EU invites Canada to become first ‘associate member’

The European Union has invited Canada to become its first-ever “associate member”, opening the way for a potentially far-reaching new partnership spanning trade, defence, technology, energy and the Arctic.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made the unprecedented offer on Wednesday during an address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg attended by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Von der Leyen said the EU and Canada share democratic values and similar approaches to major global challenges, including artificial intelligence, climate change, the war in Ukraine and wider geopolitical tensions. She said Brussels wanted to take relations with Ottawa to the highest possible level and proposed beginning work on a new form of associate membership.

Canada and the EU are expected to hold a summit in late October to develop the future relationship. The two sides already have a major trade agreement and several bilateral arrangements, but their ties have deepened as Canada seeks to reduce its dependence on trade with the United States.

Carney has called for a unique alliance with Europe. After von der Leyen’s announcement, he said Canada and the EU were natural partners united by shared values.

Under the proposals outlined by the Commission president, the existing EU-Canada trade relationship could be expanded into what she described as an alliance for the future, aimed at creating a common prosperity and economic-security space.

Potential areas of closer cooperation include a technology alliance, greater integration between Canadian and European defence industries, and joint work in the Arctic. Brussels is also interested in Canada’s energy and natural resources, with possible cooperation covering critical minerals, batteries, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cybersecurity and economic security.

However, the precise meaning of “associate membership” remains unclear. The 27-member EU has never created such a formal category. Countries including Norway, Iceland and Switzerland have close economic and institutional ties with the bloc without being members, but they operate through different agreements.

The proposal also prompted questions among European diplomats. Some officials welcomed the ambition to deepen relations with Canada while cautioning that the term itself has not yet been defined. Ten EU member states have still not fully ratified the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the EU, agreed a decade ago.

Analysts said the initiative may ultimately take the form of a collection of agreements allowing Canada to participate more closely in selected European programmes and frameworks rather than institutional membership of the EU.

The proposed closer relationship has also generated political debate in Canada, where opposition Conservative politicians criticised the prospect of deeper regulatory links with Brussels. Supporters of closer ties, however, see the initiative as an extension of Canada’s long-running effort to diversify its trade and strategic partnerships.

The next major step is expected at the EU-Canada summit in October, when officials are due to discuss how the new partnership could work in practice.

Source: The Guardian. Read the original report.

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