Among those present in the chamber, alongside MEPs, was the Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney.
Since the end of August, the Canadian government has been actively seeking closer ties with the Europeans, although full EU membership is not on the cards: Canada is not a European state.
In her address to MEPs on Wednesday, von der Leyen proposed that the country become the ‘first associated member of the European Union’.
New status
Throughout the past week, interest in a possible rapprochement has only intensified following Carney’s statement regarding his intention to forge a “unique alliance” with the EU.
There are already several forms of participation available to countries that are not full EU members. For example, Norway is part of the EU’s single market – an area of free movement of goods, people, services and capital. Oslo and Brussels also cooperate on joint defence initiatives.
Switzerland also has access to the single market under a series of agreements. And following Brexit, the UK and the EU concluded the largest and most comprehensive trade and cooperation agreement in the Union’s history, covering a wide range of sectors. London now participates in several EU programmes, including Horizon Europe – the European research and innovation programme.
Euronews has learnt that Ottawa is already in talks with Brussels about joining the Erasmus+ student exchange programme, gaining access to Horizon Europe grants and the mutual recognition of workers’ professional qualifications.
However, the status of ‘associated member’ is entirely new, and key questions remain unanswered: first and foremost, whether Canada will have a say in EU institutions. Despite a high degree of legislative alignment with the EU, Norway and Switzerland do not have a say in the adoption of EU laws.
A new alliance with Ottawa
Back in May, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposed introducing ‘associated membership’ for Ukraine, which is seeking urgent admission to the EU. In a letter to the leaders of EU member states, he argued that such a status would allow Ukraine to participate in the work of key decision-making bodies – the European Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament – but without voting rights and without a designated portfolio.
It would also give the country the opportunity to gradually join individual programmes funded from the EU budget.
It is difficult to imagine Canada being placed in the same category as Ukraine, which is at war; however, the statement made on Wednesday by Ursula von der Leyen sent a powerful political signal in an unstable world where traditional alliances are shifting.
“Europe and Canada believe in democracy, in the idea that power belongs not to the strongest, not to the richest and not to the loudest, but to all of us,” she said. “Democracies have the freedom to choose with whom to cooperate.”
She also called for the creation of a new alliance with Ottawa, which could encompass technology, defence, joint Arctic projects, as well as energy, critical minerals and artificial intelligence.
“We will move from CETA to an Alliance for the Future to create a shared space of prosperity and economic security,” she added, referring to the 2016 free trade agreement between the EU and Canada, which removed tariff barriers and is currently in force on a provisional basis.
It is expected that economic and defence cooperation between the partners will be deepened at the Montreal summit, scheduled for October.
Follow our updates
Have information for the newsroom? Share it with Logos-Press
