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A draft joint statement to be issued after the summit on Thursday and Friday proposes closer relations between Canada and the European Union (EU) without full membership. The wording is seen as a softening of an earlier proposal for “associate membership.”
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that discussions began after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in her State of the Union address that the EU would consider an associate membership option for Canada.
However, the proposal has caused concern and legal debate in EU capitals. Diplomats have raised questions about whether Canada would take part in the European Council and decision-making processes without voting rights. Germany and other member states have stressed that existing EU treaties provide no formal legal basis for such a status, and that the concept could apply only to candidate countries such as Ukraine and Montenegro.
The new draft statement does not announce a specific work programme for associate membership. Instead, it says the sides will work to define closer ties short of full membership by the 2027 EU-Canada summit.
U.S. President Donald Trump called the EU’s proposal of associate membership for Canada “ridiculous” and said he could halt trade with Europe if he viewed the move as hostile.
Against the backdrop of a sharp trade war with Washington, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is seeking new trade partners for his country. Reports published ahead of the Montreal summit said cooperation with the EU on defence, energy, critical minerals and digital markets could generate tens of billions of dollars in additional revenue for Canada.
Carney told journalists that this week’s summit marks the start of formal talks that will continue for a year, adding that the key issue is not the terminology but the practical benefits these ties will bring to people’s lives.
