European Union backtracks on Canada becoming ‘associate member’

The European Union has dropped the idea that Canada should become an “associate member” of the bloc, according to the German news agency dpa and the Reuters news agency.

In a joint draft Canada-EU statement, the terms “associate member” and “associated membership” have been removed, the agencies reported on Thursday, adding that officials planned to make the statement public on Friday.

This comes as the EU-Canada summit in Montreal, hosted by Canadian Prime Minister ⁠Mark Carney, is expected to start on Thursday.

In September, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen raised the prospect of Canada becoming the 27-nation EU’s first “associate member”, a striking overture as both seek to pivot away from the United States under President Donald Trump.

However, Reuters and dpa report that von der Leyen’s suggestion of associate membership has been a divisive issue in negotiations among EU countries over ⁠the summit declaration, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and several other leaders of fellow member nations pushing for the terms to be removed from the draft, according to diplomats.

The statement now calls for an “ever closer association” between Canada and the EU, and includes a joint initiative to improve international connectivity between Europe, Canada and Asia through “new ⁠subsea cable infrastructure”.

It also proposes conducting a joint feasibility study on Canadian liquefied natural gas exports to Europe and ⁠enabling young Canadians and Europeans to work across the Atlantic.

Deeper ties to Europe are an important part of Carney’s strategy to reduce Canada’s economic and security reliance on the US since Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods. Still, Canada’s efforts to draw closer to the EU risk angering Trump as trade talks between Canada and the US continue.

Trump previously called the EU’s proposal to make Canada an associate member “laughable” and said if he interpreted the move as a “hostile act”, the US might stop trading with Europe “on many things”.

Carney has aimed to deepen ties with the EU, Canada’s second-largest trading partner, since trade relations with the US, Ottawa’s largest economic partner, have been hampered under Trump.

The Canadian leader told reporters on Tuesday that the summit would be the launch of formal negotiations between the EU and Canada that would take another year.

“The good news is it doesn’t matter about specific names or nomenclature,” Carney said. “What matters is the difference it will make to the lives of Canadians.”