So the article doesn't provide a map, and this is the most effort i'm willing to do:
this post was submitted on 04 Jun 2026
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(Maybe an unpopular opinion)
I'd rather not. The EU has already experienced growing fatigue. The further away the member states are, the less they have in common and the harder it will be to agree on political topics.
People in Canada have little in common with europeans, compared to countries within the EU, which are much more alike to another. Canadians are politically, economically and stragegically much closer aligned with the US than with the EU. E.g. a Canadian does not need to care as much about the Russian threat as Poles or Fins do.
I'd love for Canada and the EU to become closer allies but I wouldn't want them as a (current day type) member. The same goes for Australia, New Zealand or Japan. I'd love them as allies but not as EU Members.
A new Type of EU Membership though, which would profit from the single market, the euro, etc. but does not have voting power on people that actually live in europe though, I'd like.
Thoughts and counter arguments welcome
What makes you feel Canada is closer to the US than Europe? Remember, Canada is a European settler-colonial state. Its population descends mostly from European colonists. Its institutions, culture, commercial and industrial practices, etc. all come directly from European predecessors. Canada is an offshoot of Europe. Is it the same? No, certainly not. But I would think culturally Canada is at least as similar to France or Britain as France or Britain are to Finland or Moldova. You have a point about the military threat of Russia. But then again, Canada and Russia are the countries with the two largest arctic coastlines.
We're in the 21st century, and on a planet that is rapidly warming. You need to start thinking of this perspective:
You need to imagine a future where this ocean is populated and as active as all the other planet's coastlines. Canada is closer to Russia than Spain or Portugal are. They don't face a land threat from Russia, but they do face a maritime threat. Now, admittedly, the worst Canada really has to fear from Russia is perhaps Russia trying to seize Arctic resources or shipping routes from Canada. They don't face the existential threat of direct invasion and subjugation like Finland. But then again, it's not like Iceland is facing a serious threat of Russian invasion either.
Personally, I can see little reason for allowing Iceland but not allowing Canada. Australia and New Zealand would be similarly easy to integrate from a cultural and institutional perspective, but there distance is a bigger factor. Canada is closer to Russia than some existing EU countries. That isn't the case for Australia. Canada might risk loosing access to Arctic resources in a war with Russia, but there's nothing comparable for Australia or NZ.
You need to imagine a future where this ocean is populated and as active as all the other planet's coastlines.
That's more a perspective of the coming centuries then it is of the coming decades though. It's not like migration follows gradually and in line with each degree the temperature rises. Also in that scenario the temperature on the Pacific coast lines will likely rise much more then the temperature on the Atlantic coast lines because of the likely collapse of the AMOC (meaning the red line might even expand further south, perhaps making european migration away from the North Pole more likely then migration towards it).
I'm not sure what your post is really about and what exactly a possible future you imagine has to do with an EU membership today.
Also the Russia Argument was just one example I gave. There's so much more to EU membership than just the Fear of a Russian threat. There's economic systems, socialism, geography, culture, standardized systems, city structure, etc. For all these, Canada aligns closer to the US than to the EU.
The european settlers, ex-colony argument also holds for the US. Should we then also consider the US as an EU Member?
Stubb watched too much ESC.
Always remember: Canada has very close sea borders to two EU member states - closer than the UK had.
(Okay, yeah, these are not EU areas,but...)
So Canada is far closer than we think.
Besides: Fully for it - it would solve a buttload of problems both for the EU as well as Canada, it would help to strengthen the EU against Russian influence, etc.
The only thing I see as a must to remove unanimous voting in the EU and replace it partially by majority voting AND population based voting when required. (There are fairly good models for that - country based voting for topics that touch national sovereignty, population based for more individual topics)
Additionally Iceland, Norway and of course Ukraine are good candidates. Moldavia, Albania, Bosnia, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo I see little issues with once they achieve the requirements Turkey could in theory achieve these, too, but to be honest, I do not see that happen in my lifetime as that would also include the solution of the Cyprus conflict AND a restoration of democracy in a post Erdogan era.
The UK? I would be happy to welcome them back, BUT not just like before. Before Brexit the UK had a bloody good deal. They had lots and lots of specialised rules and exceptions just for them (among other that brought us BSE, btw) and used very aggressive blocking tactics whenever they felt they should get another special solution. Not gonna happen again, folks. Next time you apply the same rules will apply for everyone.
If Canada joined, it would provide a wealth of raw materials for europe. Everything Europe may be lacking can be found in Canada, and they already have extensive mining operations, (and some of the worst companies in the world that operate mines in foreign countries.)
I don't even see the reason to fret over exact borders. Is Canada on the European continent? No. But in the age of global trade and trivial global travel, that matters very little. What matters more in ease of integration isn't distance but cultural and institutional factors.
Like it or not, Canada is a European settler-colonial country. Its population is overwhelmingly those of European descent, and its legal and cultural institutions grew directly out of European predecessors. I absolutely do not mean this to say that there should be any kind of racial or religious tests on countries joining the EU. But objectively, in terms of simple practical ease of integration into the block, Canada would be pretty easy. Consider, which would likely be a harder integration, Canada or Turkey? Despite the distance, I think Canada would be a lot easier to integrate than Turkey.
I think Canada would be a lot easier to integrate than Turkey.
If you compare the people of Canada and Turkey to the people of Ireland, obviously Canada seems easier to integrate. But if you compare the people of Canada and Turkey to that of Greece or Bulgaria, then it's much less obvious. The fact that Turkey has territorial disputes with Cyprus and Greece makes Turkey an unlikely member state, but culturally the people of Turkey (not the political system) are not that much less south-eastern European than Canadians are north-western European.
But i think practical ease of integration doesn't have to say much. If you look at 'compatibility' also Belarussians would make perfect candidates for integration, but even if they would want it the political reality doesn't allow it. Same has been long true for Northern-Macedonia joining, but in this case the blocking comes from inside forces rather than outside forces. And even where the political reality doesn't allow it, the people might not want it (e.g. Switzerland and Norway right now), the same could appear true for Canada (or Turkey) even if it doesn't seem like that today. If calculation are made, perhaps it might turn out Canada doesn't end up on the receiving ends.
Would Canadians also be interested in joining if it means increased taxes to pay for the benefits of people on the almost opposite side of the globe? Especially if countries like Morocco and Turkey join at the same time, argument will be made Canadians are paying for the development of those economies. Perhaps they will argue Canada is much better off as a strategic partner than a full-on member state, despite "its legal and cultural institutions grew directly out of European predecessors".
Either way, it has to be a two way desire, much like a friendship between two individuals. The reasons are less important than the desire. Both could become member for totally different reasons. One might join for economic benefits and the other for military strategic benefits for example, but in either way it in the end the European people (via their representatives) have to agree regardless. Again, the people of Ireland would likely be much more in favour of Canada joining than Greece or Bulgaria would be.
Australia too, pretty please!
Like Canada we have strong historical ties to the EU, well, British colonial empire to our shame.
Especially if there was a multi-tier eu where there is a geographic part to it and a (financial) policy part. Australia could easily follow the same product safety / social security laws, and if they are willing to do so they should also have a say. Maybe a bit like Eurovision, you can participate in our politics as long as you don't ask us to travel all the way over there ;).
As a Canadian who cut his teeth on Monty Python, I think Finland is a country where I'd quite like to be.
Morocco in the EU must be some kind of joke.
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