Europe must embrace Canada, says Renew ahead of Carney visit
Ahead of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to the European Parliament on Wednesday and his address to MEPs on Thursday, Renew Europe President Valérie Hayer has written to the European Commission calling on it to seize a historic opportunity to deepen the European Union’s relationship with Canada.
Renew Europe, the European sister political family of Canada’s Liberal Party, has long supported closer ties between the EU and Canada. In a letter to European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič, Valérie Hayer and Renew Europe MEPs serving on the Parliament’s Canada delegation call for a major strengthening of economic, political and security ties with Canada.
Renew Europe proposes completing the ratification of CETA, launching an initiative to increase its use by European and Canadian businesses, establishing an EU Canada investment initiative for strategic sectors, and developing closer cooperation against economic coercion and politically motivated trade measures.
The group also calls on the Commission to explore a new EU Canada Strategic Association under Article 217 of the Treaty, bringing together cooperation on trade, investment, critical minerals, energy, artificial intelligence, research, defence and mobility. Renew Europe also proposes opening Erasmus+ to Canada as an associated third country.
Valérie Hayer, President of Renew Europe, said:
"Canada is our long-term ally and partner and deserves to be treated with the utmost respect. The US has chosen confrontation with an ally - we choose a big hug. Not only because of the aggressive US tariff policy, Europe should speed up to foster its own Single Market, become more independent and expand economic cooperation with trusted partners like Canada.
As a true liberal, Mark Carney rightly calls for rethinking and renewing multilateralism. As liberals, we share the conviction that in a changing world, our alliances and partnerships must get to the next level:
As Canada and Europe both look to diversify, this is the moment to intensify mutual trade. This requires fresh thinking and joint investment in infrastructure."
Valérie HayerRenew Europe MEP, France, Renaissance
Canada and Europe are democratic partners with shared interests and shared values. We should now be much more ambitious. Our goal should be to make Canada Europe’s closest democratic partner outside our continent, with a strategic relationship that reflects the scale of our economic, security and political ties. Canada is looking towards Europe. We should meet that ambition.
Renew letter to Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, read here
