OTTAWA, CANADA / EuroWire.IO / – The European Union and Canada must work more closely together to tackle global challenges, Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said during a visit to Ottawa. She called the partnership a strategic necessity for protecting security and economic prosperity as geopolitical uncertainty grows. Meinl-Reisinger made the remarks at a joint press conference with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand on Friday. Meinl-Reisinger has served as Austria’s foreign minister since March 2025.
The two ministers discussed expanding economic, technological and security cooperation. They also talked about coordinating on international issues as Austria prepares to join the United Nations Security Council. Austria will hold a two-year non-permanent seat on the council from January 2027. Meinl-Reisinger said the EU needs to look beyond its own borders and build alliances with trusted partners. Austria last served on the Security Council in 2009 and 2010.
She called Canada a key partner that helps Europe strengthen its ability to act on international challenges. Meinl-Reisinger was the first European foreign minister to visit Ottawa since the EU-Canada summit in Montreal last month. Leaders at that summit launched an Alliance for the Future covering trade, security, technology and people-to-people ties. She described the partnership as a win-win. The Montreal meeting was the 21st summit between the two sides.
Russia and Ukraine on the agenda
Anand and Meinl-Reisinger also discussed Russia’s war against Ukraine. Anand said she would push G7 partners to step up pressure on Moscow, including at the G20 summit in December. Meinl-Reisinger supported stronger international pressure on the Kremlin and pointed to recent strikes near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Canada has said it intends to take part in the EU’s €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan.
According to Austrian media, Anand played down a debate over the name of the new EU-Canada alliance. Germany had objected to references to associate membership for Canada in the summit’s final declaration. The EU and Canada plan to develop a concept for closer ties without full membership by their next summit in 2027. Austria is a member of the EU but not of NATO. It joined the bloc in 1995.
Industry links and academic address
During her trip, Meinl-Reisinger met Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon. She visited the Chaudière Falls hydroelectric plant, operated by Austrian engineering group Andritz. The stop underlined Austrian industrial ties with Canada. She also gave a keynote address at Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. Andritz, based in Graz, supplies hydropower equipment worldwide. The falls lie on the Ottawa River near Parliament Hill.
Trade between Canada and the EU has expanded since the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement took provisional effect in 2017. Goods and services trade reached about C$178 billion in 2025, according to the Canadian government. The EU’s exports to Canada have also risen, Eurostat data show. Meinl-Reisinger’s visit is part of wider European efforts to build on the momentum from the Montreal summit.