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European Parliament president says EU is looking across the Atlantic as it moves away from Russian energy
Ottawa — The European Parliament’s president says there is a market in Europe for Canadian oil and gas as member states work to cut their reliance on Russian energy.
Roberta Metsola, who was in Ottawa last week for a meeting of G7 speakers, told CTV’s Question Period that Europe has been forced to pivot quickly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine exposed the continent’s dependence on Moscow. She said the European Union has nearly completed its divestment from Russian oil and gas but must find reliable alternatives to meet demand.
While the EU continues to expand renewable energy projects, Metsola said this will not be enough to cover immediate needs. She indicated that European governments are actively discussing the role Canadian energy could play, even if it means paying a higher price than from other suppliers. She noted that Europe has already paid heavily to shift away from Russian fuel and that reliance on geographically closer but less reliable partners poses its own risks.
Metsola described energy partnerships with Canada as part of a broader effort to secure “strategic autonomy,” alongside defence and security.
Her comments come as Prime Minister Mark Carney pushes to deepen energy and economic ties with Europe, a priority that has gained urgency amid a trade war with the United States. Leaders from Greece and Poland have also signalled interest in Canadian liquefied natural gas, and Canada’s energy minister has said he is confident there will be buyers.
Canada currently has one major LNG export terminal in operation, LNG Canada in Kitimat, B.C., which began shipping gas to Asia earlier this year. Six more export projects are in development, and the federal government has indicated it will soon begin approving additional large-scale infrastructure projects under new powers granted by Parliament in June.
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