Canada–European Union relations

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Canada–European Union relations
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Canada
Diplomatic mission
European Union Delegation, Ottawa Mission of Canada, Brussels

Modern contemporary relations between Canada, and the European Union (EU) and its forerunners date back to the 1950s. While the relationship is primarily an economic one, there are also matters of political cooperation. Many Canadians are native speakers of English and French; both being European languages. [1] In addition, several of local provincial and federal government offices of Canada practice official bilingualism in these working languages.

Contents

Canada's relations with the European Union has been referred to by the 27 member-bloc as one of the European Union's "global strategic partners" and a "trusted partner for Europe." [2] [3]

Two overseas territories of EU members (Greenland and Saint Pierre and Miquelon) lie adjacent to Canadian territorial waters, as well as a land border with the Kingdom of Denmark (via Greenland) on Hans Island.

History

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in Rome, 17 May 2025 Mark Carney and Ursula von der Leyen.jpg
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in Rome, 17 May 2025

Canada's relationship with Europe is a result of the historical connections generated by colonialism and mass European immigration to Canada. In the Middle Ages, Canada was first colonized by Vikings on the shores of Baffin Island, along with those of Newfoundland and Labrador. However, centuries later in the Modern Age, it would be mainly colonized by France and, after 1763, it formally joined the British Empire after its conquest in the Seven Years' War. In addition, it also had colonial influence from Spain in British Columbia, plus southern Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The United Kingdom has extremely close relations with Canada, due to its British colonial past, and both being realms of the Commonwealth. However, the United Kingdom ceased to be a European Union member state on 31 January 2020. Historically, Canada's relations with the UK and the United States were usually given priority over relations with continental Europe. Nevertheless, Canada had existing ties with European countries through the Western alliance during the Second World War, the United Nations, and NATO before the creation of the European Economic Community.

Comparisons

Flag of Europe.svg European Union Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
Population449,206,579 [4] 41,528,680 [5]
Area4,324,782 km2 (1,669,808 sq mi) [6] 9,984,670 km2 (3,855,103 sq mi)
Population Density103/km2 (269/sq mi)4.1/km2 (10.7/sq mi)
Capital Brussels ( de facto ) Ottawa
Global cities [7] Paris, Amsterdam, Milan, Frankfurt, Madrid, Brussels Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary
Government Supranational parliamentary democracy based on the European treaties [8] Federal parliamentary democratic
constitutional monarchy
First LeaderHigh Authority President Jean Monnet Prime Minister John Alexander Macdonald
Current LeaderCouncil President António Costa
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
Parliament President Roberta Metsola 		King Charles III
Prime Minister Mark Carney
Official languages 24 official languages, of which 3 considered "procedural" (English, French and German) [9] English and French (see Official Languages Act 1969 )
Main religions72% Christianity (48% Roman Catholicism, 12% Protestantism,
8% Eastern Orthodoxy, 4% Other Christianity),
23% non-Religious, 3% Other, 2% Islam 		67.3% Christianity, 23.9% Unaffiliated, 3.2% Islam, 1.5% Hinduism, 1.4% Sikhism, 1.1% Buddhism, 1.0% Judaism
Ethnic groupsGermans (ca. 80 million), French (ca. 67 million),
Italians (ca. 60 million), Spanish (ca. 47 million), Poles (ca. 46 million),
Romanians (ca. 18 million), Dutch (ca. 13 million), Greeks (ca. 11 million),
Portuguese (ca. 11 million), and others 		74.3% European
14.5% Asian
5.1% Indigenous
3.4% Caribbean and Latin American
2.9% African
0.2% Oceanian
GDP (nominal)$16.477 trillion, $31,801 per capita[ when? ]$1.793 trillion, $50,577 per capita[ when? ]

Canada's foreign relations with EU member states

Agreements

The history of Canada's relations with the EU is best documented in a series of economic agreements:

In 1976, the European Economic Community (EEC) and Canada signed a Framework Agreement on Economic Co-operation, the first formal agreement of its kind between the EEC and an industrialized third country. Also in 1976 the Delegation of the European Commission to Canada opened in Ottawa.

In 1990, European and Canadian leaders adopted a Declaration on Transatlantic Relations, extending the scope of their contacts and establishing regular meetings at Summit and Ministerial level.

