Canada Pursues ‘Associate Member’ Status with EU, Drawing Closer to Europe Amid Trade War with U.S.

[Financial News] Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is pursuing a plan for Canada to become an “associate member” of the European Union (EU). As the trade war with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump intensifies, Canada appears to be seeking to shift its economic and strategic focus toward Europe.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 13th, local time, citing Canadian and EU officials, that “the two sides are considering creating a new form of ‘associate member’ status that does not yet exist.” The EU, which has traditionally maintained strict criteria for membership, is also reportedly open to granting Canada a new status.
According to the report, Canada and the EU are discussing ways to allow the free movement of goods, services and personnel linked to strategic supply chains, including energy, artificial intelligence (AI), defense and critical minerals. The Journal assessed that “this could effectively extend the EU’s economic borders to Canada.”
The two sides are also discussing the installation of undersea cables, the joint construction of data centers, cloud storage facilities and satellite networks, and the development of infrastructure to transport Canadian energy to Europe.
In addition, Prime Minister Carney has reportedly discussed with EU leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, a plan that would allow Canadian citizens to live and work in the EU without visas.
In this connection, President Macron and Prime Minister Carney will meet on the 20th in Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a French territory off Canada’s Atlantic coast. It will be the first official visit to the territory by a Canadian prime minister.
However, significant obstacles are expected before the associate-member plan can become a reality. Some EU member states have yet to ratify the existing trade agreement between Canada and the EU, signed more than a decade ago, despite the fact that nine years have passed since its provisional application began, due to opposition within Europe.
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