Is Canada joining the EU? Brussels hails ‘like-minded partners’ amid trade war with US
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Canada actually shares a land border with the EU.
There are so many regulatory hurdles, especially in farming and agriculture.Canada actually shares a land border with the EU.
Brazil has a stronger claim if that was is all that counted.
Georgia has no such claim but is a great candidate for EU membership.
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Interest in Canada joining the EU has increased amid US tensions, with 44% of Canadians supporting the idea. While the EU acknowledges shared values, Canada's geographic distance and historical precedent present challenges for membership.
EU/Canadian dual citizen here: fill membership doesn't make sense. Deeper integration to the point of having a customs union would probably be quite reasonable. I'm not sure about free movement of people however because the two parties have different attitudes to immigration. Canada cherishes immigration and cultural diversity, and considers it to be a defining national characteristic. Multiculturalism is quite literally baked in our constitution. European attitudes on the other hand, let's just say, I don't miss them.
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The EU is not a geographical union despite it's name. Even then, Canada and Europe share a common border; the Atlantic Ocean. Also it's part of the Commonwealth, Has a strong economy, social politics, The Greco-Roman and Judaeo-Christian tradition. And they speak the two most common European languages.
Canada makes more sense than Türkiye if you disregard distance.One thing many Europeans tend to forget is that Islam is pretty much a European cultural tradition too. Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania are European countries. If Cyprus were reunited it would also count as one of the countries with a significant Muslim population. And there are traditional non-immigrant Muslim minorities in other places, like Greece, Bulgaria and North Macedonia.
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Yeah, all for it.
We can thank Stephen Harper and Pierre Polievre for ignoring Europe for so long when we should have been there for you guys, helping you separate from Putin's oil and gas.
Hopefully Carney will remedy that situation, and we can all get rid of the despotic sycophants.
Dead Eyes Harper signed CETA (European Free Trade Agreement) which was negotiated in private.
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Well, Greenland was an EU member, but they left. Can't remember when, but it was before brexit, so the UK wasn't the only, or even the first, to leave. Possibly the last though, as the appetite for leaving seems to have dropped significantly.
I will never forget a conversation I had with some random Brit on Facebook before Brexit. He said to me, "You yanks don't know what it's like having your laws made for you by politicians you didn't vote for 500 miles away." In this hemisphere we call that Washington, D.C.
I mean, he had a point. What does a citizen of the American south know about secession, anyway?
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EU/Canadian dual citizen here: fill membership doesn't make sense. Deeper integration to the point of having a customs union would probably be quite reasonable. I'm not sure about free movement of people however because the two parties have different attitudes to immigration. Canada cherishes immigration and cultural diversity, and considers it to be a defining national characteristic. Multiculturalism is quite literally baked in our constitution. European attitudes on the other hand, let's just say, I don't miss them.
I enjoy the "Canada can into EU?" memes, they're fun. It's also really nice that in this period of insanity we can help each other.
That said, yeah. A trade agreement that drops basically all friction, bilateral visa agreements that make travel and business easier & cooperation on military purchases would be the ideal scenario. There's a ton of things the EU and Canada can help each other with without Canada becoming a member.
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Interest in Canada joining the EU has increased amid US tensions, with 44% of Canadians supporting the idea. While the EU acknowledges shared values, Canada's geographic distance and historical precedent present challenges for membership.
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I enjoy the "Canada can into EU?" memes, they're fun. It's also really nice that in this period of insanity we can help each other.
That said, yeah. A trade agreement that drops basically all friction, bilateral visa agreements that make travel and business easier & cooperation on military purchases would be the ideal scenario. There's a ton of things the EU and Canada can help each other with without Canada becoming a member.
@Barbarian would be great if EU finds a „second class“ membership where we only have a good travel and economy system with other countries but not a full membership. But when we look at UK, who left the EU, and how we struggle to find the way back to each other it‘s quite hard to imagine something like that at the moment.
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Not sure if that could work. It's also a question about culture and values.
