Trudeau in Brussels to talk security as U.S. tariff threats continue

From left, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European Council President Antonio Costa pose for a group photo prior to the EU-Canada leaders meeting at the European Council building in Brussels, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Harry Nakos) (Harry Nakos/AP)

BRUSSELS — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Brussels today as Canada works to deepen its trade and defence ties with Europe.

On the one-day trip, the prime minister was first scheduled to meet with NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte, and then the European Union’s two most senior leaders.

Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa welcomed Trudeau at the Europa building on Wednesday afternoon.

Von der Leyen said in her welcoming remarks the story of Canada and the European Union is the story of good allies and trusted friends, and “trust is very much needed in an unpredictable world.”

Trudeau said the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement has created “tremendous prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic.”

“It’s something we’re very much talking about doing even more of in a reliable and trustworthy way,” he said in his remarks to media.

Von der Leyen has been president of the European Commission since 2019, and her job involves directing the EU’s policy agenda and legislation. Costa, the former Portuguese prime minister, has been president of the European Council since last December, and his role sets overall priorities for the bloc.

Trudeau is scheduled to hold an afternoon press conference before departing for Ottawa.

His visit comes after years of growing trade ties between Canada and Europe.

Ottawa has signed agreements to export hydrogen to Germany and launched talks with Brussels on how Canada can supply critical minerals for things like electrical vehicles.

That collaboration might deepen as European leaders join Canadians in pushing back on U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats of damaging tariffs and territorial expansion.

Trump signed an order Feb. 1 to impose punishing tariffs on Canada -- 10 per cent on energy and 25 per cent on all other imports -- but paused them until March 4 pending what he called an effort to make an economic deal with Canada. He has also repeatedly blasted EU policies and threatened to impose tariffs on European goods, singling out the European auto industry in particular.

The president’s repeated remarks about purchasing or annexing Greenland, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, have also prompted emergency meetings of EU leaders. Their concerns echo those of Trudeau, who said last week that Trump’s stated desire to make Canada a U.S. state is “a real thing.”

The Liberals have said increased trade with Europe is one of the options they’re leaning on to navigate a more uncertain relationship with the U.S.

Trade between Canada and EU countries has been rising since the CETA trade deal came into force provisionally in 2017 -- despite the fact that some countries, including Belgium and France, have avoided full ratification.

Ties between Canada and the EU could be further bolstered through a defence and security pact now being negotiated.

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

Brussels started forming security pacts with other countries last year, after taking up the idea in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The EU signed deals with Japan and South Korea last November. They both called for “promoting concrete naval co-operation,” such as joint exercises, exchanging information on defence industries and allowing military vessels to dock for repair or resupply.

Brussels also has signed pacts with four European countries that aren’t part of the EU, focusing on issues like underwater infrastructure and border management.

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

The briefing note’s contents were redacted under exemptions to access-to-information law and the department would not describe the document’s contents, citing confidentiality.

“Canada and the EU have a strong and multi-faceted relationship, and this includes on security and defence issues,” the department wrote in a statement.

Canada is already part of defence agreements with the EU that, among other things, allow it to move military equipment across EU borders to support Ukraine. It also has sent small numbers of officials to help with EU defence missions.

The EU has been taking a larger role in continental defence, after decades of focusing on economic integration.

Since 2009, the EU has had a mutual defence clause that says members have an obligation to assist any other member that is “the victim of armed aggression on its territory.”

The idea of an EU army has been discussed over the decades. French President Emmanuel Macron is particularly enthusiastic about the idea and has argued it would reduce the continent’s reliance on American support.

Trudeau’s visit comes ahead of upcoming meetings in Brussels of the NATO military alliance and the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which will be attended by Defence Minister Bill Blair.

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press

With files from Dylan Robertson

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 12, 2025.