Le Canada futur “membre associé” de l’UE ? Les gouvernements européens pris au dépourvu par Ursula von der Leyen

BRUXELLES — The European Union's Ursula von der Leyen suggested Canada could become the "first associate member" of the EU during her annual State of the Union address in Strasbourg, catching European governments off guard. The President of the European Commission proposed raising Canada's relations to the highest possible level, seeing the need to "reinvent our partnerships" and "build global coalitions for our resilience and preserve our democracies."

However, the suggestion has caught European governments off guard, as no such discussions have been held with them before the speech, according to three anonymous diplomats. EU membership requires approval from the European Council, and there is no status of associate member. "Nobody really knows what it means," notes one diplomat who has participated in recent discussions with the Commission about relations with Canada.

The diplomats believe Canada could at most be offered a deep and comprehensive Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) equivalent, granting access to the European market, as there is little support for any other form of economic or political integration. Implementing such a status would require changes to the EU's fundamental treaties, which is deemed "impossible" due to insufficient support.

Potential issues that could arise from pursuing this further include Canada's preference for "made in Canada" products potentially conflicting with the single market rules, competition from Canada's steel industry with Europe's, EU automotive exports' taxation and limitations on European alcohol imports, and differing stances on GMOs.

The German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had previously proposed the associate member status to deepen ties with Ukraine, but it was rejected by Kyiv and failed to gain support from other European leaders. EU ambassadors met with the Commission and European Council last week, agreeing generally with the idea of strengthening ties with Canada.

Even right-wing representatives, usually more cautious due to fear of Trump's wrath, support the idea as Ottawa is engaged in an intense trade war with the United States. In response to von der Leyen's announcement, Ireland's Minister for European Affairs Thomas Byrne said expanding the Union to full members and perhaps associate members is in the strategic interest of the Union.

However, European deputies present in the chamber were less convinced. Insoumise French MP Manon Aubry asked von der Leyen, "Who gave you a democratic and popular mandate for this?" Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attended the speech as part of a visit, as POLITICO reported. In his address to the European Parliament, Carney argued for Canada to end its dependence on the United States and for the formation of a club of democracies sharing the same values and favoring free trade.

This visit aimed to "clearly signal our intention and ambition for the parties to strengthen our partnership," a senior EU official said at the time.