Mark Carney supports Canada’s closer ties with the EU / The prime minister welcomes the proposal for associate membership

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal on Thursday in the European Parliament for Canada to become the European Union’s first associate member. The initiative, presented the previous day in Strasbourg, took several European capitals by surprise and was met with applause from the EU legislature’s plenary session.

Carney said that the majority of Canadians support much closer ties with Europe and called for an “alliance for the future” based on shared values. He identified several areas for deeper cooperation: critical raw materials, the defense industry, artificial intelligence, energy security, space, payment systems and digital trade.

The Canadian prime minister also advocated facilitating youth mobility so that young people could work, study and live on both sides of the Atlantic. Canada could also join the Erasmus+ education program.

The proposal comes amid trade and geopolitical tensions with the United States. Donald Trump has threatened the European Union and Canada with severe tariffs if the project moves forward. For now, the powers of an associate member, the differences from existing partnerships and Washington’s response remain unclear. A Canada-EU summit is scheduled for next month in Montreal.