cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/6923350
Here is the link to a poll from last year: Canadians rank the European Union (EU) as Canada’s second most important economic partner behind the US (43% in favor of EU), followed by the UK (40%), Mexico (33%), and China (27%).
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Aside from the obvious fact that Canada’s only physical border with the EU is the 1.2 kilometre one on Greenland’s tiny Hans Island in the Nares Strait, Canada maintains an open trade regime and could, from a technical standpoint, transition relatively smoothly into the EU’s tariff-free internal market.
The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the Canada-EU Security and Defence Partnership signed last June in Brussels, and the participation of Canada in the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) procurement program secured in December, attest to both trade synergies and the confluence of interests more broadly.
Canada is a resource-rich country with a sophisticated, diversified economy, comparable to Europe in terms of innovation, market size, and human capital. It ranks ahead of many EU states in higher education quality, corporate research and development spending, patent registrations, and the diffusion of advanced technologies —from broadband infrastructure to digital services.
In short, Canada already behaves like a de facto member of the club in all but name.
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Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union limits eligibility for EU membership to “any European State” that respects and commits to the Union’s core values. That geographic requirement, however, is not immutable: the Treaty can be amended under Article 48, through unanimous agreement of all Member States and ratification in accordance with their constitutional procedures.
Canada’s membership would immediately expand the EU’s global footprint and underscore its identity as a values-based institutional order rather than a regional bloc.
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I would be so funny to have EU flags on the Canada/US border
Even funnier, American food wouldn’t be allowed to cross. That stuff violates so many EFSA regulations.
Who needs chlorinated chicken and eggs that can only survive refrigerated anyways?
Sadly, we have the same in Canada.
Time for Brussels to cleanup our sloppiness.
Lots of USA food already isn’t allowed. But that’s more due to supply management and the milk lobby. There are problems but eggs are still cheap so I’m not bothered.
I want to see Australia join the EU. We got accepted into the Eurovision, so it’s the logical next step.
Canada has more rights as the latter, at least.
I could be wrong, but it’s my understanding that, under the terms of EU membership, this would require Canada to adopt proportional representation.
Of course today, it looks like a long shot, but the more this gets talked about, the more likely it could happen. So keep up the conversation, and maybe it will someday!
The UK was part of the EU and I believe it has a similar system to Canada, so I don’t think this is true.
Maybe you are getting confused with the European parliament, which is a separate political entity from member states and does use proportional representation?
Canada joining the EU would be good for both
Not just both, all 28! ;)
“Aside from the obvious fact that Canada’s only physical border with the EU is the 1.2 kilometre one on Greenland’s tiny Hans Island in the Nares Strait, Canada maintains an open trade regime and could, from a technical standpoint, transition relatively smoothly into the EU’s tariff-free internal market.”
Technically, Greenland is actually not a full member of the EU: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland_and_the_European_Union
Everybody forgets about Saint-Pierre et Miquelon
Including what everyone else mentioned here, I hope it brings better working conditions. More vacations, limited over time and banked overtime that must be taken as vacation.
If we’re letting Canada in, we should also reconsider Morocco’s application. Good relations with them too and it’d probably annoy Trump as well if we can expand in random directions while the USA can’t.
I don’t think this will ever happen, but it would be effing awesome. We love Canada either way.
They said Cyprus would never join.
We need a new name. United Earth, or maybe the Terran Empire.
Make America Go Away. MAGA.
Earth Federation?
United Federation of Planets.
Now let’s wait for the Vulcans to arrive.
United Nations
Europe Union when notices that now they have to call themselves “Atlantic Union” and change branding everywhere:
Technically, North Atlantic. One could say that it would be an organization with a North Atlantic treaty.
I would like that. It would let Canada have a stronger economy and military, more human rights, and would make it easier for Antifa Americans to have trade relations with the EU.
St. Pierre and Miquelon are French and EU. I say let it expand all the way to Vancouver.
It would be super cool from the common European standpoint. Not a specialist to discuss political and economical nuances of such union.
If not a member, they should at least get some sort of special trading status.
