julia Payne; Editing by Toby Chopra)
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