CALGARY — Amid swirling conversation about deepening ties between Canada and the European Union, the EU Parliament has announced that it will be opening an "antenna office" in Ottawa.The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, announced the opening of the Ottawa-based office in a post on X, calling the opening a "new chapter for the EU-Canada partnership.""I am delighted that tonight, the European Parliament's Bureau has endorsed the establishment of an EP antenna office in Ottawa," Metsola wrote, "a stronger presence that facilitates parliamentary exchanges across the Atlantic, with a regional remit reaching as far as the Arctic.".The new "antenna office" will operate alongside the already existing EU office in Ottawa and will seek to facilitate and improve communication between the Canadian government and the EU legislative branch.The announcement comes just three days before Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to give a historic address to the EU Parliament, where it is expected he will lay out his plan for the future relationship between Canada and Europe. .Carney has continued to stress the importance that further Canadian-EU cooperation will have in building a new trade bloc to counter a continually more aggressive and unpredictable United States.The opening of an office of the legislative branch of the European Union will also not help quell rumours that Canada is looking to become a member of the EU.Carney has stressed that he is looking for Canada to deepen its partnership with Europe and has even floated the idea of becoming an "associate member" of the EU, but full-fledged membership seems like something the current government is not pursuing.The EU Parliament also has an office in Ukraine, which has been open since September 2025, as well as having a presence in the UK, the US, Moldova, Indonesia, Panama, and Ethiopia.
