Closer ties with Europe could offer opportunities for Canada, but come with challenges

What joining the EU's Erasmus+ program could mean for Canada

In his recent address to the European Parliament, Prime Minister Mark Carney proposed that Canada join Erasmus+, a European Union program that supports education, training, youth and sports.

The EU’s Canada offer is more mood than reality but it could hint at a future geometry for the bloc

The EU proposed Canada become its first "associate member," a status that doesn't formally exist in EU treaties, raising questions about what such a relationship would actually entail.

A new EU status for Canada? Israel has lived the model for decades

The EU’s proposed “associate membership” for Canada is new in name, but Israel has long demonstrated how close ties can work without membership.

Will associate member model be a transformative moment for EU?

The EU is potentially entering a transformative period in its development. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week opened the door for Canada to become the bloc’s first associate member. How significant a moment is this in the history of the EU? And why Canada and why now? The EU was established in 1993 under the Maastricht Treaty. It was the result of the gradual integration of certain European states since 1945. As a resul…