Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is exploring the possibility of Canada becoming an "associate member" of the European Union, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. The proposed status would be a newly created category for the 27-nation bloc, which has historically maintained rigid membership rules.
The move comes amid a significant downturn in Canada's relationship with the United States. Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in early 2025, trade disputes and disagreements on other issues have resulted in tariffs affecting tens of billions of dollars in cross-border trade.
The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed officials from both Canada and the EU, reported that the discussions focus on allowing the free movement of goods, services, and workers in strategic sectors. These areas include energy, artificial intelligence, defense, and critical minerals. Prime Minister Carney has reportedly discussed the proposal, including the possibility of visa-free travel for Canadians, with European leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron.
For the European Union, the creation of an "associate membership" would set a major precedent for how the bloc interacts with non-European nations. The proposal includes joint infrastructure projects, such as underwater cables, data centers, cloud storage, and satellite networks. It also aims to establish new infrastructure to transport Canadian energy directly to European markets. These developments would link Canadian and European supply chains and energy security more closely than ever before, though the exact cost to taxpayers or private companies in either region has not been reported.
However, the path to such an agreement faces established hurdles. A more limited trade deal between the two parties, struck over a decade ago, remains unratified by several EU member states nine years after it provisionally took effect. Any new associate membership would likely face similar scrutiny and opposition within Europe. The immediate next step is a meeting between Carney and Macron scheduled for September 20, 2026, in the French territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon. This visit will be the first by a Canadian prime minister to the archipelago located off Canada's Atlantic coast.