The Canada-EU Leaders’ meeting took place on February 12, 2025. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa met to discuss ways for EU and Canada to work more closely to promote global economic security and stability amidst rising geoeconomic tensions.

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With President Donald Trump confirming a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports—alongside a separate, still-pending tariff specifically targeting Canada and Mexico, which would be stacked to a whopping 50%—Trudeau arrived in Europe seeking to reinforce economic alliances and push back against US protectionism.

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Trudeau emphasized that partnerships like NATO and Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) thrive on trust. “You can always trust Canada,” he told reporters, highlighting how CETA has increased Canada-EU trade by 66% since 2017.

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Yet, as US protectionism escalates, Canada and Europe must look beyond existing agreements. Expanding cooperation in critical sectors like minerals, clean energy, and technology could help both sides reduce dependence on the US market and build a more resilient economic framework. …

Though the EU and Canada have the CETA trade agreement—which they have touted as important for trade and investment—and a critical minerals partnership, in a hyper-competitive global economy they need to further deepen and strengthen economic ties.

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Canada utilized the meeting to further discussions on enhancing their security and defense cooperation. Since 2021, Canada’s participation in the EU’s Military Mobility project, alongside the United States and Norway, has boosted EU-NATO cooperation and has become yet more relevant since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.