EU wants Canada to become the bloc’s first associate member

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen used her State of the European Union address on Sept. 16, 2026 to propose that Canada become the EU’s first associate member. The suggestion comes as Canada, whose exports are about 70 % destined for the United States, seeks to curb its reliance on Washington amid U.S. tariffs and rhetoric about making Canada the 51st state. Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed the idea, calling for a “unique alliance” with Europe.

Von der Leyen said the new relationship would build on the existing Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and expand into an “Alliance for the Future” covering advanced manufacturing, technology, defence production, the Arctic, energy, critical minerals, batteries, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cybersecurity and economic security. She stressed that the partnership is rooted in shared democratic values, not opposition to any third party.

A Canadian official told the Associated Press that Ottawa is exploring an arrangement that would let Canadians live and work in the EU without visas, while stopping short of full membership. No legal framework exists for associate membership, and it is unclear which EU bodies would need to approve it or how long the process would take. Historically, associate status has been floated for Ukraine and post‑Brexit Britain but never acted upon.

German MEP Tobias Cremer (Social Democrats) urged the EU to move beyond “love letters” and create a substantive strategic alliance, arguing that any new deal should be more ambitious than a trade or defence pact alone. He suggested that existing CETA structures could be used as a foundation and expanded.

Canada became the first non‑European country to join the EU’s €150‑billion SAFE defence programme this year, gaining access to joint procurement as Europe boosts its defence readiness. Iratxe García Pérez, head of the S&D group in the European Parliament, praised Carney for confronting U.S. pressure and highlighted the need to defend sovereignty, solidarity and international law.

The next step will be a Canada‑EU summit in Montreal scheduled for late October 2026, where leaders will discuss how to operationalise the associate‑member concept and deepen cooperation across the listed sectors. No specific details on the mechanics of associate membership have been released yet.