Abstract

The policy Brief outlines the evolving partnership between the EU and Canada, emphasizing a strategic alignment that extends beyond NATO’s command structure, with Ukraine catalyzing this cooperation through enhanced coordination in training, logistics, and sanctions linked to security sector reform. It advocates for institutionalized defense dialogues, a transatlantic green industrial zone, and joint initiatives in technology and cyber resilience, aiming to create a differentiated three-layer structure where NATO serves as the military pillar and the EU-Canada partnership facilitates industrial coordination and hybrid threat responses. The emphasis is on creating modular partnerships that integrate economic security with technological resilience, including strategies for critical minerals, data governance, and democratic technology standards, while navigating geopolitical complexities and aiming for a gradual transformation from coordination to a structured, crisis-responsive system. The roadmap emphasizes the necessity for durable institutional mechanisms, systematic implementation, and alignment with NATO and US frameworks, underscoring that the relationship should strengthen rather than compete with existing security structures.