‘Associate’ EU membership for Canada not a ‘short-term’ project: expert

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney has outlined a plan for Canada to join the European Union as an associate member within the next seven months if successful negotiations take place. This alliance would see Canada become the European Union's first associate member, according to Carney. The concept of associate membership was championed by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, at a recent summit in Strasbourg, France, who believes in building a partnership with Canada that "comes closer to membership than anything we’ve done before."

However, the European Union is not politically united on this idea, and the talks may prove challenging. Achim Hurrelmann, co-director of the Centre for European Studies at Carleton University, expressed his doubts about establishing this status for Canada in the short term, stating that it may take time for the EU to move forward on this matter. This is largely due to the need for unanimous agreement from all member states, as seen in the recent summit declaration negotiations.

During a summit in Montreal on Thursday and Friday, Carney and EU officials signed a joint statement promoting what they called a "Canada-EU Alliance for the Future." This commitment requires defining the concept of an ever-closer association between Canada and the EU by the 2027 EU-Canada Summit. Despite this joint statement not including the term "associate member," it was reportedly the strongest embrace of associate membership from Canadian officials.

Major European countries, such as Spain and France, are set to hold elections that may affect these talks, and Poland will also be voting in parliamentary elections in the coming year. Hurrelmann emphasized that the main challenge remains a lack of clarity on the term "associate membership" in Europe, and the member states will certainly insist on their right to be heard on the matter.

Carney has expressed his commitment to the outcomes of closer economic and defense ties, rather than being 'married' to the name 'associate member.' The joint statement signed by Canada and the EU aims to boost industrial collaboration, supply chain integration, and create a new Canada-EU business council. Canada and the EU are also planning to launch a new transatlantic data cable and explore how to increase liquefied natural gas exports to the European market.