EU AND CANADA DROP ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP PROPOSAL

Canada and the European Union have dropped a proposal for Canadian associate membership from a draft declaration ahead of their summit in Montreal. The text instead commits them to an “ever closer association”, with work to define that relationship continuing until their 2027 summit. The declaration still needs final EU approval, and member states have until 6 p.m. to raise objections. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will host the summit from Thursday, and officials plan to publish the declaration on Friday.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed associate membership for Canada in September. An earlier draft called for the EU and Canada to define that status by 2027. Diplomats said Germany, Greece and France objected to the wording during negotiations among the EU’s 27 member states. The EU has no legal definition or precedent for associate membership, a concern Germany raised in the talks. The revised text describes a closer relationship that would stop short of full EU membership.

Carney has sought closer economic and security ties with Europe as Canada works to reduce its reliance on the United States. US President Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on Canadian goods, while trade talks between the two countries continue. Trump previously called the associate membership proposal “laughable” and said he might restrict trade with Europe if he viewed it as a “hostile act”. Carney said on Tuesday that the Montreal summit would begin formal negotiations lasting another year. “The good news is it doesn’t matter about specific names or nomenclature,” he said.