PoliticsPrime Minister Mark Carney will give a speech to the European Parliament next month in Strasbourg, France, his office has confirmed.Visit comes as Canada tries to build closer ties with Europe amid U.S. trade warListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Prime Minister Mark Carney will give a speech to the European Parliament next month in Strasbourg, France, his office confirmed Wednesday. (Sylvain Roy Roussel/CBC/Radio-Canada)Prime Minister Mark Carney will give a speech to the European Parliament next month in Strasbourg, France, his office confirmed Wednesday.While there, Carney will also meet with European Parliament members to "strengthen Canada’s ties with the European Union to the benefit of both our peoples," according to a statement.The day before he is set to speak, the prime minister will attend the State of the European Union address. The annual speech by the European Commission's president, Ursula von der Leyen, is seen as one of the most important political events of the year in Europe.Carney has been trying to forge closer ties with Europe amid Canada’s ongoing trade war with the United States. The visit comes after Ottawa-Washington trade talks broke down over the weekend, further straining relations between the two countries.What we know about how the Canada-U.S. trade talks fell apartOver the last year, Canada has signed several new partnership agreements with the EU. It was also the first non-European country to become a member of Security Action for Europe, which provides €150 billion in loans for defence spending.Carney's visit is a strong sign of the close relationship between Canada and the EU, a spokesperson for the European Commission said.It is meant to "clearly signal the intention and ambition on both sides to upgrade our partnership," the spokesperson wrote in an email to CBC News."In these challenging times, strengthening our relationships across the world is vital." Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman balked at the announcement, suggesting in a post on X that Carney should recall Parliament before travelling abroad to speak to another legislature. Is this for real? <br><br>The Prime Minister of Canada says this country is “at war,” then plans to fly to Strasbourg to address EU Parliamentarians while refusing to recall the Parliament of the country he claims is under attack where he represents the people who elected him. <a href="https://t.co/iZQPYOAyQg">pic.twitter.com/iZQPYOAyQg</a>—MelissaLantsmanABOUT THE AUTHORMarina von Stackelberg is a senior reporter at CBC's Parliamentary Bureau in Ottawa. She is currently working in Berlin as a recipient of the 2026 Arthur F. Burns fellowship. She covers national politics with a focus on health, labour, and the NDP. Marina previously worked as a reporter and host in Winnipeg, with earlier stints in Halifax and Sudbury. Connect with her by email at mvs@cbc.ca or on social media @CBCMarina.