Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney endorsed a proposed new relationship that could make Canada the European Union’s first associate member, calling for deeper economic, defense and technological integration while maintaining Canadian sovereignty.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
STRASBOURG, France — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney threw his support Thursday behind a proposal to forge an unprecedented new relationship between Canada and the European Union, potentially establishing his country as the bloc’s first “associate member” as Ottawa seeks to diversify its economic and security relationships beyond the United States.
Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Carney welcomed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal for a level of Canada-EU integration that does not currently exist under the bloc’s treaties. Although the exact legal and institutional meaning of associate membership has yet to be established, Carney outlined a broad partnership covering trade, defense, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, energy, space, research and financial services.
Carney framed closer European ties as a means of increasing Canada’s ability to withstand economic and geopolitical pressure without creating another competing global power center.
“I am not proposing a third bloc in order to become a great-power rival — only with better manners,” Carney said. “We do not seek power to dominate others.”
Instead, Carney said Canada wants greater economic and strategic resilience so that no individual country can control Canadian markets, weaken its sovereignty or dictate its choices. Reuters reported that Carney defended Canada’s right to determine its own international partnerships while advocating deeper cooperation with Europe.
The proposal comes amid continuing tensions between Ottawa and Washington over tariffs and other economic issues. President Donald Trump criticized the idea before Carney’s address, suggesting that an EU arrangement with Canada could constitute a “hostile act” and warning that he could impose additional tariffs on Europe if he concluded the partnership was directed against U.S. interests.
Von der Leyen unveiled the associate membership concept Wednesday during her State of the European Union address, with Carney attending in Strasbourg. She proposed taking the Canada-EU relationship to “the highest level possible” and described a future arrangement built around a broader “common prosperity and economic security space.”
The proposed status would be new. Associate membership is not presently an established category within EU treaties, meaning its powers, obligations and legal structure would have to be negotiated and defined before such an arrangement could take effect.
Carney received an enthusiastic reception in the European Parliament, where lawmakers approached him before his speech, and members gave him a standing ovation. Von der Leyen and Carney embraced in the chamber following her proposal for the closer relationship.
The initiative represents the latest step in a broader Canadian effort to reduce the country’s economic dependence on its southern neighbor.
Canada’s economy has been closely integrated with the United States for generations, and roughly 70% of Canadian exports currently go to the U.S. Carney’s government has sought additional markets as it responds to U.S. tariffs and other trade pressure while rejecting demands that Ottawa says would infringe on Canadian sovereignty.
Trump has also repeatedly talked about Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state, remarks that have become part of the broader strain between Washington and Ottawa. Carney has responded by emphasizing Canadian sovereignty and seeking stronger economic and security ties with countries outside the United States.
Europe has taken a different approach in its own trade confrontation with Washington, accepting tariffs of as much as 15% on many exports to the United States rather than proceeding with broader retaliatory measures.
Carney has repeatedly argued that countries outside the world’s largest powers need to cooperate rather than negotiate individually against states capable of exerting substantially greater economic leverage.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, Carney warned about the consequences of smaller and middle powers confronting dominant countries individually.
“We negotiate from weakness. We accept what is offered,” Carney said.
The Canadian government’s move toward Europe was already underway before the associate membership proposal.
Canada officially joined the European Union’s Security Action for Europe, or SAFE, initiative in February, becoming the first non-European country to participate. The program is part of Europe’s effort to expand defense readiness and provides a framework for joint procurement as European governments increase military spending. The SAFE instrument can provide up to 150 billion euros in financing for defense-related investment.
The two sides also launched a broader strategic partnership in 2025 covering areas including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and digital infrastructure and established a security and defense partnership consolidating cooperation between Canada, the EU and its member states.
The European Union is already Canada’s second-largest trading partner for goods and services. Canada’s government reported approximately $178 billion in bilateral goods and services trade with the EU in 2025. The bloc is also Canada’s second-largest source of foreign direct investment after the United States.
Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s ambassador-designate to the European Union, said Ottawa is not seeking full membership in the EU, which would involve transferring some national decision-making authority to European institutions.
Instead, Wilkinson said Canada wants “to get as close as we possibly can” to Europe while simultaneously strengthening the country’s independence.
That distinction leaves substantial negotiations ahead. Neither Canada nor the EU has defined whether associate membership would provide participation in portions of the European single market, require Canada to adopt additional EU regulations, provide access to specific institutions or establish new decision-making mechanisms.
EU officials have also indicated that the concept remains at an early stage. Reuters reported that some European diplomats have questioned how the new status would work because it has not yet been formally established within the bloc’s existing structure.
Carney nevertheless used Thursday’s speech to identify a sweeping range of areas where he wants the relationship expanded, including critical minerals needed for advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, energy security, defense procurement, digital commerce, research, space technology and financial services.
Canada and the EU are scheduled to have another opportunity to define those ambitions next month.
Carney will host European leaders in Montreal for a Canada-EU summit Oct. 29-30. The European Council has confirmed the dates and location of the meeting, while the Canadian government has said the summit will build on the expanding relationship between the two sides.
The changing Canada-U.S. relationship has become an important factor in the European outreach, according to political scholars following the negotiations.
“The policies and rhetoric of the Trump administration are clearly pushing both Canada and the EU to imagine a world without strong U.S. leadership and to act accordingly,” Daniel Béland, a political-science professor at McGill University in Montreal, said.
Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, said European governments have historically viewed Canada as possessing unusual insight into Washington because of the two countries’ extensive economic, cultural and political ties.
“Carney’s shrewdness in dealing with Trump has captured Europe’s attention,” Wiseman said.
Wiseman said Carney’s willingness to resist demands from Washington rather than quickly reach an accommodation has contributed to European interest in strengthening relations with Ottawa.
Béland also said Carney’s decision not to center his European Parliament speech explicitly on Trump did not mean Washington was absent from the calculations surrounding the address.
“He knows that, beyond Europe, the world will be watching, including the White House,” Béland said.
Carney’s government has stressed that closer ties with Europe are intended to increase Canadian independence rather than substitute dependence on one major economic partner for dependence on another.
With the proposed associate status still undefined, negotiations leading into the October summit will determine whether von der Leyen’s proposal develops into a formal new category of EU partnership and what economic, security and political commitments Canada and Europe would make under such an arrangement.
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