How Relevant Are Continued Ties with Canada?

The purpose of this chapter is to shed new light on how the relationship between Canada and the European Union (EU) contributes to the EU’s goals of sustaining a rule-governed world, reducing external dependence, and stemming off the influence of autocracies such as Russia and China. To that end, we need to establish the nature and strength of EU–Canada relations, the scope of EU–Canada goal convergence, and what Canada might contribute towards reducing EU autocratic dependence. The chapter assesses options for Europeans to strengthen ties and open up new markets and strategic supplies, taking the geopolitical perspective explicitly into consideration. As part of that, we consider the constraints (and opportunities) of geography, which includes the geographical distance that exists between Europe and Canada, and both entities’ strong ties with the United States (US). The chapter was written before Donald Trump takes office in January 20, 2025. It is expected that Trump's presidency will have serious impacts on Canada - US and US EU relations. There is great uncertainty what these will be. The chapter does therefore not speculate on the effects of Trump II.