The EU chief wants Canada as an "associate Member". What does it mean?

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said that she wanted Canada to become the first "associate" member of the European Union.

Earlier this week Mark?Carney, Canada's prime minister who was in Strasbourg listening to von der Leyen deliver his annual State of the Union Address -- said that Canada was looking for a "unique partnership" with the EU but not membership.

WHAT MIGHT THE NEW ?RELATIONSHIP ?INVOLVE?

The European Union has no "associate membership" status, though different versions of this type of membership have been proposed over the years.

Germany recently suggested that Ukraine become an associate member in an interim step to full membership. However, the proposal did not gain much traction because some EU capitals were against it.

What is Canada looking for?

Carney seeks new alliances despite repeated threats from U.S. president Donald Trump against Canada's sovereignty.

Both sides are looking to strengthen their cooperation in order to combat the economic dominance of the U.S.

Von der Leyen stated in her speech that the two sides will create a "common economic and prosperity space". The joint work would include manufacturing, a technology alliance, the integration of defence industrial base, the Arctic and AI, as well as energy, critical minerals, and critical minerals.

Why might the idea of 'associate member' be complicated?

It would be a first to implement such a 'associate status' and could be complex legally.

Von der Leyen spoke in her capacity of President of the European Commission (the executive arm of the bloc). The EU member states would have to decide if the idea is a success.

Von der Leyen does not propose to enshrine the status of "associate members" in EU Treaties. This would require unanimous agreement amongst all 27 capitals, and ratification on all sides.

CETA is the name of a previous trade agreement between Canada and the EU. After more than a decade of negotiations and nine years after it entered into effect provisionally, some EU countries have yet to ratify the agreement.

Ottawa must reconcile Canada's laws and norms with EU law if Canada wants to be a part of the EU Single Market.

Canada would be a rule taker, with no say in policy, if it joined the Single Market as a non-member, like Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, who are all members of the European Economic Area.

Canada's rules are historically geared towards its largest trade partner, the United States.

What does this mean for EU candidate countries?

It is unlikely that the quest for a closer alliance between Canada, the EU and other European countries will affect the path of accession to the EU for European candidate states. However, it could be a source of irritation if Canada feels like they are being treated differently.

The process of negotiating EU membership and aligning to EU norms can be long, requiring candidate nations often to implement politically sensitive reforms.

Only European countries can be granted full membership, which gives them access to the EU's 20.77 trillion euro ($18.77 trillion) single?market, to voting and representation in the EU, to EU funding, and to legal recourse at?the European Court of Justice.

The Ukraine considered Germany's proposal of "associate member" to be "unfair", as Kyiv would not only participate, but also have no voting rights.

The EU has stated that it may admit new members as early as 2030. Montenegro and Moldova, along with Albania, Ukraine, and Ukraine, are the most developed candidate countries.

(source: Reuters)