Canada “associated member”? Portuguese Government is still examining

Na parliamentary debate on the priorities of the Irish Presidency on the European Commission, Inês Domingos was questioned by several benches on Ursula von der Leyen's proposal to invite Canada to become the first formal associate member of the European Union.

The Secretary of State said that Portugal will have to examine this and other proposals from the President of the European Commission in detail when they are implemented.

“ In terms of principles, we greatly value the relationship with Canada. We are from the countries that are most committed, for example, to the trade agreement with Canada, where we also have a huge diaspora and it is a country of greatest importance to us”he did.

On the other hand, it stressed that the Government considers it welcome “measures that strengthen the security and defence of the European Union”, provided that they are carried out in coordination and respecting NATO principles “and not to make a parallel institution”.

Still, the Secretary of State pointed out that the European Union already has “several instruments” of association with other countries and that the one now proposed by Ursula von der Leyen “is different”, and there is still “in practical terms”, so it requires analysis.

On the part of the parties, this proposal from the European Commission was considered “a bizarre idea” by the MP of the Aquida Diogo Pacheco Amorim and “an extraordinary idea” by the PS Member Edite Estrela.

The deputy of Livre Rui Tavares considered that the proposal changes the “vision of what the European Union is and what the geostrategic arrangement is in the North Atlantic”, recalling that Donald Trump spent years classifying Canada as “the 51st State of the United States of America”.

In her reply, the Secretary of State for European Affairs insisted that the Government is looking and examining this and other proposals from the President of the European Commission on the basis of what she considers to be “the impacts on the European Union and Portugal”.

“ This does not mean that we do not have an opinion, but foreign policy is not based on opinions without facts, it is based on analysis. That is what we are doing, we are looking into making decisions on the more general issue of the European Union’s relations with the rest of the world,” said Inês Domingos.

The governor recalled that there are currently several EU association agreements with other countries, which she considered “very useful”.

“ Then we have another way of relating to the other states, which is the European Political Community, which includes several states of Europe that do not belong to the European Union. This which the President of the European Commission has announced is different and we will therefore have to examine it,” she said.

The President of the European Commission invited Canada to become the first formal associate member of the European Union, a partnership that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney felt could ‘create the next world order’.

The partnership is being announced by the leaders of the European Commission and Canada as an alliance based on common values of democracy and, to be implemented, this alliance will enable the market on both sides of the Atlantic to be expanded and cooperate in areas vital to both the economy and resilience.

The status of “associated member” is a legal figure that does not exist in the Treaties of the European Union and will still have to obtain unanimous approval from all 27 EU Member States. Furthermore, the Canadian parliament will have to ratify the final structure of the partnership presented by the government.