The President of Finland has proposed expanding the EU to 40 countries
Finnish President Alexander Stubb has spoken of the possibility of further expanding the European Union to 40 member states. Among the potential candidates, he mentioned not only Ukraine but also the United Kingdom, as well as other countries that could join the bloc in the future.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb called on the European Union to take advantage of the current geopolitical moment for large-scale expansion. In his view, the EU could eventually unite up to 40 countries, including not only candidate countries but also the United Kingdom, Norway, Iceland, Turkey, and even Canada.
The Finnish president emphasized that Europe’s influence in the world directly depends on its size. That is why, in his view, Brussels must think more broadly and seek new formats of integration.
“At this moment, we need to think big and think geographically; we need to expand or at least create conditions for membership that are flexible enough to bring together a total of 40 European or even non-European states,” Stubb said.
His mention of Canada drew particular attention. The President of Finland joked that he would prefer to see Ottawa among the members of the European Union rather than as part of the United States.
“It would be wonderful if Canada were the 28th state of the European Union, rather than the 51st state of the United States,” he said.
Stubb believes that the current moment could be a unique opportunity to rethink the future of European integration. According to him, this window of opportunity may close after the war in Ukraine ends or the political situation in the United States changes.
The president also advocated for deepening cooperation between the EU and the United Kingdom after Brexit. Additionally, he urged not to rule out the prospect of further rapprochement with Canada and Turkey.
According to the Finnish leader, once issues related to Ukraine and Georgia’s accession to European structures are resolved, the European Union should consider a broader vision for its own future, CNBC reports.
Earlier, Stubb called on Europe to change its approach to supporting Ukraine.
Stubb calledfor calm amid statements about a possible threat from Russia.
Finlandwill deploy reservists to patrols following incidents involving Ukrainian drones.
