The EU’s first associate member? How to make EU-Canada ties stronger and tighter
marianna.liana…
Thu, 09/17/2026 – 10:18
5 minutes
During her State of the Union (SOTEU) speech in Strasbourg, Commission President von der Leyen addressed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the first foreign head of government to attend the event. She proposed that Canada become the EU’s first ‘associate member’. The announcement reflected the strengthening political ties between Ottawa and Brussels.
Yet several obstacles stand in the way of Canada’s closer integration with the EU. To turn the announcement into an enduring reality, the EU and its Member States should set out a clear political vision of what associate membership would entail. At the same time, they must sustain the deepening partnership with Canada through concrete action on economic security, energy, defence, and other areas.
A ‘unique alliance’ in the making
The case for closer ties between Ottawa and Brussels is straightforward. Canada is a NATO ally and shares Europe’s values. European countries and Canada face common threats from Russia along their eastern and northern …read more
