Canada & EU budget

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What does the proposal for Canada to become an EU associate member entail?

David McCullagh 0:00

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is to address the European Parliament today, as US President Donald Trump asserted that allowing Canada to become an associate member of the EU could be a hostile act. Yesterday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made the proposal that Canada should become the EU's first associate member. For an update on this and on EU budget negotiations, I'm joined by Europe Minister Thomas Byrne. Uh Minister, good morning, do you? Morning team. Um the first uh associate member of the EU, uh Canada would be the first associate member of the EU because there's no such thing.

Thomas Byrne 0:38

Yeah, there's no status like that at the moment. And I I think it's a very interesting proposal from President Ursul von der Leyen yesterday. Uh there was general I was in the Parliament sitting beside Prime Minister Kearney when um Ursul von der Leyen made that announcement and it wasn't actually in her printed script. So it was kept very um hush hush, although there was some briefing of course in in the last few days. Um and the question is what does it mean? The the thing about Canada is we already have an incredibly close relationship. Whether Ireland or the EU. Like we have an incredible trade agreement with them, which has seen real jobs all around this country resulting from it. They have access to some EU programs as well.

Thomas Byrne 1:13

There's a lot of you know, the Canadian Foreign Minister was at the the the recent meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Wicklow. So there's there are huge connections already. And the question is how do we build up those connections to an even greater extent? And I think we'll hear from we will hear from Mark Carney. now uh in about twenty five minutes uh and his response I think will be very, very interesting as to what the Canadians see uh in all of this.

David McCullagh 1:35

Yeah, I mean as you say we have a we have a remarkably close relationship with Canada, so it's kinda hard to see how you could make the relationship closer than it is at the moment, isn't it?

Thomas Byrne 1:45

Well, look, I mean, there's always ways of making the relationship closer. Like, I mean, there's different relationships that the EU has with other countries. So obviously the the member twenty seven member states among themselves, we've a particular relationship with the UK, we've a really complex but deep relationship with Switzerland, for example. Uh so each entity, each country that we connect with, there's a different set of relationships. And I think can what what's imagined for Canada is just to go as far as we can. I mean, Canada's not going to be joining the EU like in any real way in the sense of like they're not gonna be part of the common agricultural policy or things like that. It it's hard to see how you would even have free movement of people.

Thomas Byrne 2:18

Um but look, let's see let's see what comes out of the discussions. And the the the th this would have to go before I suppose the leaders um in at at the next European Council to see what the position is. But there was huge want towards Canada and that's one thing I can say for sure and that's across the political divide.

David McCullagh 2:33

Yeah, but I mean any sort of um of new membership category or or whatever, uh it would r I presume require unanimity among the Member States and I don't think everybody was happy, um the German g government has already questioned whether the term associate member is appropriate.

Thomas Byrne 2:50

Yeah, look, I mean this this this this will have to be decided by the governments. I mean that's the way the EU works. The Commission proposes something and then the governments and indeed the European Parliament decide. Uh so we will obviously take forward whatever is proposed by the Commission on this. The Irish Presidency will be, I suppose, leading on the discussions among this um between now and any summit between the EU and Canada. Uh and I think it's a very, very exciting time. But I'd say if you ask the German government directly, there would be very strong. strongly in favour uh of the deepest possible relationship with Canada. I can I mean that's that can only be a fact.