Joachim Streit welcomes Commission move towards a “political Erasmus” with Canada
On 1 November 2026, Joachim Streit (Freie Wähler, Renew Europe) welcomed the Commission's work to deepen cooperation with Canada under Erasmus+. He had proposed the idea to the Commission eighteen months earlier, and he thanked it for taking the proposal seriously. “Political proposals can make a difference when a clear vision turns into concrete steps,” he said.
Beyond research and education
Canada already works with the EU through Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe and is a committed partner in international cooperation on research, education and innovation. Streit's proposal goes further. Young professionals on both sides of the Atlantic would get to know each other's political and institutional systems from the inside. That would build a shared pool of experience to support cooperation in the long term.
“Canada is already connected to Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe and is strongly engaged in international cooperation on research, education and innovation. Now we must go one step further and create a structured academic and professional exchange in politics, law, diplomacy and governance,” Streit said when he presented the proposal.
Preparing the next generation
The talks come as EU–Canada relations deepen. At the Montreal summit on 30 October, the two sides launched talks on a closer partnership. Streit sees exchange programmes as the most concrete way to give that partnership a future. Such an exchange strengthens ties between two democratic partners and prepares a new generation to tackle shared challenges together. If the EU and Canada want closer cooperation, Streit argues, they must bring together today the people who will shape it tomorrow.
Streit also argues that Canada should, in the long run, be considered a possible member of the European Union. In his view, a political Erasmus would be a practical and useful step in that direction. It would build understanding of common rules, institutions and values, and strengthen the basis for a closer partnership.
From political impulse to programme
“I am pleased that the Commission is taking up the proposal I put forward at an early stage, and I expressly thank it for doing so. What matters now is turning this political impulse into a concrete exchange programme,” said Joachim Streit MEP.
The proposal fits the EDP's commitment to a Europe that is open to the world and builds alliances with like-minded democracies. Exchange, mobility and mutual understanding are the foundations of lasting cooperation.
