Finnish President Alexander Stubb proposed on Wednesday that the European Union should expand to as many as 40 member states, suggesting the inclusion of countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and Turkey. Speaking at the Eurelectric Power Summit in Helsinki, Stubb stated that enlargement is a key component of the bloc’s geopolitical influence.
Stubb argued that the EU should act while there is a “window of opportunity” for expansion. He linked this timing to current geopolitical events, including the war in Ukraine and potential changes in the United States administration.
“The window of opportunity is quite short,” Stubb said during the conference. “When the war in Ukraine ends and perhaps when the U.S. administration changes… people are going to take their foot off the gas pedal.”
He framed the issue as one of scale and global standing. “European strategic autonomy or European geopolitical power is often based on size and scale, and I think the best European policy ever has been European enlargement,” Stubb remarked. “In this moment, we need to think big.”
During his speech, Stubb named several countries and regions as potential candidates for a more flexible EU membership structure. He suggested the EU should consider bringing the U.K., which left the bloc in 2020, back into its sphere “as close as possible.”
He also raised the possibility of including Canada. “Wouldn’t it be lovely if Canada was the 28th state of the European Union rather than the 51st state of the United States?” he asked.
Stubb identified Turkey as another nation for consideration from a security standpoint. “No one is talking about Turkey anymore, and we need to open our minds to understand that at least from a security perspective, Turkey needs to be as close as possible,” he said.
Additionally, he referenced the Western Balkan nations, including Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, and others, as a “super important” region for the EU’s focus. He also mentioned northern European countries Iceland and Norway as part of this broader vision for expansion.
The European Union is currently engaged in an enlargement process with nine official candidate countries. Ukraine and Moldova are advancing toward formal membership talks, while several Western Balkan nations, including Montenegro and Albania, are also in the accession process.
Some of the countries Stubb mentioned have varying relationships with the EU. Iceland’s parliament recently voted to hold a referendum on whether to begin EU accession talks; the country had previously applied in 2009 before suspending the process. Norway has twice rejected EU membership in national referendums.
