EU backs away from offer to Canada to start ‘associate member’ talks
Summary
The EU has replaced a proposal to discuss “associate membership” for Canada with a less specific plan to define closer ties by the 2027 EU-Canada summit. The change followed objections from member states, which questioned the undefined status and whether it fits EU treaties. Canada has said it does not seek formal EU membership, while Prime Minister Mark Carney has pursued stronger trade ties amid tensions with the United States.Key Facts
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed considering associate membership for Canada in a speech last month.
- A draft summit statement offers to define an ever closer association with Canada, short of full membership, by the 2027 EU-Canada summit.
- EU ambassadors raised concerns about the associate membership proposal at a meeting on Monday.
- Germany argued that associate membership should be an interim step for prospective EU candidate countries and said the status has no basis in current EU treaties.
- The EU-Canada summit is scheduled to take place in Montreal on Thursday and Friday.
- U.S. President Donald Trump called the EU proposal laughable and warned that the United States might restrict trade with Europe if he considered it a hostile act.
- Carney has sought new trading partners amid a trade dispute with the United States.
- Canada has said it does not seek formal membership in the EU.
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