In 1996, a new Political Declaration on EU-Canada Relations was made at the Ottawa Summit, adopting a joint Action Plan identifying additional specific areas for co-operation.

On 30 October 2016, the "Strategic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Canada, of the other part" was signed in Brussels. [10] [11] This agreement seeks to deepen political dialogue and cooperation between the EU and Canada and to strengthen relations in fields such as human rights, international peace and security, economic and sustainable development, justice, freedom and security. The agreement provisionally entered into force on 1 April 2017. [12] [13]

Canada–EU Free Trade Agreement

Since as early as June 2007, the Government of Canada led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper had been pressuring the EU and its member countries to negotiate a Canada-EU free trade agreement. [14] [15] Former French prime minister Edouard Balladur supported the idea, while former Canadian trade negotiator Michael Hart called the idea "silly." [16] The Canada Europe Roundtable for Business (CERT), founded in 1999, had been a principal advocate for a free trade agreement supported by more than 100 Canadian and European chief executives. CERT was co-chaired by former Canadian trade minister Roy MacLaren and former editor of The Economist magazine Bill Emmott. [17]

In June 2009, EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton and Canadian Minister of International Trade Stockwell Day released a joint statement regarding the start of negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). [18] Minister Day stated "This first meeting represents a solid step toward a historic economic agreement between Canada and Europe. These negotiations are a priority for our government." [18]

Previously, Canada and the EU remained at odds over an EU ban on importing seal products and Canada's visa requirement for the EU citizens of the EU member states of Romania and Bulgaria. [19] [20] [21] The visa requirement for the EU citizens of Romania and Bulgaria were lifted in November 2017. [22]

CETA has been provisionally applied since September 2017. See the article Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement for details of compromises made.

Energy cooperation

In 2023, Canada and the European Union held a summit in Newfoundland and established a framework for joint renewable energy development known as the Canada–European Union Green Alliance with stated goals to develop shared means for science and technology standards and cooperation as well as climate and environmental protection concerning their net-zero ambitions. [3] [23]

Defense cooperation

On June 23, 2025, Canada the European Union signed a Security and Defense Partnership that will increase Canada's participation in SAFE, the EU's joint arms procurement initiative. [24] The Security and Defense Partnership expands cooperation between Canada and the EU in areas such as support to Ukraine, security, and climate change. [25]

Scientific and research cooperation

Canada is a cooperating state of the European Space Agency since 1979. [26] In 2019, Canada was proposed to join the EU's Horizon Europe scientific research initiative, becoming an Associated Member in 2024. [27] [28]

Potential EU membership

Canada is the closest North American country to European NATO members, due to its Arctic location Canada NATO Locator Lambert.svg
Canada is the closest North American country to European NATO members, due to its Arctic location

Since 2005, several European and Canadian editorialists have considered that Canada could join the European Union (EU), [29] [30] even though such ideas were proposed already a decade earlier, for example in the 1994 piece "Friends & Neighbours : Dear Prime Minister of Canada, Kindly Join the EU Next Thursday", a critique of NAFTA the author Miodrag Kojadinović dubbed "The Double Yu(c/k) Alliance from Yukon to Yucatán". [31]

Proponents argue that, unlike the rest of countries of the Americas, the cultural and political values of Canadians and Europeans have much in common, and that Canadian membership would strengthen both sides politically and economically. [32] [33] While conceding that Canada, located in Northern America, and Europe are over 3,000 km (1,900 mi) distant, being separated by the North Atlantic, proponents note that the EU already has a member outside Europe, Cyprus, that is geographically in Western Asia. In addition, Canada is the closest American sovereign country to the European continent because of its Arctic proximity, specifically to Northern Europe. This could become much more relevant if Greenland joined the European Union again. [34] [35] In turn, Iceland, which is close to Greenland, is geologically located at the junction of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, but is considered a European country politically, historically, and culturally. [36] The EU and Canada enjoy a very close and friendly strategic partnership. The Delegation of the EU to Canada, in close cooperation with the missions of EU countries, promotes European culture year-round through a number of well-established public diplomacy activities. These events have been effective in increasing the knowledge and understanding of the EU and its relations with Canada. [37]

