Canada pursues closer EU partnership as summit opens

Canadians are weighing the economic opportunities, regulatory hurdles, and questions of identity that closer cooperation with the EU would bring.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is hosting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa for a two-day summit focused on bolstering trade, security, technology, and people-to-people ties.

The leaders are expected to advance an ambitious new partnership that includes proposals referred to as an “Alliance of the Future” between Canada and the EU, promoted as an “ever closer union”.

So, what do Canadians think about this new agreement?

According to a February 2026 poll by survey firm Abacus Data, reported by Rapporteur, 74% of Canadians support closer cooperation with the EU on foreign policy, defence, and economic priorities. Only 10% oppose it, while 15% remain undecided.

This broad support masks diverging political attitudes. According to the poll, 60% of Liberal voters rank the EU among Canada’s top two partners, compared to 36% who include the US on that list.

Among Conservatives, the figures are reversed: 65% prioritise the US, while the proportion favouring the EU stands at 36%.

According to the Abacus Data survey, 48% of Canadians support EU membership, while 28% oppose it.

In remarks to Rapporteur, the polling firm said:

“The US still occupies a central place in the Canadian mindset, but this situation continues to change. Today it is still seen as the most important partner, but it is no longer in an uncontested position.”

Catherine Fortin LeFaivre, Vice President of Strategic Policy and Global Partnerships at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, is eager to turn towards Europe during the Donald Trump era, yet harbours concerns about EU bureaucratic obstacles:

“Canada’s relationship with the US will always be vital, but the last two years have made the need for diversification impossible to ignore. Europe is a natural place to deepen economic ties. But what we do not want is to open the door to an added layer of regulation.”

Ontario farmer Hannah Hutchings shares this concern.

“The US is still an indispensable business partner,” Hutchings said, arguing that closer ties with the EU could help Canadian agricultural goods reach European consumers, provided they deliver economic benefits to farmers without generating further competition and regulation.

Although the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), applied provisionally since 2017, has reduced trade barriers, it has not opened every market to Canadian exporters.

Michael Harvey, Executive Director of the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance, said: “Closer relations offer an opportunity to work on trade possibilities with the EU and give us greater leverage in negotiations. For certain agricultural products, non-tariff barriers still block market access because the EU wants to impose its own criteria on the entire world.”

Harvey pointed to EU restrictions on growth hormones and crop protection products:

“In this period of rapprochement, we must work through these issues. Closer ties are received largely positively by the public, but the details will make the difference. This must be a win-win situation for both sides.”

Noting that she also sees opportunities for collaboration in agricultural innovation and sustainability, Hutchings drew attention to shared challenges such as rising costs, labour shortages, climate change, and attracting younger generations into farming.

For Canadian businesses, Europe’s appeal also lies in its predictability.

“Forecasting the cost of doing business with the US has become difficult. Europe is more reliable and makes it possible to conduct business planning, understand market entry costs, and anticipate trading conditions,” Fortin LeFaivre said.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has developed a tool named “Trade Explorer”, which helps businesses identify new export opportunities, particularly in Europe.

Jonathan Audet, co-founder and CEO of Quebec-based ski manufacturer Ferreol, entered the French market in late 2025 and generated 5% of his sales there.

Audet anticipates that his European market share will eventually outstrip Canada:

“The business environment is more favourable than in the US. Forging closer ties with the EU will boost exports and allow us to build commercial partnerships and co-innovation partnerships.”

However, Audet wants administrative procedures simplified, particularly when transporting product samples to trade missions in Europe.

“We are not going to sell them; we are only taking them to display the products, but from a customs perspective, this process is complicated. I have to apply for an ATA Carnet, a kind of passport for goods,” he said, citing delays, fees, and airport customs procedures.

Students see opportunities as well. Alex Simion, a Carleton University student in Ottawa and chair of the student union board of directors, supports easier access to education and employment opportunities in Europe.

“Carleton is a university with a large engineering student body. Students enthusiastically welcome the establishment of closer ties with the EU,” Simion said, calling for simplified visa procedures and improved access to student housing.

Yet uncertainty has not disappeared. “Most of us started high school while the Brexit process was unfolding, so growing up, we saw that something was wrong in the EU,” Simion said.

For him, this debate also raises deeper questions about Canadian identity.

“What does it mean to be Canadian? We are still trying to figure that out,” Simion said, questioning whether EU membership would erode Canada’s distinct identity:

“A closer bond makes it even more important that we find an answer to what being Canadian means before joining the EU.”