From the Prime Minister’s written statement:
Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Strasbourg, France, from September 16 to 17, 2026. In Strasbourg, the Prime Minister attended President von der Leyen’s State of the European Union (EU) address and addressed the European Parliament. In his address, he proposed a new partnership between Canada and the EU that is far deeper and more integrated.
The EU brings market power, research depth, and manufacturing strength to this partnership. Canada brings abundant energy, critical minerals, world-class capabilities in space, artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum, and one of the world’s strongest banking systems. Together, Canada and the EU can leverage these strengths to benefit both Canadian and EU citizens in a number of ways.
Deeper cooperation in critical minerals, defence industries, energy, and AI and compute would reinforce both Canada and the EU’s strategic autonomy and therefore sovereignty. Deeper people-to-people ties would allow young people to live, work and study where they want – in Canada or the EU. A more integrated, seamless market for financial services would broaden choice and reduce costs for citizens. Overall, a deeper, more integrated Canada-EU partnership would create greater security, opportunity, and prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic.
On September 16, Prime Minister Carney also travelled to Liverpool, UK, to meet with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham for the first time. The leaders discussed their shared ambition to unlock new opportunities in trade, technology, and defence – and agreed that the scale of their efforts must match the urgency of the moment.
There, Prime Minister Carney announced that Canada has formally applied to join the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force to reinforce our military interoperability and strengthen our collective security.
He welcomed the UK’s support on this front. The leaders also discussed opportunities to deepen defence industrial cooperation through the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), which Canada joined as an observer in July 2026. Building on this momentum, the prime ministers agreed to advance cooperation on frontier technologies, including by advancing the safe and responsible development and use of AI.
At this pivotal moment in history, a strong, confident Canada is charting a new course. We are building our strength at home and deepening ties with trusted international partners – including across Europe – to protect our sovereignty, build greater resilience, and unlock new opportunities in trade, investment, and technology for our peoples.