German Chancellor Merz and other EU leaders reportedly pushed for the term to be removed from a draft joint Canada-EU declaration.
Published on October 29, 2026
The European Union has abandoned the idea that Canada should become an “associate member” of the bloc, according to media reports.
In a draft joint Canada-EU statement, the terms “associate member” and “associate member” were removed, German news agency dpa and Reuters news agency reported on Thursday, adding that officials planned to make the statement public on Friday.
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The reports come as the EU-Canada summit in Montreal, hosted by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, is set to begin later on Thursday.
In September, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen raised the possibility of Canada becoming the first “associate member” of the 27-nation EU, a striking opening as both countries seek to move away from the United States under President Donald Trump.
However, Reuters and dpa report that von der Leyen’s suggestion of associate membership has been an issue of contention in negotiations between EU countries over the summit declaration, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and several other leaders of other member countries pushing for the terms to be removed from the draft, citing diplomats.
The declaration now calls for an “ever closer association” between Canada and the EU, and includes a joint initiative to improve international connectivity between Europe, Canada and Asia through “new submarine cable infrastructure.”
He also proposes to conduct a joint feasibility study on Canadian exports of liquefied natural gas to Europe and to allow young Canadians and Europeans to work across the Atlantic.
Closer ties with Europe are an important part of Carney’s strategy to reduce Canada’s economic and security dependence on the United States since Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods. Still, Canada’s efforts to move closer to the EU risk angering Trump as trade talks between Canada and the United States continue.
Trump previously called the EU’s proposal to make Canada an associate member “laughable” and said that if he interpreted the move as a “hostile act,” the United States could stop trading with Europe “on many issues.”
Carney aims to deepen ties with the EU, Canada’s second-largest trading partner, since trade relations with the United States, Ottawa’s largest economic partner, have been hampered under Trump.
The Canadian leader told reporters on Tuesday that the summit would mark the start of formal negotiations between the EU and Canada that would take another year.
“The good news is that specific names or nomenclature don’t matter,” Carney said. “What matters is the difference it will make in the lives of Canadians. »
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