A German politician from the Free Democratic Party (FDP), Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, has dismissed the idea of Canada joining the European Union.
Strack-Zimmermann, an EU parliamentarian, told the Funke-Mediengruppe newspapers that a full EU membership for Canada sounds nice but is neither realistic nor contractually feasible. However, she emphasized the existing economic ties between the EU and Canada, citing the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) that ensures a close economic partnership. She suggested that the EU and Canada should build on and deepen this partnership instead of seeking full membership.
Strack-Zimmermann’s comments come in response to a proposal by German Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Sigmar Gabriel, who suggested in early January that Canada should join the EU. Gabriel argued that the EU should seek new partners in light of the second term of US President Donald Trump and that Canada is strategically and economically an extremely important country, sharing many values with the EU.
Canada imposed duties on US products over the weekend and in turn, the US imposed duties on Canadian products. Strack-Zimmermann warned that the expected response from Canada, imposing duties on American products, will cause significant damage to the US economy and will not bring joy to American businesses.
The chairman of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, David McAllister, also emphasized the special importance of Canada for the EU. He noted that Canada is a particularly close partner of the EU, cooperating successfully in the framework of the G7, G20 and the United Nations and that the provisional application of the CETA trade agreement in 2017 has intensified their economic cooperation.
However, McAllister does not see Canada joining the EU, as it is geographically not part of the European continent. An EU membership for Canada would not be feasible, as EU treaties do not allow it, according to Tobias Hofelich from the Institute for European Policy in Berlin. Hofelich pointed out that Morocco, a country outside of Europe, had previously requested membership in 1987, but was rejected and that a corresponding treaty change to enable Canada’s membership is unlikely. He also noted that the accession process would take many years and therefore, a Canadian EU membership would not improve the country’s trade conditions with the US in the near future.