Macron Backs Canada’s Push for Closer EU Ties as Ottawa Turns Toward Europe

French President Emmanuel Macron has thrown his support behind a proposal for Canada to develop a closer relationship with the European Union, including the possibility of becoming the bloc’s first associate member.

Macron made the remarks on Sunday, September 20, during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, the French territory located just off the coast of Newfoundland.

“We are very much in favor of that agenda of closer ties with the European Union,” Macron said, backing the idea of Canada becoming an associate member while emphasizing the close relationship between France and Canada.

Canada’s New Push Toward Europe

The announcement comes as Carney’s government seeks to strengthen Canada’s economic and strategic relationships with Europe.

Earlier in September, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed that Canada could become the EU’s first associate member. Carney subsequently welcomed the idea, describing closer cooperation with Europe as part of a broader effort to strengthen Canada’s resilience and reduce dependence on any single major partner.

However, associate membership is not currently an existing EU status, meaning any such arrangement would have to be negotiated and agreed upon by the EU and its member states. It would also be different from full EU membership.

France and Canada Expand Cooperation

Macron and Carney also announced plans to deepen cooperation in several strategic areas, including defense, energy, space, telecommunications and emerging technologies.

The two countries plan to work on shared space infrastructure, including launch systems and ground-based facilities. They also discussed cooperation involving energy security, critical resources and economic development.

Carney said Canada and Europe could build an “Alliance for the Future” based on shared interests and resilience.

The meeting was particularly symbolic because Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon is only about 25 kilometers from Newfoundland, making it one of the closest points between France and Canada.

A Major Geopolitical Shift?

Canada’s stronger push toward Europe comes amid increasingly strained relations with the United States.

Carney has argued that Canada needs more diversified economic and strategic partnerships. At the same time, President Donald Trump has criticized the proposed EU-Canada arrangement and has warned that closer ties could have consequences for trade with Europe.

For now, Canada is not joining the European Union as a full member. Instead, the emerging proposal would create a new form of closer cooperation between Ottawa and Brussels.

The next major question is whether Canada, France and the wider EU can turn the political support for an “associate membership” into a concrete agreement — and what that relationship would actually look like.

One thing is clear: Canada is looking increasingly toward Europe, and France is signaling that it wants to be part of that new relationship.