Canada EU associate member status won backing from French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday as he and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled plans to tighten cooperation on space, defense, energy and business.
The leaders met in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, a French territory a few kilometers off Newfoundland, underscoring Canada’s pivot toward Europe amid fraying ties with the United States.
“We are very much in favor of that agenda of closer ties with the European Union, as an associate member of the Union, as the president said, and as a full-fledged member of the European community,” Macron said in French while standing alongside Carney. Carney, also speaking in French, said that while only a few kilometers separate Canada and France at their closest point, “our values are even closer.”
Canada EU associate member push gains momentum
Macron’s endorsement followed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s recent proposal to make Canada the EU’s first associate member. Carney has embraced the idea, arguing that stronger links with Europe would diversify Canada’s options and reduce exposure to economic pressure from any single partner.
Recent U.S. actions have accelerated that turn. Trump’s tariffs, demands for concessions and repeated talk of making Canada the 51st U.S. state have weighed on relations. Trump also posted a map online overlaying the U.S. flag across North America, including Canada and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon.
Defense, space and energy cooperation
Carney said the two countries will direct their space agencies and defense ministries to co-develop and share infrastructure, including launch systems and ground-based reception facilities. They also agreed to broaden work together in energy, telecommunications, climate resilience and economic development. Carney’s office said discussions also covered aerospace, critical minerals and advanced technologies such as quantum computing, satellites and supercomputing.
Macron noted that the talks are part of a wider effort to bolster France’s oil and gas security as the Iran war unsettles global markets and threatens to push up fuel and consumer prices. “Canada is a country with significant resources of critical minerals and rare earths. It is also a major oil and natural gas producer,” he said, adding that France aims to secure more liquefied natural gas deliveries to Europe’s Atlantic coast.
Arctic and transatlantic security
After the Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon visit, Carney returned to Ottawa to meet Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre for talks on defense, Arctic security, energy, critical minerals and emerging technologies before traveling to New York for the U.N. General Assembly.
At a joint news conference with Støre, Carney said that building deeper ties with Europe should not be viewed as unfriendly to the United States, arguing that Canada is a better partner when it is “more independent or more resilient” with strong global relationships.
The meeting also followed Trump’s announcement of a deal on Greenland that would expand the U.S. military presence there while the island remains under Danish control, after months of threats to seize the semiautonomous territory of a NATO ally. Macron welcomed the agreement, saying Danish sovereignty and international law are being respected and that anything that eases tensions is positive.
Macron noted that the talks are part of a wider effort to bolster France’s oil and gas security as the Iran war unsettles global markets and threatens to push up fuel and consumer prices.
This focus on oil and gas security comes as some analysts warn of a looming gas price spike for consumers, similar to concerns raised in Energy expert on how to cushion a looming gas price spike.
Macron greeted Carney earlier at the airport in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, home to about 5,800 residents just off Newfoundland’s coast.
