Canada releases strategy keeping European security a priority
The first National Security Strategy in two decades commits to deeper European cooperation as Canada and the European Union discuss closer ties.
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Canada released its first National Security Strategy in two decades on 29 October 2026, keeping support for security and stability in Europe among its priorities, the BBC said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has pushed Canada closer to Europe since taking office in 2025, amid an ongoing trade war with the US, Canada’s largest trading customer.
What Canada plans with Europe
In The Plan for a Stronger Canada, the Government of Canada describes European security and stability as a continuing priority. It says it will significantly deepen European connections and cooperate on “strategic capabilities”—capacity in areas including emerging technologies, critical minerals, defence and energy—to reinforce collective strength and resilience.
EU associate membership remains a proposal
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen first proposed EU “associate membership” for Canada in September 2026. Her proposal followed Carney’s address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where he said Canada and Europe were “stronger together” amid what he called “geopolitical rupture”.
Von der Leyen’s proposed relationship includes close alignment on governance and policies, alongside cooperation in research and innovation. Associate membership is not an existing EU status, and the proposal has not been agreed.
Germany’s ambassador to Canada, Matthias Lüttenberg, said some member states were surprised by the proposal. He said there was broad support for closer ties, but the meaning of associate membership for Canada was not clearly understood.
What comes next
The Canada–EU summit in Montreal runs on October 29–30, 2026. Canadian officials said they expected agreements on defence, critical minerals, research and trade during the meeting.
European officials downplayed the possibility of a major summit announcement on Canada’s new EU relationship, saying much would be settled in the coming months.
For the security strategy, the government says the prime minister will convene federal, provincial and territorial leaders to look at aligning national-security activities. It plans to propose legislative modernisation within the plan’s first year and update the strategy within four years.
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