EU Commission dismisses talk of Australia becoming next 'associate member' after Canada

The European Commission on Friday downplayed suggestions that its newly floated 'associate membership' concept could soon extend to Australia or other countries beyond Canada.

Commission spokesperson Arianna Podestà told reporters in Brussels that the announcement relates solely to the intention of moving closer to Canadian partners through a process that may eventually lead in that direction. She said the Commission would not speculate about other countries.

Podestà confirmed that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese next week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Asked whether that meeting could open the door to discussing associate membership with Australia, she dismissed the idea, noting that the EU already has a strong and close relationship with Australia, and that anything beyond that is pure speculation the Commission will not engage in.

Idea emerged this week

Von der Leyen first floated Canada as the EU's potential first 'associate member' during her State of the Union address on Wednesday. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has welcomed the ambition of closer EU-Canada ties but has not endorsed the proposed status.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola later suggested that countries such as Australia and New Zealand could potentially follow Canada's example. However, Commission spokesperson Olof Gill stressed that Brussels' current focus is exclusively on developing the concept with Ottawa, working with member states and Canadian partners to determine what it could look like in practice. All other discussions, he said, would only follow after that.