Canada Wants To Join European Union's Defence Initiative

• 20.03.2025, 10:02

Detailed negotiations are underway.

Canada is negotiating with the European Union to join a new project to expand its defence industry. This will allow Canada to participate in manufacturing European military equipment at its own industrial plants.

The New York Times writes about it.

According to the publication, now the detailed negotiations are underway on including Canada in the new defence initiative of the European Union. The goal is to raise the EU defence industry, which will become a ‘credible alternative to the United States’, which dominates the market of arms production.

In particular, according to the interlocutors, Canada will be able to become part of the European register of military production by selling its industrial capacity to build European systems such as the Saab Gripen jet, a competitor to the US F-35, which is produced by Lockheed Martin. The publication's sources note that specific contracts have not yet been discussed.

After Donald Trump became the US president for the second time, Canada and the European Union are trying to strengthen their defence industries. The New York Times writes that such co-operation will boost Canadian military manufacturers and offer Canada a new market amid deteriorating relations with the US.

The cooperation of Canada's defence industry with the European Union highlights the way traditional US allies are deepening their ties without Washington's involvement to protect themselves from Trump's unpredictable moves.