Macron backs Canada as EU associate member amid US tensions
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday backed a proposal for Canada to become the European Union's first associate member, as he and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pushed for deeper strategic ties in space, defence, energy and business. Their meeting came as Canada moves closer to Europe amid worsening relations with the United States.
The two leaders met in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, a French territory off the coast of Newfoundland, where France and Canada are separated by only a few kilometres. Macron said, "We are very much in favour 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." Carney said, "Only a few kilometres separate Canada and France at their closest point. Our values are even closer."
Carney said the two countries would ask their space agencies and defence ministries to develop and share infrastructure, including launch systems and ground-based reception facilities. They also agreed to expand cooperation in energy, telecommunications, climate resilience and economic development. Carney's office said the leaders discussed aerospace, energy, critical minerals and advanced technologies such as quantum computing, satellites and supercomputing.
Macron's support came days after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed making Canada the EU's first associate member. Carney has welcomed the idea and said closer ties with Europe would give Canada more options and make it less vulnerable to economic pressure from any one country. The shift has gathered pace as US President Donald Trump's tariffs, demands for economic concessions and repeated remarks about making Canada the 51st US state have strained ties. Trump also recently posted a map on social media showing the US flag across all of North America, including Canada and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon.
Macron, who welcomed Carney at the airport in the French territory of about 5,800 people, also said the talks were part of wider efforts to help France secure oil and gas supplies as the Iran war disrupts global energy markets and raises fears of higher fuel prices and other essential costs. He said, "Canada is a country with significant resources of critical minerals and rare earths. It is also a major oil and natural gas producer." He added, "What we want to do is conclude agreements to secure more liquefied natural gas that can be shipped to Europe's Atlantic coast."
Carney later returned to Ottawa to meet Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store for talks on defence, Arctic security, energy, critical minerals and emerging technologies, before travelling to New York on Monday for the UN General Assembly. At a joint news conference with Store, Carney rejected the suggestion that closer ties with European allies were hostile to the US, saying Canada is a better partner when it is "more independent or more resilient" and has stronger relationships around the world.
The meeting also came after Trump announced a deal on Greenland that would expand the US military presence there while keeping the island under Danish control, following months of threats to seize the semiautonomous territory of a NATO ally. Macron welcomed the agreement on Saturday, saying, "Danish sovereignty is being respected, international law is being respected. Anything that helps ease tensions is a good thing." Sunday's talks underlined the wider push by Canada and France to deepen ties across strategic sectors as Ottawa strengthens its links with Europe.
