Javier Moreno Sánchez, chair of the European Parliament's Canada delegation, calls associate membership politically and symbolically significant
Javier Moreno SánchezMember of the European Parliament and Chair of its Delegation for relations with Canada
Javier Moreno Sánchez, chair of the European Parliament's Delegation for relations with Canada, said the announcement of a possible associate membership for Canada is politically and symbolically significant and sends a strong message about deepening the relationship. He said the precise meaning of associate membership will have to be defined, but that the political direction is clear.
“The announcement of a possible associate membership for Canada is politically and symbolically significant. It sends a strong message about the European Union’s willingness to deepen its relationship with Canada and to build an even closer partnership based on shared values and common interests. The precise meaning of “associate membership” will now have to be defined, including its legal and institutional implications. But the political direction announced today is clear.”
Official statement
Other statements by Javier Moreno Sánchez in this case
- Moreno Sánchez says Canada's associate membership can be de factoLater: Defended or excused
Where this statement fits
Should Canada become an associate member of the European Union?
In her State of the European Union address on 16 September 2026, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she would like to work with Prime Minister Mark Carney on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the European Union, as part of moving beyond the existing CETA trade agreement to what she called an Alliance for the Future. Carney, present as an invited guest, told the European Parliament the following day that Canada welcomes the ambition, while attributing the associate-member phrase to von der Leyen rather than adopting it, and promised debates and a vote in the Canadian Parliament on the final structure. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre set red lines against Canadians paying taxes to Brussels, following European laws they did not vote on, or adopting European immigration policy. United States President Donald Trump said that if he judged the arrangement a hostile act he would impose heavy tariffs on Europe or curtail trade. No agreement has been signed, and associate membership is not a status defined in the European Union's treaties.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
Statement published on the European Parliament's website by the chair of its Delegation for relations with Canada, reacting to the associate-membership announcement in the State of the Union address.
Before the quotation
According to the European Parliament's page, Moreno Sánchez issued the statement in reaction to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's State of the Union address on September 16, 2026, in which she opened the door for Canada to become the EU's first associate member.
After the quotation
Between these two passages, the statement says that European integration has often moved forward through innovative solutions and cites Schengen, which began outside the framework of the European treaties, as an example. It also calls for the political signal to be followed by tangible agreements in areas such as energy, critical raw materials, artificial intelligence, security and defence. The statement ends by saying that where there is political will on both sides, legal and institutional solutions should be found.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the offer to make Canada the first associate member of the European Union. Moreno Sánchez called the announcement politically and symbolically significant and said it sends a strong message about the EU's willingness to deepen its relationship with Canada. He said the precise meaning of associate membership still has to be defined, that the political direction is clear, and that where there is political will on both sides the legal and institutional solutions should be found. That supports the offer and treats the open definition as work still to do, so we labeled it Defended or excused.
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More from this case
Read the full caseCarleton's Achim Hurrelmann doubts an associate-member status for Canada can be set up soon
“I'm not sure if a status with that name can be established for Canada any time soon”Read statement
Poilievre says the summit cut no tariffs and warns against aligning Canada with European policies
“Worse, there was lots of talk at the summit about aligning Canada with the insane European taxes, debt, immigration and anti-oil and gas policies that have left parts of Europe bankrupt and burning.”Read statement
German ambassador says the two sides should give the associate-member label real content
“The president of the commission and the prime minister are using the term associated membership, so let's fill that name with life and see what it can be about. I think we should not be distracted by the label in question from the important content that has been agreed today”Read statement
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- Javier Moreno Sánchez, chair of the European Parliament's Canada delegation, calls associate membership politically and symbolically significant
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The Dispute Index. "Javier Moreno Sánchez, chair of the European Parliament's Canada delegation, calls associate membership politically and symbolically significant". First published: 2026-09-30. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/3417-javier-moreno-s%C3%A1nchez-chair-of-the-european-parliament