Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has urged the 10 EU countries that have yet to ratify the bloc’s trade deal with Canada to do so, as he seeks closer ties with Europe after trade talks with Washington collapsed.

Carney made the plea to the 10 countries — Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland and Slovenia — in an interview with the Financial Times, arguing that closer ties with Europe were the best approach in an uncertain world. He said the trade deal was a “positive initiative” which is good for Europe and for Canada, adding that it would make both sides “more sovereign, more resilient, more independent” and more prosperous.

The deal is already effectively in operation, Carney said, but ratification by the remaining EU countries could unlock deeper ties: “I would like to use this opportunity to encourage them to do so.”