In addition, CETA is possibly the farthest-reaching FTA between the EU and a third country. [38] Because of the nature of CETA, some[ who? ] have said that it would not be that far of a leap to EU membership. Canadian provinces of Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick would help to strengthen the Francophone bloc in the EU together with France, Belgium, and Luxembourg (EU membership may also help to curb separatist sentiments in Quebec). Canada can also bring an Anglophone bloc to the EU after Brexit. In addition, it may decrease Canadian dependence on the United States regarding trade and security. It would also easily meet the Copenhagen Criteria for EU membership. Additionally, the EU is Canada's second-largest trading partner. Canadian and EU officials have not yet commented on this. [29] [39] [40] The trade war between the United States and China and as well as between the North American countries, plus the social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, have opened a debate about the possibility of Canada's membership in the EU. [41] [42]

On 23 January 2025, following the second inauguration of Donald Trump, former German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel proposed admitting Canada into the EU, emphasizing Europe's need to look for new allies in light of Trump's second term in office. [43] Shortly thereafter, a trade war between United States and Canada heightened public discussion about Canada joining the EU. [44] In a post on X, former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt advocated for Canada's membership into the EU. [45]

In a March 2025 poll conducted by Abacus Data, 44% of Canadians support the Canadian government looking into joining the EU given Trump's tariff and annexation threats, while 34% are opposed and 23% are unsure. [46] When asked if there is general support for Canada becoming an EU member state, 46% of Canadians expressed support while 29% are opposed and 25% are unsure. [46] In response to the poll, European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho said she is "honoured with the results of such a poll." [47] [48] While not explicitly ruling out Canada's EU prospects, Pinho confirmed that Article 49 of the Treaty on the European Union states that only "European states" can apply for EU membership and stressed that there are "criteria foreseen in the treaties, indeed, which foresee what is necessary for an application, for an accession to take place." [47] German MEP Joachim Streit has asked the Commission and the European Parliament for the possibility of Canada joining. [49]

Net approval by Canadian provinces (ATL, QC, ON, SK/MB, AB, BC) for EU membership (25-27 May 2025, Research Co.) .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} +10 to +15 +5 to +9 +0 to +4 -1 to -5 Canada Provinces EU Membership.svg
Net approval by Canadian provinces (ATL, QC, ON, SK/MB, AB, BC) for EU membership (25-27 May 2025, Research Co.)
  +10 to +15
  +5 to +9
  +0 to +4
  -1 to -5

In a May 2025 online survey conducted by Research Co., a Canadian public opinion firm, 46% of Canadians support initiating a formal process for EU membership, while 38% oppose. [50] When broken down by political party affiliation, a majority of Liberal (51% support, 34% oppose) and NDP (51% support, 37% oppose) supporters, as well as a plurality of Conservatives (45% support, 43% support), favour EU membership. [50] At the 2025 The Hague NATO summit, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney stated he would not aim for Canada to join the EU, though he would support closer ties between the two. [51]

Areas of conflict

There is an ongoing tension over the EU ban on the import of seal products. This was thought to be a motivating factor in Canada's efforts to block the EU's efforts to join the Arctic Council. [52]

Canada has also had bilateral territorial disputes with EU member states (see: Turbot War, Territorial claims in the Arctic, and Canada–France Maritime Boundary Case).

Travel

As of 31 January 2025, Canadian passport holders are not required to obtain a visa for visits to the European Union's main Schengen area regarding stays of up to 90-days within any single 180-day span of time. [53] European Union passport holders may be allowed visits up to 180-days to Canada. Canadian passport holders will be required (starting in mid-2025), to obtain an approved visa waiver through the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS); while EU passport holders need to similarly secure current Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to negotiate their rights of travel to Canada. [54] [55]

Migration

Under the Migrant Integration Policy Index, published in 2020 the Canadian market was ranked to have an average score of 80%, with ranges between 50 and 100% in several key factors in relation to ease for migrants. Canada's lowest ranked area of 'halfway favourability' being political participation at 50 percent, and the greatest area of favourability being Anti-Discrimination at 100 percent. [56] The EU sponsored index ranked each of the EU states individually.

