Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is seeking closer ties with the European Union and is considering the possibility of Canada becoming an "associate member" of the bloc, the Wall Street Journal reported.
According to the American newspaper, the European Union, which in the past has been strict with membership rules, is open to the idea of granting Canada such a status, which currently does not exist and would need to be created.
The escalation of the trade conflict between Canada and the United States has given new impetus to rapprochement with Europe.
Relations between Ottawa and Washington have deteriorated sharply since Donald Trump returned to the White House in early 2025, amid disagreements over trade and other issues. The trade clash has resulted in tariffs on tens of billions of dollars in cross-border trade.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Canada and the EU are discussing ways that would enable the free movement of Canadian goods, services and workers involved in strategic supply chains, such as energy, artificial intelligence, defense and critical minerals.
Discussions also include laying undersea cables, joint construction of data centers, cloud storage, new satellite networks and infrastructure for transporting Canadian energy to the EU.