European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said the European Union is discussing the idea of Canada becoming the bloc’s first “associate member”, describing it as an “association without accession.”
Von der Leyen said in her keynote speech at the C.D. Howe Institute on Thursday that the concept would involve closer alignment between the EU and Canada on policy, governance and participation in each other’s programmes, according to the European Commission.
She stated that potential areas of cooperation could include artificial intelligence, climate, energy and security.
Canada’s engagement in Erasmus+ — the EU’s education and student exchange programme — will be deepened, she said.
Work is also under way to strengthen Canada’s participation in the next generation of Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation funding programme, and to improve recognition of skills and qualifications so professionals can work more easily on both sides of the Atlantic, she added.
Trade, supply chains and critical minerals
The EU and Canada will build “a single space for strategic supply chains”, including joint or complementary investment and work on a pipeline of projects with investment, export and infrastructure banks, von der Leyen said in the speech.
She pointed to an existing EU-Canada strategic partnership on raw materials and said imports of Canadian critical raw materials into the EU rose 62% in value last year to €3.3 billion (C$5.18 billion), including lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite.
Von der Leyen also cited the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), saying bilateral trade has increased by more than 80% since the deal.
On artificial intelligence, von der Leyen said the EU and Canada would work together on rules, standards and governance for AI safety and security, including joint work by researchers and cooperation on AI infrastructure, according to the Commission.
She also said an agreement would be finalised to bring Canada into Europe’s supercomputing infrastructure network, which she said includes 12 supercomputers across Europe.
In security, she pointed out that Canadian troops lead a multinational NATO brigade in Latvia and that Canada was the first non-European country to participate in SAFE, described in the speech as the EU’s joint defence procurement plan.
She also said Canada has supported Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 and has helped efforts related to the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia.
Von der Leyen also referred to cooperation in the Arctic, saying the EU has three Arctic member states and that more than half a million EU citizens live in the Arctic.
She said Canada and the EU are developing joint projects in the region, including on ocean monitoring and connectivity for remote communities.
