Key Takeaways
- Prime Minister Mark Carney represented Canada at the 9th European Political Community Summit in Dublin on Thursday.
- Canada and the EU are working toward the deepest partnership short of accession, with Canada becoming the EU's first Associate Member.
- Carney joined a Ukraine meeting co-hosted by UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Canada takes its Europe pitch to Dublin
Prime Minister Mark Carney was in Dublin on Thursday for the 9th Summit of the European Political Community, his second appearance at the gathering, as Canada works toward what his office calls the deepest possible partnership with the European Union short of accession — including becoming the EU's first Associate Member.
The summit focused on economic resilience and competitiveness, mutual security, and support for Ukraine. On the margins, Carney met the leaders of Cyprus, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Latvia and Sweden, with talks centred on deepening economic ties, opening new markets and strengthening supply chains. In separate meetings, the Greek and Cypriot leaders both backed the momentum behind Canada's path to Associate Member status, which the two sides set in motion at last month's Canada–EU Summit in Montréal, where they launched the Alliance for the Future and more than 20 new initiatives.
Carney also joined a meeting on Ukraine co-hosted by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, focused on securing a just and lasting peace, and reaffirmed Canada's "unwavering support" for Ukraine.
The numbers behind the courtship
The Prime Minister's Office pointed to the weight of the relationship: the EU is Canada's second-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade up 10% from 2024 to 2025 to about $178 billion. European investment stock in Canada stands at $219 billion, against $315 billion of Canadian direct investment in the EU. Canada joined the EU's SAFE defence instrument in February as the first non-European country, and Montréal-based Galvion won a contract worth more than $44 million in October to supply military helmets to Latvia.
"Our alliance with the European Union is built on shared history, common values, and mutual respect," Carney said. "We're working together at speed to forge an ambitious new partnership that will give our citizens more choice, more opportunity, and a more affordable future."
No new agreement was signed in Dublin — the day was about momentum, not announcements. Carney now travels on to the Philippines, Cambodia and China to advance new trade agreements.
The Twikup Take
Associate Member is a new label, and Dublin produced no signature to go with it. But the direction is unmistakable: with trade, defence procurement and energy all in the same conversation, Canada is negotiating its way into Europe's inner circle without joining the EU — and the trade deals on the Asia leg of this trip will show whether the diversification push travels.
Image: Mark Carney meets Ursula von der Leyen by European Commission Audiovisual Service / Christophe Licoppe, CC BY 4.0.