Trudeau meeting NATO, EU leaders as U.S. tariff threat continues

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is successful Brussels Wednesday arsenic Canada works to deepen its commercialized and defence ties with Europe.

The premier curate landed successful the Belgian superior astir 10 a.m. Wednesday morning. His one-day sojourn includes a gathering with NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte and the European Union’s 2 astir elder leaders.

Ursula von der Leyen has been president of the European Commission since 2019, and her occupation involves directing the EU’s argumentation docket and legislation.

Former Portuguese premier curate Antonio Costa has been president of the European Council since past December, and his relation sets wide priorities for the bloc.

Trudeau is scheduled to clasp an day property league earlier departing for Ottawa.

His sojourn comes aft years of increasing commercialized ties betwixt Canada and Europe.

Ottawa has signed agreements to export hydrogen to Germany and launched talks with Brussels connected however Canada tin proviso captious minerals for things similar electrical vehicles.

That collaboration mightiness deepen arsenic European leaders articulation Canadians successful pushing backmost connected U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats of damaging tariffs and territorial expansion.

Trump signed an bid Feb. 1 to enforce punishing tariffs connected Canada — 10 per cent connected vigor and 25 per cent connected each different imports — but paused them until March 4 pending what helium called an effort to marque an economical woody with Canada. He has besides repeatedly blasted EU policies and threatened to enforce tariffs connected European goods, singling retired the European car manufacture successful particular.

The president’s repeated remarks astir purchasing oregon annexing Greenland, which is portion of the Kingdom of Denmark, person besides prompted exigency meetings of EU leaders. Their concerns echo those of Trudeau, who said past week that Trump’s stated tendency to marque Canada a U.S. authorities is “a existent thing.”

The Liberals person said accrued commercialized with Europe is 1 of the options they’re leaning connected to navigate a much uncertain narration with the U.S.

Trade betwixt Canada and EU countries has been rising since a escaped commercialized woody came into unit provisionally successful 2017 — contempt the information that immoderate countries, including Belgium and France, person avoided afloat ratification.

Ties betwixt Canada and the EU could beryllium further bolstered done a defence and information pact present being negotiated.

A Jan. 9 docket for the EU council’s imperishable representatives committee, which co-ordinates the body’s high-level plans, included an point seeking “authorization to negotiate” a protocol for an eventual “EU-Canada information and defence partnership.”

Brussels started forming information pacts with different countries past year, aft taking up the thought successful the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful 2022.

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The EU signed deals with Japan and South Korea past November. They some called for “promoting factual naval co-operation,” specified arsenic associated exercises, exchanging accusation connected defence industries and allowing subject vessels to dock for repair oregon resupply.

Brussels besides has signed pacts with 4 European countries that aren’t portion of the EU, focusing connected issues similar underwater infrastructure and borderline management.

Last September, Global Affairs Canada sent Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly a briefing enactment marked “for decision” with the taxable “Security and Defence Partnership Between Canada and the European Union.”

The briefing note’s contents were redacted nether exemptions to access-to-information instrumentality and the section would not picture the document’s contents, citing confidentiality.

“Canada and the EU person a beardown and multi-faceted relationship, and this includes connected information and defence issues,” the section wrote successful a statement.

Canada is already portion of defence agreements with the EU that, among different things, let it to determination subject instrumentality crossed EU borders to enactment Ukraine. It besides has sent tiny numbers of officials to assistance with EU defence missions.

The EU has been taking a larger relation successful continental defence, aft decades of focusing connected economical integration.

Since 2009, the EU has had a communal defence clause that says members person an work to assistance immoderate different subordinate that is “the unfortunate of equipped aggression connected its territory.”

The thought of an EU service has been discussed implicit the decades. French President Emmanuel Macron is peculiarly enthusiastic astir the thought and has argued it would trim the continent’s reliance connected American support.

Trudeau’s sojourn comes up of upcoming meetings successful Brussels of the NATO subject confederation and the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which volition beryllium attended by Defence Minister Bill Blair.