Canada's outreach to Europe raises question of EU's borders

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to Strasbourg in mid-September to attend European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's State of the Union address and speak before the European Parliament. The visit is seen as a first step in a rapprochement between Ottawa and Brussels, driven partly by Canada's trade dispute with the United States. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola described the visit as a chance to deepen EU-Canada relations.

The geography question

Article 49 of the EU Treaty limits membership to "European states," a clause that poses an obstacle for Canada given its location outside the continent. Sebastien Maillard, special adviser at the Jacques Delors Institute, noted that the EU is a regional bloc without global ambitions. Similar geographic objections were historically raised against membership bids from Morocco and Turkey.

Still, a Nanos Research poll published in April found that 28% of Canadians fully support EU membership, with another 29% offering partial support. Italian MEP Sandro Gozi argues the current geopolitical shift makes the question unavoidable, though he acknowledges full membership is not realistic in the near term.

Possible models

Experts point to the United Kingdom as one reference point: after Brexit, London and the EU signed an extensive trade and cooperation agreement free of tariffs and quotas, covering security cooperation and UK participation in programmes like Horizon Europe. Another option is the Norwegian model of single market access, though that would require adopting EU law without a vote in shaping it.

Gozi suggests the EU consider a "special association" status for Canada, involving enhanced political dialogue and inviting Canadian leaders to participate in Council meetings, alongside joint defence cooperation. Canada, along with the US, is the only non-European NATO member, and it has already taken part in a European Political Community meeting held in Armenia.