Canada and the EU Explore New Mobility Arrangements as Ottawa Seeks Deeper Ties

Two officials familiar with the discussions said Prime Minister Mark Carney has raised the issue with EU leaders, particularly French President Emmanuel Macron. The discussions emerged alongside broader reporting that Ottawa was considering some form of enhanced relationship with the EU.

The idea of Canada becoming an “associate member” of the EU was quickly disputed by Ottawa. The term is not currently an EU legal category, and Canadian officials have rejected the suggestion that Canada is seeking EU membership. At the same time, the underlying discussions about mobility have not been denied.

Freedom of movement within the EU and European Economic Area (EEA) is generally linked to nationality rather than simply holding a residence permit. The discussions described so far therefore concern Canadian citizens, although it remains unclear whether any future arrangement could also cover permanent residents.

Ottawa Rejects the Membership Characterization

Carney addressed the issue on Sunday evening while attending the Toronto International Film Festival. He said Canada was not seeking EU membership, describing the objective instead as “a unique alliance between Canada and the European Union.”

He explained the approach by pointing to shared values, common priorities and complementary strengths between Canada and Europe.

Earlier that day, a senior Canadian government source said the reports had overstated the extent of the discussions. The source linked Ottawa’s efforts to deepen relations with Europe to the framework launched at the 20th Canada-EU Summit in June 2025.

Another Canadian official said the government had considered several possible descriptions of a closer relationship, including “associate member,” but had not formally proposed that designation. The official indicated that Ottawa's focus was on the practical benefits of closer cooperation rather than on creating a particular label.

The characterization of the proposal has also been disputed from the European side, with the suggestion that Brussels itself had raised the term and that it was premature to define the future relationship in those terms.

Visa-Free Residence and Employment

The possibility of allowing Canadians to live and work in the EU without visas has reportedly been raised by Carney on multiple occasions, particularly in discussions with Macron.

The broader negotiations would extend well beyond immigration. Areas under discussion include the movement of goods, services and workers in strategically important sectors such as energy, artificial intelligence, defence and critical minerals.

The proposed cooperation could also encompass undersea telecommunications cables, cloud infrastructure, satellite networks and jointly developed data centres. Infrastructure for transporting Canadian energy to Europe has likewise been identified as an area of potential cooperation.

None of these measures has yet been agreed.

Brussels Signals a Distinctive Partnership

EU Ambassador to Canada Geneviève Tuts described the potential relationship shortly before the latest reports emerged, saying that Brussels was considering an arrangement different from those it has with other countries.

She also indicated that the EU was not seeking to replicate its existing relationships with Switzerland, Norway or the United Kingdom. A planned visit to Strasbourg was expected to begin discussions rather than produce an immediate agreement.

Any eventual framework would require consultation among the EU's 27 member states, while Canada would need to engage its provinces and territories.

The European Parliament has already expressed support for stronger cooperation. In March, it adopted a resolution on closer EU-Canada relations by 482 votes to 108, with 42 abstentions.

German Member of the European Parliament Tobias Cremer, the resolution's rapporteur, described Canada as perhaps the most European country outside Europe and argued that shared strategic interests and common challenges should lead to a deeper Euro-Canadian alliance.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb has also publicly raised the possibility of an even closer relationship. Speaking at Eurelectric’s Power Summit in June, he suggested that Canada could one day become the European Union’s 28th state rather than the 51st state of the United States.

Carney's European Schedule

Carney is scheduled to travel to Strasbourg and Liverpool from September 15 to 17. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola invited him to address the chamber, and he is also due to attend European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the European Union address.

In Liverpool, Carney is scheduled to meet UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham for the first time.

The Canadian government has presented the European trip as part of a broader effort to strengthen relations with European partners. Ottawa has emphasized shared values, complementary economic strengths and common interests as the basis for closer cooperation.

On September 20, Carney and Macron are scheduled to meet in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, the French archipelago off Newfoundland. The visit will be the first by a sitting Canadian prime minister to the territory.

Artificial intelligence, critical minerals and energy are expected to feature among the areas of cooperation discussed by the two leaders.

Macron's office has described the visit as a symbol of the relationship between Canada and France. Ottawa is subsequently scheduled to host the Canada-EU Summit on October 29 and 30.

Cooperation Already Underway

Canada has already taken steps toward closer European cooperation.

In February, it joined the EU's Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative on the margins of the Munich Security Conference, becoming the first non-European country to participate in the initiative.

Trade ties are also substantial. Canada and the EU exchanged approximately C$178 billion in goods and services in 2025, making the EU Canada's second-largest trading partner. The bloc was also Canada's second-largest source of foreign direct investment after the United States.

Trade integration is nevertheless incomplete. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) has governed most tariff-free Canada-EU trade on a provisional basis since 2017. When the European Parliament voted on the March resolution, 10 EU member states had still not ratified the agreement.

The resolution called on those countries to complete ratification before CETA reaches its tenth anniversary in 2027.

EU-Wide Agreement Would Face Significant Hurdles

Any arrangement granting Canadians broader rights to live and work throughout the EU would have to overcome substantial institutional and political requirements.

An EU-wide framework would require agreement among all 27 member states, potentially involving changes to the rules governing free movement, residence and employment for nationals of a non-EU country.

The process would therefore extend well beyond political statements and would require the creation and ratification of a legally binding framework.

Questions also remain about the eventual scope of any mobility arrangement. One possibility raised in the discussions is a more limited system covering Canadians working in strategically important sectors rather than unrestricted access for all Canadian citizens.

Political Debate in Canada

The possibility of closer European integration has also prompted opposition within Canada.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre criticized the reported discussions on X, questioning whether European regulatory requirements could extend to Canada and raising concerns about the impact on small businesses and Canadian sovereignty.

He also rejected the prospect of Canada becoming either a U.S. state or an EU member state.

The issue is unlikely to receive an immediate parliamentary response, as the House of Commons is in recess until September 21.

Public attitudes toward closer European integration have also been examined. A March online survey of 4,000 Canadians found that one-quarter viewed formal EU membership positively, while another 58% considered the idea worth exploring. Because the survey was conducted online, it does not have a margin of error.

What It Could Mean for Canadian Citizenship

If Canadian citizens ultimately received broader rights to live and work throughout the EU, the change could increase the practical international mobility associated with Canadian citizenship.

Canadian citizenship itself remains subject to the existing naturalization requirements. Applicants generally need 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada during the relevant five-year period, along with tax-filing obligations and knowledge of English or French.

The current discussions do not establish whether any future EU mobility arrangement would be available exclusively to Canadian citizens or could also extend to Canadian permanent residents.

For now, the proposal remains at the discussion stage. Canada and the EU are exploring a potentially broader partnership, but no agreement has yet established visa-free rights for Canadians to live and work throughout the European Union.

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