Von der Leyen sets out 'associate membership' vision for Canada at EU-Canada summit in Montreal

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday 29 October set out what an “associate membership” of the European Union for Canada would involve, as a two-day EU-Canada summit opened in Montreal, BBC News reported.

It would be “a partnership that comes closer to membership than anything we have done before”, open “only to our closest partners outside of Europe”, she said. The status does not currently exist. BBC News reported that it would include close alignment on governance and policy and joint research and innovation.

Prime Minister Mark Carney is hosting von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa. The summit agenda covers trade, digital policy, critical minerals, defence, research and youth, the Council of the EU said. Canadian officials said they expected agreements on defence, critical minerals, research and trade over the two days.

Germany and other member states lobbied to remove the “associate member” title from a draft statement in favour of the phrase “ever closer association”, according to several news outlets cited by BBC News and Euronews. Germany’s ambassador to Canada, Matthias Lüttenberg, told CTV News that Berlin had used the term for the EU’s relationship with Ukraine and potentially Moldova. Carney has said the “nomenclature” does not matter. “What matters is the difference it will make to the lives of Canadians,” he said.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said “no one’s mortgage or grocery bill will come down”. US President Donald Trump has previously called the idea “laughable”, BBC News reported.