Canada Offered Unique Membership In The EU
In France, the President of the European Commission declared to her Parliament that she wants to bring their relationship with Canada to the highest level possible. Ursula von der Leyen stated that she wants Canada to be the first associate member of the European Union. Von der Leyen explained that, with current geopolitics, the EU needs to reimagine its partnerships. And she sees Canada as an ideal country to do that with.
“Europe and Canada believe in Democracy," von der Leyen said. "So, we are joining forces to create a common prosperity and economic security space. We want to bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible, opening the door for Canada being the first Associate Member of the European Union.”
Carney Believes This Move Will Benefit The U.S.
The proposal did not come as a complete surprise, as Mark Carney had stated back in August that the two sides were discussing a stronger, deeper security and economic partnership. So, in his response, Prime Minister Carney was obviously in favor of enhancing the EU relationship – however, moving forward requires debates along with a final deciding vote in Ottawa, with those same procedures to happen in Brussels. However, Carney went on to say that such a unique relationship would certainly make Canada a stronger partner for everyone, including the United States.
“The ability to, potentially, through this alliance, ultimately determined by our respective Parliaments, is something fundamentally positive," Carney said. "It will make Europe stronger. It will make Canada stronger. It will make – I’ll speak for Canada – Canada a better partner with the United States. As has been our strategy from the start, we are looking for partnerships that are complementary, and that’s what is on offer here.”
What Will This Look Like In Practice?
Fabian Zuleeg, Chief Executive and Chief Economist of the European Policy Center, based in Brussels, said the invitation by the European Union was put forward because Canada is viewed as being a perfect fit for this unique offering.
“This is a first associate membership the European Union is considering to go beyond economic cooperation, adding more political cooperation, and Canada is a perfect partner," Zuleeg said. "Canada has certain strengths: critical raw materials and energy. Europe has a very big market. It also has political clout. This is a mutually beneficial relationship.”
The European Union is an economic and security coalition of 27 European countries, and it is ranked as the third-largest economy in the world. The European Union also represents about 70% of the current NATO membership body. The next time Canadian and European leaders meet is coming up fast, with the Canada-EU Summit in Montreal next month. Zuleeg says that by that time, more concrete details should exist, assuming things at both Parliaments progress positively.
“The key now is to make this concrete. We now need to say what this will entail in practice," Zuleeg said. "So, we really need to see what comes out of the Summit at the end of October, which leads us to where we need to get to rather fast, so that we can address the challenges which are undoubtedly still coming."
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