Almost half of Canadians support country's entry into the EU

(Patria) - As many as 46% of Canadians would support the country's entry into the European Union, a new survey by Canadian agency Abacus Data has shown.

29% of respondents were against joining the EU, while 25% were undecided, reports Index.

The survey was conducted on 1,500 adult Canadians from February 20 to 25, with a margin of error of +/- 2.53%.

The survey was conducted before the tariffs imposed on Canada by US President Donald Trump came into effect.

Support for EU membership among Canadians is similar to that in the United Kingdom. A survey conducted in January showed that 45% of Britons are in favour of rejoining the EU. The difference is within the margin of statistical error.

When asked whether the Canadian government should consider joining the EU, 44% of Canadians answered that it definitely or probably should, while 34% were against the idea.

One in four Canadians is unsure what to think about joining. Before this question, pollsters reminded respondents of US tariff threats and ideas of Canada becoming the 51st US state.

A slightly different answer was given to the question of whether they support Canada joining the European Union.

A total of 46% of respondents expressed support for Canadian membership in the EU, while 29% strongly or somewhat opposed it. A quarter of Canadians stated they are unsure about Canada's membership in the EU.

Young Canadians (aged 18 to 29) show the greatest support for Canadian membership in the EU, while older Canadians (60 and over) are more often unsure about it.

Liberal Party voters show greater support, while Conservative Party voters are more often opposed to the idea.

Euractiv asked European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho about Canada's membership in the EU.

- We are honoured by the survey results. It shows the attractiveness of the EU. It shows the respect of a very large portion of Canadian citizens for the EU - for its values - said Pinho, who did not directly rule out the possibility of Canada joining the EU.

However, she emphasized that there are "criteria that predict what is needed to apply for accession to happen".

In the past, countries outside Europe have been allowed to apply and even join the EU.

For example, Turkey, whose largest part of territory is in Western Asia, was granted candidate status, which was a key step towards membership, in 1999. Talks have been stalled since then.

Cyprus, which is entirely located in Western Asia, joined in 2004. On the other hand, Morocco's application in 1987 was rejected on the grounds that it is not a European country.