Canada is pursuing a ‘unique alliance’ with the EU as US ties remain fraught. Here’s what we know

Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada is pursuing a “unique alliance” with the European Union, a further signal of Ottawa’s efforts to pivot away from the Washington amid a deepening trade war .

The notion of Canada joining the 27-member bloc — or at least pursuing closer ties with it — has gained traction within the country in the past two years as Canada has sought to reduce its economic dependence on the US.

A Wall Street Journal report published Saturday detailed how, in the wake of Trump’s tariffs, Carney pushed to bolster ties with the trading bloc, instructing a special envoy to Europe to scope out possibilities “short of full membership in the EU or its common market,” citing people familiar with the matter.

Speaking to reporters Sunday, Carney said Canada is not “looking to become a member of the European Union,” but rather beginning discussions on forming a “unique alliance” with the bloc, with which it already has a far-reaching trade agreement.

“We share the same values, we have the same priorities, and we have very complementary strengths,” said Carney, who is set to deliver a speech to the European Parliament this week.

Here’s what we know about Canada and the EU’s growing ties.

The short answer is no, at least not as a full member.

Canada, a former British colony, shares deep cultural and historical ties to Europe and resembles European models when it comes to its parliamentary democracy, universal health care and social welfare, among other things.

Canada even shares a small land border with Europe, through Denmark on Hans Island, a small landmass off northwest Greenland.

But while Canada would likely satisfy the political, economic and legal standards for joining the bloc, there is one obvious barrier: it is not geographically in Europe.

To get into the EU, a country must follow a strict, multi-stage process called accession, and its candidacy must be unanimously approved by all 27 member states.

There is a lineup of countries waiting to get in, with nine countries currently recognized as candidates for EU membership.

Other European countries, such as Norway and Switzerland, are not formal EU members but partner with the bloc on trade and open borders.

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According to the Journal, Carney has suggested to European leaders that Canada take on a tailored, highly integrated role as a so-called “associate member” — an idea that at least some leaders in the bloc seem open to, according to officials from both sides.

Among the things European and Canadian officials have discussed, according to the Journal: reducing trade barriers; laying underwater cables linking Europe and Canada; redirecting pipelines to grant Europe access to Canadian gas; building new AI and tech infrastructure; and even granting Canadians the right to live and work in Europe visa-free.

Under these terms, Canada would have a relationship with the EU that is unprecedented for a country outside of Europe. The EU’s ambassador to Canada told the Canadian Press last week the partnership would be unlike anything that currently exists, without giving specifics.

Details about what a potential alliance could look like have yet to be announced publicly. But there are signs that Canada and the EU are growing closer.

Ahead of Carney’s speech Thursday in Strasbourg, France, the European Parliament announced it will open a new antenna office in Ottawa, underlining its commitment to “deepening political dialogue and cooperation with Canada,” according to a news release.

The allies already share a sizable trading relationship, which has grown steadily since large parts of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement came into force in 2017.

Bilateral trade in goods and services reached €130.8 billion ($151 billion) last year, according to the European Commission , up more than 80% over the past decade. Major EU exports to Canada include cars, machinery and pharmaceuticals. Canadian exports to Europe include crude oil, fertilizer, critical minerals and base metals.

Economy experts on US-Canada trade war: ‘This is getting worse’

Carney, a former governor of the Bank of England, has strong ties in Europe from his banking days, and has cultivated his relationships with like-minded European leaders since becoming prime minister in March 2025.

In Paris last year, during his first official foreign trip as leader — which was notably not to the US in a break from modern tradition — Carney described Canada as “the most European of non-European countries.”

Since then, several European Union countries have floated the idea of Canada joining the bloc, including Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, who once called the possibility “a marriage made in heaven.”

Stubb and Carney reportedly text each other daily and are known for squeezing in a jog or a game of ice hockey between meetings on official trips.

In an April interview with CNN newsgathering partner CBC News , Stubb said he can “envisage a much larger EU, whether Canada is a part of it or not is up to Canada to decide,” and said with the two countries’ close values they could “forge a really close strategic partnership.”

“Wouldn’t it be lovely if Canada was the 28th state of the European Union rather than the 51st state of the United States?” asked Stubb, according to the Journal.

Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images

Carney has also leaned into Canada’s long-standing relationship with France, traveling to the country several times during his tenure, to warm reception from French President Emmanuel Macron. The two leaders are set to meet Sunday in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon — a tiny French island just 25 kilometers (15 miles) off the coast of Newfoundland.

In March, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot raised the idea of Ottawa joining the EU, telling a conference that “maybe Canada at some point” will sign up, according to the Canadian Press.

That’s not to say all EU leaders would support Canada’s bid. Ten member states have yet to ratify the trade agreement Canada and the EU signed in 2016, eliminating nearly all preexisting tariffs.

Canadians are largely in favor of strengthening relations with the EU, though support for full membership remains split, according to recent data.

A survey conducted earlier this month by Canadian polling firm Abacus Data found about 80% of Canadians said Canada should deepen cooperation with the EU on foreign policy, defense, and economic priorities — a 6-point increase from when the question was last asked in February.

A further 56% of those surveyed said Canada has more in common with EU countries than with the US, according to the survey. Nearly half (49%) said they would support Canada joining the EU, with support higher among center and left-leaning voters.

However, some in Canada are skeptical of cozying up to the EU, fearing it could further isolate Canada from its southern neighbor and largest trading partner, while others are concerned about a loss of sovereignty.

Pierre Poilievre, the leader of Canada’s opposition Conservative Party, called Carney’s effort to deepen ties with the EU “out of touch,” in a post to X following the report.

“We will NEVER be the 51st U.S. state. And we will NEVER be the 28th EU state.”

CNN’s Hanna Ziady contributed to this report.

冈萨洛·富恩特斯/路透社

加拿大总理马克·卡尼表示，加拿大正在寻求与欧盟建立“独特的联盟”，这进一步表明渥太华在贸易战日益加剧的情况下，正努力摆脱与华盛顿的关系。

过去两年，随着加拿大寻求减少对美国的经济依赖，加拿大加入这个由 27 个成员国组成的集团——或者至少寻求与该集团建立更紧密联系——的想法在加拿大国内获得了越来越多的支持。

《华尔街日报》周六发表的一篇报道详细介绍了在特朗普加征关税之后，卡尼如何努力加强与欧盟的关系，并指示一名驻欧洲特使考察“除正式加入欧盟或其共同市场之外”的各种可能性。报道援引知情人士的话称，

卡尼周日对记者表示，加拿大“并不寻求成为欧盟成员国”，而是开始讨论与欧盟建立“独特的联盟”，加拿大已经与欧盟签署了一项影响深远的贸易协定。

“我们拥有相同的价值观，相同的优先事项，以及非常互补的优势，”卡尼说道，他将于本周在欧洲议会发表讲话。

以下是我们对加拿大与欧盟日益紧密的联系的了解。

简而言之，答案是否定的，至少不能成为正式成员。

加拿大曾是英国殖民地，与欧洲有着深厚的文化和历史联系，在议会民主制、全民医疗保健和社会福利等方面都与欧洲模式相似。

加拿大甚至与欧洲有一条狭长的陆地边界，通过丹麦与汉斯岛接壤，汉斯岛是格陵兰岛西北部的一小块陆地。

虽然加拿大很可能满足加入欧盟的政治、经济和法律标准，但有一个明显的障碍：它在地理上不属于欧洲。

要加入欧盟，一个国家必须遵循一个严格的多阶段程序，称为入盟程序，并且其候选资格必须得到所有 27 个成员国的一致批准。

有许多国家正在排队等待加入欧盟，目前已有九个国家被公认为欧盟成员国候选国。

其他欧洲国家，如挪威和瑞士，虽然不是欧盟的正式成员国，但在贸易和开放边境方面与欧盟保持合作关系。

科尔·伯斯顿/彭博社/盖蒂图片社

据《华尔街日报》报道，卡尼已向欧洲领导人建议，加拿大可以作为所谓的“联系成员”扮演一个量身定制、高度一体化的角色——据双方官员称，欧盟至少有一些领导人似乎对这一想法持开放态度。

据《华尔街日报》报道，欧洲和加拿大官员讨论的内容包括：减少贸易壁垒；铺设连接欧洲和加拿大的海底电缆；重新规划管道，使欧洲能够获得加拿大天然气；建设新的人工智能和技术基础设施；甚至赋予加拿大人免签在欧洲生活和工作的权利。