Summits

Canada–European Union Summits
#DateCountryCityRef
19February 12, 2025Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium Brussels [57]
20June 22–23, 2025Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium Brussels [58] [59]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Staff writer (14 August 2024). "Statistics on official languages in Canada". Canadian Heritage. www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage. Government of Canada. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  2. ↑ Team, Editorial (30 July 2021). "Relations with the EU: The European Union and Canada". Delegation of the European Union to Canada. www.eeas.europa.eu. European External Action Service. Retrieved 13 February 2025. Canada and the EU share the same goals, values and a common world view. As one of EU's global strategic partners, Canada works closely with the EU towards further deepening effective, mutually-beneficial political and economic cooperation.
  3. 1 2 Podesta, Arianna; McPhie, Tim (23 November 2023). "EU and Canada establish a Green Alliance to deepen cooperation on domestic and international policies". ec.europa.eu (Press Release). European Commission . Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  4. ↑ "Population on 1 January". Eurostat. European Commission . Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  5. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (16 December 2021). "Population estimates, quarterly". www150.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 10 May 2025.
  6. ↑ "Field Listing – Area". The World Factbook . Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  7. ↑ Cities ranked "alpha" in 2020 by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. https://www.lboro.ac.uk/microsites/geography/gawc/world2020t.html
  8. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ↑ "European Commission - PRESS RELEASES - Press release - Frequently asked questions on languages in Europe". europa.eu. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  10. ↑ Staff writer (31 October 2023). "Strategic Partnership Agreement". www.international.gc.ca (Press Release). Global Affairs Canada. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  11. ↑ Trudeau, Justin (30 October 2016). "Canada and EU sign historic trade agreement during EU-Canada Summit". www.pm.gc.ca (Press Release). Office of the Canadian Prime Minister. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  12. ↑ "EU-Canada Strategic Partnership Agreement". www.europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  13. ↑ Vaudano, Maxime, ed. (21 March 2024). "All you need to know about CETA, the controversial EU-Canada trade agreement". Le Monde . Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  14. ↑ "EU and Canada Seek to Reach Trade Agreement". The Wall Street Journal. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 23 October 2008.
  15. ↑ "Canada and Quebec Unite on EU Free Trade Accord", Paul Wells, Maclean's, 30 July 2007
  16. ↑ "French push on for EU-Canada free trade".
  17. ↑ "CERT - Canada Europe Round Table for Business".
  18. 1 2 "European Commission - PRESS RELEASES - Press release - EU and Canada start negotiations for economic and trade agreement".
  19. ↑ "Canada-Europe trade deal risks derailment over visa spat". The Star. Toronto.
  20. ↑ ENBlogger. "How Visa Restrictions Impede CETA Progress".
  21. ↑ "This Country Is Threatening To Block The Canada-EU Trade Deal". 25 October 2013.
  22. ↑ "Full visa reciprocity: Canada to lift visa requirements for Bulgarian and Romanian citizens | EEAS".
  23. ↑ Staff writer (23 November 2023). "Canada – European Union Green Alliance". Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). www.canada.ca. Environmental partnerships with countries and regions. Government of Canada . Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  24. ↑ Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security (24 June 2025). "EU and Canada sign security and defence partnership at 20th summit". Brussels: European Commission. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  25. ↑ Strategic Communications (24 June 2025). "Security and Defence: EU and Canada sign Security and Defence Partnership". Brussels: European Union External Action. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  26. ↑ "Member States & Cooperating States". European Space Agency. 12 August 2021.
  27. ↑ "Canada eyes new funds and collaborations to boost international science". ScienceBusiness. 20 June 2019.
  28. ↑ "Canada joins Horizon Europe | EURAXESS". euraxess.ec.europa.eu.
  29. 1 2 "German Papers: It's Time For Canada to Join the EU". Der Spiegel. 3 March 2005. Retrieved 26 January 2014. Canada shares the longest undefended border in the world with the United States. Their economies are deeply intertwined with hundreds of billions in trade. But this week's decision by Ottawa to reject Washington's missile defense plan shows that politically, Canadians are from Venus and Americans from Mars.
