The bloc is not facing “civilizational erasure,” contrary to “what some may say,” the EU’s top diplomat claims
The “woke, decadent” EU is not facing a decline regardless of what critics say, and some people, including nearly half of Canadians, “still want” to join it, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has claimed.
Kallas made the remarks at the Munich Security Conference on Sunday, as she urged the bloc to “reclaim agency” and seek a “stronger role in the world.” She dismissed concerns that the EU may be facing an “erasure” altogether, hitting out at unnamed critics.
“Contrary to what some may say, woke, decadent Europe is not facing civilizational erasure. In fact, people still want to join our club. And not just fellow Europeans. When I was in Canada last year, I was told that over 40 percent of Canadians have an interest in joining the EU!” Kallas insisted.
While the bloc’s top diplomat did not elaborate, she apparently referred to a poll conducted by Abacus Data last March, which indicated that some 44% of Canadians were in favor of joining the EU. The survey, which sampled opinions of some 1,500 Canadian adults, also indicated the majority of respondents viewed the EU as the country’s most important partner in the next three to five years.
The idea of building closer ties with the EU has been favored by the Canadian authorities as well, with Prime Minister Mark Carney proclaiming the country’s people have a “natural affinity” with Europe.
“As the most European of the non-European countries, Canada looks first to the European Union to build a better world,” Carney said last June.
The friendly rhetoric towards the EU has been coming from the Canadian leadership amid the attacks from US President Donald Trump, who repeatedly signaled his intent to annex the country. Trump has accused Ottawa of being subsidized by Washington for decades, insisting that it should become the “cherished” 51st state of the US. Canadian leaders have firmly rejected the annexation idea, while opinion polls indicated that it was also extremely unpopular among the public. A YouGov poll held last spring suggested that up to 77% of Canadians firmly rejected the potential incorporation of their country into the US.