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Is Canada joining the EU? The story behind its 'associate member' plan
Canada to EU Associate Member: The EU wants Canada to become its first 'associate member', paving the way for closer economic and defence ties, but the proposed status has no established legal framework yet
The EU wants Canada to become its first 'associate member', paving the way for closer economic and defence ties, but the proposed status has no established legal framework yet
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday proposed creating a new “associate member” status for Canada, potentially making it the first country to hold such a position. The proposal, made during Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to the European Parliament, comes as Ottawa seeks to reduce its dependence on the US amid worsening trade relations under President Donald Trump, while Europe looks to strengthen its economic and security partnerships.
Canada has welcomed the push for closer cooperation, but the terms of any new arrangement are yet to be worked out. So, what exactly is being proposed?
Full European Union (EU) membership is governed by Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union. It allows a European state that meets the bloc’s democratic and legal requirements to apply for membership. The process involves negotiations, approval by all EU member states, and ratification of the accession agreement.
Canada is not going through this process and has not applied for full EU membership. Associate member is not an established category of EU membership under the bloc’s treaties, meaning Canada and the EU would have to negotiate what the status would cover and what obligations it would entail.
What would associate membership mean?
Von der Leyen has proposed moving the relationship beyond the existing Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, towards what she called an “Alliance for the Future”. Areas identified for cooperation include technology, defence industries, intelligent manufacturing, the Arctic, energy, critical minerals, batteries, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cybersecurity and economic security.