Canada open to special EU membership after von der Leyen's proposal

Strasbourg. Canada is open to the idea of ​​some kind of special EU membership. “We welcome this move,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Polls showed that an overwhelming majority of Canadians supported significantly closer ties. "Europe and Canada are each strong on their own. Together they are even stronger," he said.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for Canada to become the first “associated member” of the European Union in her State of the Union address on Wednesday. Von der Leyen named technology issues, the production of defense equipment, artificial intelligence and Arctic policy as concrete areas for possible even closer cooperation. However, she did not initially explain how the planned associated EU membership would be structured.

Carney now said Canada and Europe should secure their strategic autonomy through close cooperation across the full spectrum of strategic capabilities. “We want to become more resilient so that no one can control our open markets, undermine our sovereignty, threaten our territorial integrity or undermine our freedoms, our democracies and our rule of law,” he said.

Carney emphasized that it was not about creating a third bloc that would become a rival to the major powers. Don't strive for power to dominate others.

Numerous MEPs stood up and clapped after his speech. Members of Parliament from the right-wing spectrum in particular remained quiet here, as they did the day before when von der Leyen made his announcement.

US President Donald Trump had previously responded to von der Leyen's suggestion with a threat. “I think that’s ridiculous,” he said when asked about the suggestion. If he sees it as a “hostile act,” he would impose high tariffs or stop trade with Europe in many areas, Trump warned reporters.

However, he also said that it was fine if the intention was good - without explaining in more detail how he would determine that. All he said about Canada was that the neighboring country had recently been a “terrible trading partner”.

The USA and Canada are currently in a deadlocked trade dispute that has recently escalated again. In the customs conflict with the EU, the United States agreed on a customs agreement more than a year ago.

A spokesman for the EU Commission said on Thursday: "As our President made clear yesterday, the proposed strengthening of our partnership with Canada is not directed against anyone. Rather, it is intended to promote our shared strength."

Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently made a similar proposal for Ukraine. According to Merz's ideas, associated membership could enable Ukraine to participate in EU summits and councils of ministers - but without voting rights. He also mentioned a role as an associate member of the EU Commission without portfolio and without voting rights, an associate member of the European Parliament and an associate judge at the European Court of Justice as conceivable for Ukraine.

The ever-escalating dispute with its powerful neighboring country, the USA, is seen as a background to Canada's desire for closer ties to the EU. The US recently imposed tariffs of up to 50 percent on a long list of Canadian products. Canada responded with counter tariffs. Carney himself has received great support in Canada for his course towards US President Trump's government - even if the dispute is putting the economy to the test.

The USA is by far Canada's most important trading partner. Carney now wants to at least partially break away from this dependence and broaden his country's trade relations. The first shifts are already visible: in 2025, Canada's exports to the USA fell by 3.7 percent, while exports to other countries increased by 11.1 percent. The share of non-US markets in Canadian exports rose to its highest level in more than four decades, according to Statistics Canada.

Canada is currently closely linked to the EU, primarily through the Ceta free trade agreement. This has been applied provisionally since 2017, but is still not definitively in force because ten member states such as Belgium, France and Ireland have not ratified it to date. This is one of the reasons why it is extremely uncertain whether Canada's idea of ​​associated EU membership can be implemented.