Rihards Kols is a Latvian politician of the National Alliance and a member of the European Parliament, where he sits with the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group. He previously chaired the foreign affairs committee of Latvia's parliament, the Saeima.
Role at the time: Member of the European Parliament, speaking for the ECR group in a plenary debate
Mixed or conditional
Statement summary
Kols rejects a new quasi-member status for Canada and calls instead for closer cooperation that delivers on minerals, defence, energy and existing agreements.
“Europe does not need a 28th quasi‑Member State. Europe needs hard industrial depth to break our dependencies on Beijing and Moscow.”
The case asks whether Canada should become an associate member of the EU. Kols opposes a new membership label but supports deeper cooperation with Canada, so his position is conditional.
The European Commission president offered to open the door for Canada to become the European Union's first associate member. Mark Carney welcomed the ambition, Pierre Poilievre set red lines, and Donald Trump threatened tariffs. Nobody has defined what the status would mean.
