Australian minister says Canberra ‘on the same page’ as Ottowa on closer EU ties

SYDNEY – An Australian minister said on Tuesday the country is aligned with Canada’s attempt to seek deeper ties with the European Union, amid Ottowa’s escalating trade war with Washington.

Canada is seeking a “unique alliance” with the EU but is not looking to become a member, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Sunday after The Wall Street Journal reported he was exploring whether Canada could become an “associate member” of the bloc.

“We are on the same page,” Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell told The Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday.

“We will take great interest in what Carney does.”

Farrell did not elaborate further on if Australia was currently actively seeking a deeper relationship with the EU, or what form that relationship could take.

Australia has also been seeking to diversify its trade relationships after facing U.S. tariffs on many exports despite its long-standing security alliance and free trade agreement with Washington.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade did not respond to a request for comment.

Canada and the EU are discussing allowing Canadian goods, services and workers in strategic sectors — including energy, artificial intelligence, defense and critical minerals — to move freely, effectively shifting the EU border, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The talks also cover joint infrastructure projects such as underwater cables, data centers, cloud storage, satellite networks and facilities to transport Canadian energy to Europe.

Carney has spoken regularly with several EU leaders, most notably French President Emmanuel Macron, about the possibility of letting Canadians live and work visa-free in the EU, The Wall Street Journal said, citing two unnamed officials familiar with the matter.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported Farrell said he was open to all possibilities in potential new arrangements with the EU, with the exception of fibre-optic cables given the distances involved.

“The world is dividing into protectionists and free traders,” he said.

“It’s indisputable that Australian prosperity of the last 50 years has all been about our engagement with the world.”

Australia and the EU signed a free trade agreement in March after eight years of negotiations, removing tariffs on almost all goods and potentially easing EU access to Australian critical minerals.