根据这些条款，加拿大将与欧盟建立一种对欧洲以外国家而言前所未有的关系。欧盟驻加拿大大使上周告诉加拿大通讯社，这种伙伴关系将与目前存在的任何关系都截然不同，但他没有透露具体细节。

关于潜在联盟的具体细节尚未公开宣布。但种种迹象表明，加拿大和欧盟的关系正在日益密切。

在卡尼周四于法国斯特拉斯堡发表讲话之前，欧洲议会宣布将在渥太华开设一个新的办事处，新闻稿称，此举凸显了其“深化与加拿大的政治对话与合作”的承诺。

这两个盟友之间已经建立了相当规模的贸易关系，自 2017 年欧盟-加拿大全面经济贸易协定的大部分内容生效以来，这种关系一直在稳步增长。

据欧盟委员会统计，去年欧盟与加拿大之间的货物和服务贸易额达到1308亿欧元（1510亿美元），较过去十年增长超过80%。欧盟对加拿大的主要出口产品包括汽车、机械和药品。加拿大对欧洲的出口产品包括原油、化肥、关键矿产和基本金属。

经济专家谈美加贸易战：“局势正在恶化”

卡尼曾任英格兰银行行长，凭借其银行从业经历与欧洲建立了紧密的联系，自 2025 年 3 月就任首相以来，他一直致力于与志同道合的欧洲领导人发展关系。

去年在巴黎，卡尼作为领导人首次正式出访国外——值得注意的是，他没有像现代传统那样访问美国——他将加拿大描述为“非欧洲国家中最具欧洲特色的国家”。

从那时起，包括芬兰总统亚历山大·斯图布在内的几个欧盟国家都提出了加拿大加入欧盟的想法，斯图布曾称这种可能性是“天作之合”。

据报道，斯塔布和卡尼每天都会互发短信，而且众所周知，他们会在公务出差期间的会议间隙挤出时间慢跑或打冰球。

在 4 月份接受 CNN 新闻合作伙伴 CBC 新闻采访时，斯塔布表示，他“可以设想一个更大的欧盟，至于加拿大是否加入，则由加拿大自己决定”，并表示凭借两国相近的价值观，他们可以“建立真正紧密的战略伙伴关系”。

据《华尔街日报》报道，斯塔布问道：“如果加拿大是欧盟的第28个成员国而不是美国的第51个州，那该有多好啊！”

Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images

卡尼也充分利用了加拿大与法国的长期友好关系，在其任期内多次访问法国，受到法国总统马克龙的热情接待。两位领导人将于周日在圣皮埃尔和密克隆群岛会晤——这座法国小岛距离纽芬兰海岸仅25公里（15英里）。

据加拿大通讯社报道，今年3月，法国外交部长让-诺埃尔·巴罗特在一次会议上提出了渥太华加入欧盟的想法，称“也许加拿大在某个时候”会加入欧盟。

但这并不意味着所有欧盟领导人都会支持加拿大的提议。目前仍有十个成员国尚未批准加拿大和欧盟于2016年签署的贸易协定，该协定取消了几乎所有先前存在的关税。

根据最新数据，加拿大人普遍赞成加强与欧盟的关系，但对于是否加入欧盟的支持率仍存在分歧。

加拿大民意调查公司 Abacus Data 本月早些时候进行的一项调查发现，约 80% 的加拿大人表示，加拿大应该在外交政策、国防和经济优先事项方面深化与欧盟的合作——比 2 月份上次提出该问题时增加了 6 个百分点。

调查显示，另有56%的受访者认为加拿大与欧盟国家的共同点比与美国的共同点更多。近半数（49%）受访者表示支持加拿大加入欧盟，其中中间派和左翼选民的支持率更高。

然而，加拿大国内一些人对与欧盟走得太近持怀疑态度，担心这会进一步孤立加拿大与其南部邻国和最大贸易伙伴，而另一些人则担心失去主权。

加拿大反对党保守党领袖皮埃尔·波利耶夫在报道发布后，在 X 网站上发帖称卡尼深化与欧盟关系的努力“脱离实际”。

“我们永远不会成为美国第51个州，也永远不会成为欧盟第28个成员国。”

CNN的汉娜·齐亚迪对本报道亦有贡献。