Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney brought before the European Parliament an associate membership model that would establish broader cooperation between Canada and the European Union without full membership. The proposal comes as Canada seeks to reduce its economic dependence on the United States and as a tariff dispute continues between Washington and Ottawa.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday, during a meeting with Carney in Strasbourg, that she wanted to work toward making Canada the EU’s first associate member. However, EU law contains no existing, defined category corresponding to this status, meaning a new institutional framework would be needed to implement the model.
Canada does not seek full membership
In a speech to the European Parliament on Thursday, Carney said Canada was not seeking full EU membership and was not in a position to pursue it. The Canadian prime minister said the substance of the relationship mattered more than what it was called.
Von der Leyen’s proposal is based on expanding the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the EU. Provisionally applied since September 2017, the agreement eliminated tariffs on most goods traded between the parties. However, it has not yet fully entered into force because 10 EU member states have not completed their national ratification processes.
Carney called for the creation of a “common prosperity and economic security area” between Canada and the EU. The draft envisages closer cooperation in a range of fields, from critical-mineral supply chains and the defense industry to artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, energy security, space and payment systems.
Strategic ties with Europe to be strengthened
The Canadian prime minister also proposed establishing a more seamless digital trading system for non-agricultural goods and various services, creating a more integrated market for financial services, and enabling Canada to join the Erasmus+ student exchange program and the next-generation Horizon research program.
Carney also said opportunities should be expanded for Canadian and European young people to live, work and study on both sides of the Atlantic. Canada has also moved closer to the EU in defense, becoming the first non-European country to join the bloc’s SAFE defense procurement initiative.
Ottawa seeks to reduce dependence on the United States
The United States accounted for 71.7% of Canada’s goods exports in 2025. The United States and Canada are applying reciprocal 50% tariffs to approximately $20 billion worth of selected products.
Trump’s repeated statements that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state have also drawn a reaction in Ottawa. In his speech to the European Parliament, Carney said, without naming a country, that economic integration was increasingly being used as a weapon, tariffs were being turned into instruments of pressure, and supply chains were being transformed into vulnerabilities that could be exploited.
According to Carney, sovereignty requires secure access not only to food, energy and defense, but also to artificial intelligence, semiconductors, critical minerals, payment systems, clean-energy technologies, vaccines and space-based communications. Saying that “the goal is not self-sufficiency, but shared resilience,” Carney said the proposal was not intended to create a new geopolitical bloc, but to strengthen resilience against other powers’ control over open markets and national choices.
Washington warns against Canada-EU rapprochement
Trump said on Wednesday in North Carolina that closer ties between Canada and the EU could be considered “a hostile act” if pursued in bad faith. The U.S. president warned that he could impose high tariffs on Europe or restrict trade in certain sectors if he reached such a conclusion.
Carney said Canada would decide for itself which international partnerships to establish. The European Commission said the initiative was not aimed at Washington and was intended to strengthen ties between Canada and the EU.
Senator Susan Collins warned that Canada’s turn toward Europe could make it more difficult to repair relations with Washington and resolve the tariff dispute. Senator Chris Coons said he was also trying to arrange a bipartisan congressional visit to Canada.
Framework for associate membership remains unclear
“Associate membership” is not a defined EU status at this stage, but a political proposal. Carney said Canada welcomed von der Leyen’s objective but had not endorsed a specific institutional model, and that the relationship would be shaped jointly by both sides.
Although some EU diplomats remain cautious about creating a new membership category, interest in expanding cooperation with Canada continues. The Canada-EU summit is expected to take place in Montreal on October 29-30, where details of the proposed relationship are expected to be developed.
The arrangement expected to emerge would be less like traditional EU membership and more like a tailored framework linking Canada to European markets, defense programs, research networks and strategic sectors. The extent of integration and the changes each side would make in return will be determined through negotiations.
