EU wants ‘closest possible’ relationship with Canada, Costa tells POLITICO

DUBLIN ― European Council President António Costa revealed to POLITICO that the European Union (EU) aims to foster a "closest possible" relationship with Canada, following European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's surprising offer to make Canada the EU's first "associate member." This proposal has puzzled many European governments who are still grappling with the implications of such a relationship.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has been actively working to strengthen ties with Europe, primarily to lessen Canada's reliance on the United States amidst a trade dispute between the two nations. Trump, the U.S. President at the time, imposed additional tariffs on Canada and has threatened to make it the "51st state."

Costa emphasized the EU's desire to "do more" and "act as much as possible" with Canada, despite the geographical challenge of Canada not being a European country. He clarified that their "associate membership" concept entails "doing more" and "acting as much as possible" with Canada. While trade has been a cornerstone of their relationship, as established through the landmark Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) in 2016, Costa ventured beyond commerce.

He expressed interest in exploring defense and security collaborations, investment opportunities in areas like AI and quantum technologies, and strengthening democracy, given the shared values and reliability between the two nations.

Timely, the upcoming EU-Canada Summit in Montreal on October 29-30 is expected to play a pivotal role in further defining the future relationship between the two blocs. Additionally, Costa will co-host a public event alongside Carney and Kenyan President William Ruto in New York on Monday, during the U.N. General Assembly, underscoring the warming diplomatic ties between Ottawa and Brussels.