Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
From what I’ve read, it would be extremely difficult for Canada to join the EU. One of the criteria is the country has to be European. Since Canada isn’t geographically in Europe, it would have to make an argument that Canada is culturally European - which would obviously open a whole can of worms. And even if all the barriers were overcome, you’re looking at a 10+ year process.
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It was posted a while back, but a DW reporter asked this question to an EU rep a couple of weeks ago and the answer was that it would not be impossible for Canada to join noting that "European" is not defined as strictly geographical. They mentioned that Morocco had applied and was turned down for not being "European enough", noting not just geography but culture, values, history, political alignment. The EU also affirmed that Armenia, which is technically considered to be in West Asia geographically, is considered "European" due to culture and values. Most of Europe's eastern border with Asia is culturally defined or geographically arbitrary.
There would be a lot of challenges though. The Canadian agricultural industry would have to be overhauled because a lot of our practices do not meet EU standards. There is also reluctance from some countries like Poland to let in countries with relaxed immigration policies. I don't think any of these issues would be insurmountable though.
The more recent talk has been about a "CanEU" union, therefore rules about joining the actual EU wouldn't apply.