EU Drops Idea of Associate Member Status for Canada

The European Union has abandoned the idea of granting Canada associate member state status. The terms "associate member state" and "associate membership" have been deleted from a draft joint statement prepared for a two-day EU-Canada summit in Montreal, Canada. The statement is expected to be published on Friday, when the summit ends.

The idea was presented in September by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (the Commission is the EU's executive body) in her annual State of the Union speech, where she said Canada could become the first EU associate member state.

Why the terms were removed

The news agency DPA learned from diplomats that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and several other EU leaders urged that the terms be removed from the draft. They cited the unclear meaning of the proposed status and the fact that the Commission had not properly consulted member states beforehand.

The statement now calls for an "ever closer association" between Canada and the EU. It also weakens commitments originally planned on financial market integration and on mutually favourable arrangements in the area of economic security measures.

What the document contains

The draft is dominated by the phrase "Alliance for the Future", used by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Both sides pledge to work on reducing trade barriers, easing investment, and ensuring continued access to raw materials, medicines and technologies. It also includes cooperation on artificial intelligence safety and plans to study the possibility of additional liquefied natural gas exports from Canada to Europe.

After arriving in Montreal on Wednesday, von der Leyen nevertheless kept using the term "associate member state" in a social media post, writing about bringing Canada closer to the EU. Carney told reporters on Tuesday that the name of the relationship matters less than its substance.

Background

Carney has sought to deepen ties with the EU since Canada's trade relations with the United States became strained under President Donald Trump. In September, Trump threatened new tariffs on the EU if it allowed Canada to become an associate member state, saying such an idea could be a "hostile act".