And sorry to say this dear Canadians: You are at least partly americanized. -
Please elaborate
Big cars, checkerboard cities, guns, house design, ...
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You can't live 150 years next to the USA and not be influenced by them. That's impossible.
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One thing many Europeans tend to forget is that Islam is pretty much a European cultural tradition too. Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania are European countries. If Cyprus were reunited it would also count as one of the countries with a significant Muslim population. And there are traditional non-immigrant Muslim minorities in other places, like Greece, Bulgaria and North Macedonia.
Muslims ruled the Iberian peninsula for about 800 years. Islam had a very productive golden age of great scholarship, science and maths that had a huge influence on European thought and progress.
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@Barbarian would be great if EU finds a „second class“ membership where we only have a good travel and economy system with other countries but not a full membership. But when we look at UK, who left the EU, and how we struggle to find the way back to each other it‘s quite hard to imagine something like that at the moment.
The EU has multiple "second class" membership options. Multiple non-EU countries are in Schengen, even more have no visa requirements.
Multiple countries have trade deals with the EU, including Canada (as soon as CETA gets fully completed).
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Canada isn't really a giant in any sense of the word. I mean it is one of the world's top economies, but so are Britain, France and Germany. Mexico is economically even smaller. The US should absolutely not be allowed to join, though, yeah.
Well it is gigantic in terms of territory I would say; not that this is super relevant here however
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Aren't some parts of Outre-Mer France part of the EU, despite being located in the Carribean and South America?
That was the joke. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Guiana
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Nah, Eurovision is enough. We are happy to be everyones mates and have access to their markets. Our focus is Asian markets and it hurts our interests enough that some in the region view us as a remnant of European colonialism without us leaning into that. We aren't colonial and we aren't European. We need to find our own identity. Unlike Canada we aren't heavily dependent on exports to the US and desperate to find a replacement. Our equivalent would be a trade war with China and we have already proved we can cope with that.
I am more concerned about the US alliance. If they can shit on Ukraine and by extension Europe all our strategic planning and defence investments are worthless overnight as we can't rely on parts, or support let alone US forces showing up.
No I meant we should join Australia too
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EU/Canadian dual citizen here: fill membership doesn't make sense. Deeper integration to the point of having a customs union would probably be quite reasonable. I'm not sure about free movement of people however because the two parties have different attitudes to immigration. Canada cherishes immigration and cultural diversity, and considers it to be a defining national characteristic. Multiculturalism is quite literally baked in our constitution. European attitudes on the other hand, let's just say, I don't miss them.
Europe doesn't even want to certify CETA and Canada would have to ditch USMCA to join the customs union. Makes no economic sense, never gonna happen.
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That was the joke. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Guiana
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Violated?
As far as I understand, the vast majority of the agreement is already fully in effect, with a few loose ends still tied up in EU member states' legislatures.
Canadian businesses have just never really had a good reason to take advantage of the new trade rules until recently. Canadians might start noticing an increase in EU products range and availability over the next while.
Technically, it is not a done deal, but practically speaking, it is. Correct me if I'm wrong.
The Tarrifs are against the trade agreements.
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No I meant we should join Australia too
Well, about that.
Canada is basically USA-lite. We play cricket with NZ, India, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the Poms while you are playing seppo sports. You want to be part of the Commonwealth when things are tough but the rest of the time you are up the USA hard. So you are kind of Commonwealth-lite as well. We might be friendly and like weird mirror images of each other but pragmatically we don't have much in the way of common interests or uses to each other. Neither has a navy able to bust a blockade from the US or China so we are useless to each other militarily. Most of your exports go to North America and most of ours go to Asia. Apart from off season skiing there isn't a lot there.
Meanwhile there is a certain group of people who are anglophile, white supremacist, monarchist, conservatives who want the British empire back and we have them in Australia as well. They plotted coups against the government in the 1930s but they are back again today, emboldened by Trumpism and social media. I am suspicious as hell about CANZUK types. Fascists are the problem, not the solution. If people want a union based on those values, Trump is offering it all.
