Carney pushes idea of making Canada an ‘associate member’ of the EU: reports

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney is considering making his country an "associate member" of the European Union, according to reports from the Wall Street Journal. The EU, which has been reluctant to alter membership rules in the past, may be willing to grant Canada this status, though unnamed officials from both the EU and Canada have not commented on the matter.

Canada's desire for closer ties with the EU is driven in part by the ongoing trade war with the United States, with tariffs having been imposed on billions of dollars worth of cross-border trade. The Canadian embassy in Brussels and European Commission spokespeople have not responded to requests for comment on this potential associate membership.

Canada and the EU are also exploring other avenues for increased cooperation, such as facilitating the free movement of goods, services, and workers in strategic supply chains like energy, AI, defence, and critical minerals. They are also considering joint projects such as underwater cables, data centers, cloud storage, and satellite networks to transport Canadian energy to the EU.

Prime Minister Carney has been in regular contact with EU leaders, notably French President Emmanuel Macron, discussing the possibility of visa-free travel for Canadians within the EU. Macron's office confirmed that he will meet Carney on September 20 in the French territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, marking the first official visit by a Canadian prime minister to the islands and highlighting the strength of the relationship between the two nations.

However, any attempt to deepen ties between Canada and the EU may face challenges, given past struggles with a more limited trade deal that has faced significant opposition within Europe, despite being in place for over a decade.