JEF Europe welcomes Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal, made in the annual State of the Union (SOTEU) address, to open the door for Canada to become the European Union’s first associate member.

Canada and the EU already share democratic values, geopolitical alignment in the global rules-based order, a trade agreement (CETA) and, since this year, cooperation in the SAFE defence procurement programme. The proposal recognises that this partnership has grown beyond trade. The international rules-based order is under strain, and liberal democracies need to work more closely together.

Now, the European Commission must ensure that this new form of cooperation produces meaningful integration and is not just a narrative declaration. JEF Europe therefore calls for:

• Full integration in the single market: Canada’s associate membership must ensure the free movement of goods, services, people, and capital. Further, the association agreement should be accompanied by an agreement on participation in the European Higher Education Area, granting full participation in Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe programs.
• A clear legal basis based on treaty reform: There is currently no legal basis for an “associate membership”. If this cooperation is to differ in substance from a plain geopolitical deal, it must be written into the Treaties through a Convention. We therefore call on the European Commission and Member States to open treaty reform and institutionalize the partnership.
• No “second-class” enlargement: Associate membership must be separate from and not replace or delay full membership for candidate countries, including Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and the Western Balkans.

If the EU wants to offer new forms of belonging, it must also make its own institutions fit for purpose. A stronger, more federal and more democratic Union is the best invitation we can offer our partners.