Politics

EU drops 'associate member' idea for Canada, sources say

Graham ThorntonPublished 10m ago2 min readBased on 15 sources
EU drops 'associate member' idea for Canada, sources say
Photo by European Commission Audiovisual Service / Photographer : Christophe Licoppe / CC BY 4.0

The European Union has dropped the idea of designating Canada an "associate member," after objections from Germany and France, according to two sources familiar with the deliberations. The Globe and Mail The term described a closer tie to the bloc short of full membership.

The idea came from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. In her State of the Union speech, she invited Canada to become the European Union's first associate member. That was about six weeks before October 28. The suggestion has been a divisive issue in the Canada-EU negotiations, Reuters reported.

A new draft of the joint statement for the two-day summit, which starts Thursday, refers instead to an "ever closer association" between Ottawa and Brussels. The two sources described that revised wording as a compromise.

The summit will take place in Montréal, Québec, on October 29 and 30. It is the 21st EU-Canada summit. European Council President António Costa will travel to Montréal for the meeting, and Prime Minister Mark Carney is to host EU officials there. The draft declaration does not discuss associate membership.

Trade is a central part of the talks. According to TD Economics, the EU bought about $43 billion of Canadian goods in 2025, roughly 1% of what it imports. Exports to the EU make up 5% to 6% of Canada's merchandise exports, a share roughly equal to shipments to the United Kingdom or China.

EU officials told journalists that Ottawa and Brussels are working toward a digital trade agreement. It would cover electronic signatures and contracts, paperless trade, secure cross-border data flows, and duties on electronic transmissions and e-commerce.

Carney said in September that Canada would begin discussions on a unique alliance with the EU. Canada's planned ties with the bloc are intended to deepen trade and defence relations, the Globe and Mail reported. Canada and the EU will work to define the concept of an "ever closer association" short of full membership by the 2027 EU-Canada Summit.

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