Draft Canada-EU statement would treat Canada as 'associate member' of bloc
A draft joint statement for the Canada-EU summit says Canada would be treated as an "associate member" of the European Union's 27-country bloc going forward, according to The Globe and Mail.
The summit is scheduled for Oct. 29 and 30 in Montreal. Prime Minister Mark Carney will host European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the European Council president as the two sides look for ways to reduce economic reliance on the United States. Reuters has reported that Ottawa is seeking to reduce that reliance amid trade tensions with the Trump administration.
According to the draft, Canada and the EU would launch a new "alliance for the future" on trade and defence co-operation at the Montreal summit. Carney has also called for deepening and widening the EU-Canada relationship to form that alliance, according to a European Parliament news item.
The draft also lists commitments to ease cross-border business and investment, including by connecting instant payment systems. It describes mutually favourable treatment in economic security measures in industrial sectors, based on reciprocity. It further commits both sides to continued political, financial, economic, energy, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support for Ukraine.
On associate membership, the draft says the full scope of Canada's status will be defined by the 2027 Canada-EU Summit. It also says the EU will invite Carney to attend a European Political Community meeting in Dublin next month, which is November.
A source familiar with the deliberations said the draft was updated the week before the Globe's report. An EU Council document circulated to member state delegations contains the draft statement as received from Canada, and delegations were asked to submit written comments on it, according to Politico Europe.
Carney has spoken about the idea before. On Sept. 13, he said Canada seeks a "unique alliance" with the European Union but is not looking to become a member, Reuters reported.
The Peterson Institute for International Economics has described the draft joint statement as anodyne, meaning bland and unlikely to cause offence, in a commentary published Oct. 19.
Canada and the EU have worked together on defence before. At their 20th summit on June 24, 2025, the two sides signed a Security and Defence Partnership intended to strengthen Canada's contribution to Europe's defence. In February 2026, Canada became the first non-European country to join the EU's Security Action for Europe initiative, a defence program, according to a Prime Minister's Office news release.
