The European Parliament is sending a clear message of closer cooperation with Canada by opening a new liaison office in Ottawa, aimed at further strengthening parliamentary relations between the two sides.
The decision by the Parliament’s Bureau was made ahead of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s official address to the European Parliament on Thursday, September 17, and follows discussions with the Speaker of the Canadian Parliament that began after President Metsola participated in the G7 Speakers’ Summit in Canada last year. The move underscores the European Parliament’s commitment to deepening political dialogue and cooperation with Canada.
The Ottawa office will strengthen the European Parliament’s presence in Canada and its engagement with the country, raise awareness among Canadian audiences about the Parliament’s work, and facilitate parliamentary exchanges. With a regional mandate extending to the Arctic, it will also serve as a key platform for parliamentary cooperation on issues of growing strategic importance to both the EU and Canada.
The opening of the Ottawa office reflects the close and long-standing partnership between the European Union and Canada, as well as a shared commitment to strengthening parliamentary diplomacy as a cornerstone of transatlantic cooperation.
Roberta Metsola’s message
President Metsola stated: “In an era where the world is becoming increasingly unpredictable, like-minded partners must work together more closely than ever. Europe and Canada share values, interests, and a commitment to the same rules-based international order. Our new presence in Ottawa will translate this partnership into even closer parliamentary cooperation — from transatlantic security and trade to the Arctic and all the challenges we face together.”
The Parliament currently maintains nine offices outside the European Union: in Addis Ababa for relations with the African Union, in Chișinău covering the entire Eastern Partnership region, in Jakarta for relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, in London for relations with the United Kingdom, in New York for relations with the United Nations, in Panama for relations with Latin America and the Caribbean, in Tirana for the Western Balkans, in Washington for relations with the United States, and in Kyiv, where the Parliament opened its official representation to reinforce its presence and support on the ground.
