EU and Canada to deepen defence ties from Arctic to Black Sea

The EU and Canada will strengthen their partnership to address shared security challenges by deepening defence cooperation stretching “from the Arctic to the Black Sea”.

A draft joint statement prepared for a summit to be held in Montreal on 29-30 October addresses all of these matters comprehensively.

“Canada and the EU are strategic partners in taking more responsibility for our common security and defence,” reads the draft EU-Canada Joint Summit Statement obtained by Rapporteur.

The two sides will “accelerate the implementation” of the Security and Defence Partnership and broaden cooperation across international peace and crisis management, sanctions, defence industry, maritime and space security, hybrid threats, and resilience.

The summit follows a significant political push aimed at bolstering EU-Canada ties.

On 16 September, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attended European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the European Union address in Strasbourg.

In that speech, von der Leyen suggested making Canada the bloc’s first “associate member”.

The document welcomes Canada’s interest in reinforcing its participation in EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions and operations, as well as Ottawa’s ongoing commitment to European security, “notably on the Eastern Flank from the Arctic region to the Black Sea”.

In the Arctic, both sides plan to reinforce cooperation on “peace, security and resilience”.

The summit statement will also launch “a new, dedicated dialogue on the Arctic, foreign information manipulation and interference, climate security and transport”.

The draft also reaffirms EU and Canadian support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, pledging continuous military and other assistance to Kyiv alongside increased pressure on Moscow.

According to Article 10, the partnership also turns toward the Middle East. There, the EU and Canada aim to work more closely “to support de-escalation, address humanitarian needs”, and contribute to conditions necessary for lasting peace in Palestine based on a two-state solution.

Defence industry cooperation is another priority. The draft highlights existing cooperation pursued through the EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), Canada’s participation in capability coalitions, and its inclusion in the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) mechanism.