Committee on Security and Defence MEPs visited Ottawa almost a year after the signing of the EU-Canada Security and Defence Partnership to discuss progress and new prospects under the deal.
Visiting MEPs from the European Parliament's Security and Defence Committee welcomed the commitments given by the Canadian government regarding the continuation of its significant military, humanitarian, economic and financial support of Ukraine, which has recently suffered waves of large-scale indiscriminate strikes against civilian infrastructure by Russia. The EU-Canada partnership enables a coherent effort in support of Ukraine’s defence capabilities. MEPs also highlighted the alignment and consistency of EU and Canadian sanctions policies against Russia and certain individuals, necessary to pressure Russia to ending its war of aggression against Ukraine.
MEPs discussed the importance of EU-Canada defence industrial cooperation in both parties' work on deterrence, defence readiness and rearmament, particularly in line with the objective of NATO allies to invest 5% of their GDP annually in defence and security spending by 2035. In this context, Canada's participation in the EU's SAFE loan instrument and the process to create a Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB) are major steps forward for investing in and procuring defence products and technologies. In their discussions with European and Canadian companies, SEDE MEPs sent a clear message that the two sides should seize every opportunity for joint arms procurement by leveraging all available financial tools.
Discussions also covered Canada’s military presence in the EU, common interests in strengthening security in the Arctic, defence culture among citizens, the prevention of hybrid attacks, foreign interference and manipulation of information, and the supply of critical raw materials that are essential to the defence industry.
Speaking in Ottawa, Riho Terras who led the delegation of five MEPs said:
“Sharing the same values and a similar vision of the world order, the EU and Canada are increasingly becoming partners in the field of defence. Canada’s reliability and predictability are all the more appreciated as we live in a time marked by global geopolitical upheaval. EU-Canada defence-industrial cooperation is very promising for its potential for defence readiness. It also means jobs, growth and new development opportunities in both EU and Canada, including the Arctic region.”
MEPs met with the speaker of the Canadian House of Commons as well as with members of its standing committee on national defence. They also held talks with government officials, including Rebecca Chartrand, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs, Christiane Fox, Deputy Minister of the Department of National Defence and John Hannaford, special representative of Prime Minister Mark Carney for the European Union. During their visit to Canada's largest defence and security trade show - CANSEC, they met with exhibitors from Canadian and European defence industry companies.
The delegation was led by Security and Defence Committee Vice-Chair Riho Terras (EPP, Estonia) and also comprised: Nicolás Pascual de la Parte (EPP, Spain), Loránt Vincze (EPP, Romania), Ana Caterina Mendes (S&D, Portugal) and Petras Auštrevičius (Renew Europe, Lithuania).