Overseas Europe: Is it realistic for Canada to become an EU member?
15 May 08:32
ANALYSIS
Canada’s European integration. This phrase would have been perceived as complete nonsense six months ago. But in the era of Donald Trump’s second presidency, the geopolitical reality has become so absurd that some experts are already inclined to predict the transformation of the European Union into a transatlantic association.
A recent poll conducted in Canada yielded very interesting results. 44% of Canadians want their country to join the European Union. A minority of 34% do not want this. In general, 68% of Canadians have a positive attitude towards the European Union. In the EU capital, Brussels, this poll result was met with mixed feelings. They welcomed such sentiments, but at the same time noted that this is not a completely realistic scenario. Geography cannot be avoided: Europe and Canada are separated by the Atlantic Ocean. And Article 29 of the European Union Treaty excludes the possibility of membership in this association for countries outside the European continent.
Still, the situation is not hopeless. In addition to the fact that Europe and Canada share common democratic values and traditions, as well as economic ties, experts see certain legal loopholes that could eventually allow Canada to become a member of the EU.
Europe is a way of thinking
The fact is that the concept of a “European state” is not legally fixed, and this gives room for various interesting options, says Giselle Bosse, a professor at Maastricht University. “You can be a European, for example, by the way you think. And since the Canadian political and legal system is based on European models, and since the majority of the Canadian population is descended from European immigrants, Canadians can be considered “special Europeans.” This opinion, expressed by Ms. Bosse, was cited by Politico. In addition, if we do not take into account the geographical criterion, Canada meets the criteria for EU membership much more than the countries that are considered candidates for accession to this association, said Frank Schimmelfennig, professor of European politics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich.
It is noteworthy that the idea of Canada’s accession to the EU, at least a fragmentary integration, was supported by such a respected politician from the Old World as former German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, as reported by Welt.
In terms of civilization, Canada is indeed a kind of overseas Europe. Mentally, Canadians are more European than American. This is understandable: until 1931, Canada was a British dominion. The British flag disappeared from the Canadian flagpole only in 1965. But at the same time, most of the country’s major cities and the most densely populated areas of Canada are located in a narrow strip along the border with the United States. You can cross it (so far?) without any problems in both directions. In the border areas, shoppers in stores can easily pay with both American and Canadian dollars.
This idyll would have continued if not for the policy of the 47th President of the United States. Donald Trump did everything he could to push Canada away from the United States. The imposition of 25 percent tariffs on most Canadian products and frighteningly obsessive posts on social media about Canada becoming the 51st state of the United States have strained relations between the two countries, and Canada has begun to look for more reliable partners. Naturally, Canadians immediately turned to the other side of the Atlantic, where European NATO allies are located.
Читайте нас у Telegram: головні новини коротко
Europe will remain Europe. For now
By the way, there was a precedent in history when a state located outside the European continent tried to become a member of the EU. In 1987, the Kingdom of Morocco applied for membership in the European Union. It was rejected precisely because Morocco is located in Africa, not Europe. It is difficult to say whether this unfortunate precedent will affect Canada’s possible membership in the EU. After all, Morocco is an Arab country with a majority of its population professing Islam. Mentally, Moroccans cannot be called Europeans. In political terms, it is a kingdom where the monarch has broad powers, and this is not typical of European countries, even with a monarchical form of government. Canada is a completely different case: it is mentally and religiously close to Europeans. Here, the formal argument of not belonging to the European continent may well be ignored. If the host country wants to and has the political will to do so, of course.
There is an opposite example: Turkey, whose small western part is geographically located in Europe, has the right to join the EU. Turkey officially applied for full membership in the then EEC (European Economic Community) in 1987, the same year as Morocco. The application was not rejected, and even in 1999 Turkey was recognized as a candidate state for EU membership, but a quarter of a century has passed, and the visa for Turkish European integration is still there. The fact is that a militarily powerful country with a strong economy and 87.5 million people, the vast majority of whom profess Islam, will change Europe dramatically. And again, that damned geopolitics: if Turkey becomes a member, the EU will border Syria, Iraq, and Iran. Obviously, European officials, civilian and military, as well as European voters, are not inspired by this prospect.
In addition to Turkey, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, part of which is also located in Europe, are eligible for EU membership. If Turkey and Kazakhstan ever become EU members, the European space will be much wider than the European continent, and the architecture of the union will undergo significant changes. In fact, Europe will be completely different than we know it today.
Life hack for Canada
But we are talking about Canada now. Out of our great love and affection, we will be happy to show Canadians an unconventional way to become eligible for EU membership. For example, Canada could buy (or exchange for something) a few kilometers of territory on the European continent. Then there will be no formal reason to reject Canada’s application for EU membership, and we can safely say that Europe’s borders do not end anywhere.
Читайте нас у Telegram: головні новини коротко
Author: Oleksandr Olesiv
