▲ Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
Bloomberg reported on the 8th local time that Canada, currently embroiled in a tariff war with the United States, is pushing to build a comprehensive cooperative relationship with the European Union (EU) spanning everything from trade to security.
According to the report, both sides plan to formalize the initiative soon.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to unveil the plan during her annual State of the Union address in Strasbourg, France, on the 16th.
Prime Minister Carney is reportedly scheduled to attend the address and deliver a speech to members of the European Parliament the following day.
A Canadian government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said, "The Canadian government has made strengthening relations with the EU a top priority and is actively reviewing almost all options short of EU membership."
The two sides are focusing in particular on cooperation in fields with so-called strategic capabilities, such as defense, space exploration, and scientific research, while discussing ways to broaden the scope of their relationship across trade, security, supply chains, and critical raw materials.
Previously, last year, Canada became the first non-EU country to participate in the EU's defense procurement fund, worth 150 billion euros (approximately 234 trillion won).
This move to strengthen cooperation comes as trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada have escalated recently with both sides exchanging retaliatory tariffs.
Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs of up to 50 percent on 27.6 billion Canadian dollars (approximately 20 billion U.S. dollars) worth of U.S. imports starting at midnight on the 8th, Eastern Time.
In a video statement that day, Prime Minister Carney also expressed his stance that while reducing economic ties with the U.S. will come with a cost, changing direction is necessary in the long run.
He said, "We have everything we need to change course and prosper," adding, "There are costs to shifting, but those costs pale in comparison to the costs of standing still."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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