Europe and Canada have a historic opportunity. Let’s seize it.

As European leaders prepare to meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Montreal, Volt is calling for an ambitious new EU-Canada agreement as the first step towards a true Alliance of Democracies that turns shared democratic values into practical cooperation on security, economic resilience and opportunities for citizens.  We should strive for nothing less than an alliance that can stand up to Trump, Putin and Xi while building a shared space between them with the highest possible living standards on the planet. This alliance should be open to any consolidated democracy that adheres to international law, including Australia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Taiwan, Chile, Uruguay, Botswana Costa Rica, Mauritius and Cabo Verde. Together, they have the strength to be champions for a fairer and more effective international system, including the UN.

However, Germany, France, Italy and Greece can't even agree to the first steps. They have raised objections to describing Canada as an "associate member" in the draft joint declaration, citing legal uncertainty and the lack of such a category in the EU Treaties. Our national leaders still don't get it: the world is on fire, and we will not put it out with legalistic debates. We need the courage and creativity to take charge of our own future, instead of waiting for Trump, Putin and Xi to decide for us. Volt demands the EU to resolve these technical questions quickly and within the law, and to arrive in Montreal with one voice and a clear, ambitious offer that opens up the door to other like-minded democracies to join. We don't care what we call it. Form follows function; what we need is a strong alliance of democratic countries sharing similar values, to stand up to coercion from aggressive great powers and build something better.

Canada has reached out its hand to start this journey with us. Europe should not leave it hanging over a question of wording.

A safer, stronger Europe needs friends. And in a more dangerous and divided world Europe cannot go it alone. 

Together, we can make Europeans and our friends safer through closer defence and security cooperation, more open with mobility for students and workers, more secure through reliable access to clean energy and critical raw materials, and better off by shaping artificial intelligence, international law and new technologies on our own terms – not someone else's. 

As Carney himself has said:

"We do not seek to dominate others as a third bloc great power rival, only with better manners, but to be an open alliance strong enough so that no one can dictate our choices. A beacon for other democracies, an alliance not defined by what we oppose, but about what we are for – freedom, solidarity, prosperity, sustainability."

"Citizens are tired of hearing what Europe can't do. Montreal is a chance to show what it can do," said Inês Bravo Figueiredo, Co-President Volt Europa. "The offer to Canada was one of the few genuinely hopeful moments of this year's State of the European Union. It showed a Europe ready to act, not just regulate. National capitals need to put ego aside, fix the wording within the law and get this done. Europeans deserve hope, and a Europe that comes together to build a brighter future."

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Notes to editors
Volt is the first European political party active in over 30 countries and committed to work towards a united, democratic and sustainable Europe. The 21st EU–Canada summit takes place in Montreal on 29–30 October 2026.

Media enquiries for further commentary: 

Michael Schneider, Public Relations Volt MEP Office
[email protected] / +49 176 76645446

Neil Moorhouse, Public Relations Volt Europa
[email protected] / +31 6 83171297

Špela Majcen Marušič, Public Relations Volt Europa
[email protected] / +386 70 868 457