  30. ↑ Morden, Michael (2017). "Canada should join the EU (sort of)". Mowat Centre.
  31. ↑ Angles LGBT monthly, Vancouver, June 1994
  32. ↑ Canada, Global Affairs (24 November 2017). "Canada and Europe". Gac.
  33. ↑ "Canada and the European Union". 19 October 2015.
  34. ↑ "EUobserver Review 05 January 2007 (Greenland could re-join the EU)". EUobserver. 5 January 2007. Archived from the original on 20 January 2008.
  35. ↑ "Greenland's exit warning to Britain". Politico. 22 June 2016.
  36. ↑ Ferran (19 June 2024). "Understanding Iceland's Continental Belonging: Europe or North America?". www.gocarrental.is. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  37. ↑ "Canada and the EU". Delegation of the European Union to Canada. 10 May 2016.
  38. ↑ writer, Staff (ed.). "The EU-Canada agreement explained". Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security. European Commission. Retrieved 19 April 2025. Q: How will CETA open up the Canadian services market? A: In services and investment CETA is the most far reaching agreement the EU has ever concluded. Half of the EU's economic growth from CETA is expected to come from more trade in services.
  39. ↑ Garton Ash, Timothy (28 June 2006). "I've found a perfect new member for the EU. If only it were in Europe Canada shares nearly all the values of the new Europe - as well as the most characteristic of its weaknesses". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  40. ↑ Johal, Am (10 October 2008). "Why doesn't Canada join the European Union". Rabble.ca. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  41. ↑ "Painful Truth: Should Canada join the European Union?". BC Local News. 15 May 2020. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020.
  42. ↑ "What if the EU Invited Canada to Join Its Bloc?". 8 June 2018.
  43. ↑ "Former German Foreign Minister Gabriel proposes Canada's EU membership". Deutschlandfunk. 23 January 2025. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  44. ↑ Last, John (2 February 2025). "Analysis: With its U.S. alliance under pressure, could Canada join the EU?". CBC News . Retrieved 3 February 2025.
  45. ↑ "X". 3 February 2025. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  46. 1 2 "What Canadians think about Canada joining the European Union". Abacus Data. 10 March 2025. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  47. 1 2 "Brussels is 'honored' Canadians want to join the EU — but says it won't happen". Politico. 12 March 2025. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  48. ↑ "Canada to be EU's 28th member? Nearly half of Canadians say yes". Euractiv. 12 March 2025. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  49. ↑ Grobe, Stefan (5 May 2025). "Meet the MEP who wants to bring Canada into the European Union". euronews. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  50. 1 2 3 Canseco, Mario (5 June 2025). "Most Canadians Still Avoiding American Products When Possible" (PDF). Research Co. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  51. ↑ "Canada isn't looking to join EU, Carney says, but still wants closer ties". CBC.
  52. ↑ "Canada signals new era for Arctic Council". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. 15 May 2013.
  53. ↑ Staff writer (16 February 2025). "Travelling to Europe - Travel and tourism". travel.gc.ca. Government of Canada (published 31 January 2025). Retrieved 16 February 2025. Information for Canadians visiting or living in Europe.
  54. ↑ Staff writer (29 May 2024). "Applying for a Schengen visa". home-affairs.ec.europa.eu. European Commission of the EU. Retrieved 16 February 2025. This is a general overview - for more details contact the embassy or consulate of your main destination country.
  55. ↑ Staff writer (13 September 2024). "Find out if you need a visa to travel to Canada". Immigration and citizenship. ircc.canada.ca. Government of Canada. Retrieved 16 February 2025. Most people need a visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to travel to Canada - not both. Some people may only need their valid passport. Answer a few questions to see what's right for you.
  56. ↑ Solano, Giacomo; Huddleston, Thomas (2020). Key Findings - Canada, 2019 (2020 ed.). CIDOB and the Migration Policy Group. ISBN   978-84-92511-83-9 . Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  57. ↑ "Trudeau in Brussels to talk security as U.S. tariff threats continue". ctvnews.ca. 12 February 2025.
  58. ↑ "Canada-Europe security and defence pact to be signed Monday in Brussels". ctvnews.ca. 20 June 2025. Archived from the original on 20 June 2025.
  59. ↑ "Media advisory - EU-Canada summit, 23 June 2025". europa.eu. 20 June 2025.

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