OTTAWA, CANADA / EuroWire.IO / – Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger has urged closer cooperation between the European Union and Canada to address global challenges. She said the partnership has become a strategic necessity for safeguarding security and economic prosperity amid growing geopolitical uncertainty. Meinl-Reisinger spoke at a joint press conference with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand in Ottawa on Friday. The visit came a week after Canada and the EU held their 21st summit in Montreal.
During her visit, Meinl-Reisinger discussed ways to expand economic, technological and security cooperation between Austria, the EU and Canada. The two ministers also covered coordination on international issues. Austria is preparing to take up a two-year non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council in January 2027. Meinl-Reisinger said the EU must look beyond its borders and forge alliances with trusted partners. Austria last served on the Security Council in 2009 and 2010.
She described Canada as a key partner for Europe, helping to strengthen its ability to act and respond to international challenges. Meinl-Reisinger was the first European foreign minister to visit Ottawa after the EU-Canada summit in Montreal. That summit, held on October 29 and 30, launched an Alliance for the Future between the two sides. She called the partnership a win-win for both Europe and Canada.
Ministers discuss pressure on Russia
The ministers also discussed Russia’s war in Ukraine. Anand said she would press her G7 counterparts to increase pressure on Moscow, including at the G20 summit in December. Meinl-Reisinger backed tighter international pressure on the Kremlin. She cited recent strikes near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as a reason for concern. Canada announced at the Montreal summit that it intends to join the EU’s €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan.
Anand played down debate over the name of the new EU-Canada alliance during the press conference, Austrian media reported. The alliance covers security and defence, trade, technology and people-to-people ties. Canada has pursued closer European ties since Prime Minister Mark Carney’s address to the European Parliament in September. The EU is Canada’s second-largest trading partner. Austria has been a member of the EU since 1995.
Visit includes hydro plant and university speech
Meinl-Reisinger also met Canadian Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon during her trip. She toured the Chaudière Falls hydroelectric plant, which is operated by Austrian technology group Andritz. The visit highlighted Austrian industrial links with Canada. She also delivered a keynote speech at Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs in Ottawa. Andritz, based in Graz, supplies hydropower equipment worldwide. The Chaudière Falls lie on the Ottawa River near Parliament Hill.
Trade between the EU and Canada has grown under the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, which has been provisionally applied since 2017. The EU exported goods worth billions to Canada in 2025, according to Eurostat. Goods and services trade between Canada and the EU reached about C$178 billion in 2025, Canadian government figures show. Meinl-Reisinger’s visit comes as both sides work to deepen that relationship.