Canada’s EU ‘associate member’ idea meets resistance ahead of Montreal summit

As EU and Canadian leaders gather in Montreal for a summit running from today until tomorrow, an unexpected proposal by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to make Canada an ‘associate member’ of the EU has overshadowed the agenda. The idea, which was not discussed with the 27 member states beforehand, has left the bloc scrambling to agree on wording for a joint declaration with Ottawa. According to a Council official, the EU was still unsure as recently as yesterday how to handle the term ‘associate member’ in the document. Some suggested mentioning the status while clarifying it was a Commission idea, but Germany, France, Italy and Greece objected even to that. Their reasons include the lack of a proper decision-making process and the fact that such a status simply does not exist in EU law.

The word ‘member’ is particularly problematic because it implies participation in the EU, which treaties restrict to a certain geographical area that does not extend across the Atlantic. An EU official said that associate member status would mean consulting each other more on policies such as climate, energy, AI and security, with Canada joining some EU programmes more automatically. Canada already takes part in several programmes, including the Horizon research programme and the SAFE defence loan instrument.

Political gesture amid US tensions

Many observers see von der Leyen’s proposal primarily as a gesture of friendship at a time when the United States is behaving in a threatening way. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed the idea in a speech, as diplomacy requires, but has since avoided using the expression ‘associate member’, according to Canadian media. Canada has no intention of joining the EU and is simply not interested.

Whether there are ways to deepen cooperation remains to be seen. The summit will not bring answers or decisions on such a relationship; more time is needed to discuss a new status or leave it completely. Instead, the two sides will sign what they call an ‘alliance for the future’, which is less binding and more consensual. Such summits serve to remind everyone of existing alliances or clarify them, with both sides adopting a joint declaration announcing shared projects and common positions on major international issues.