EU eyes ‘associated member’ status for Canada amid internal divisions

After EU member states expressed opposition to granting Canada the status of an associated member of the European Union, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen clarified in Montreal that the North American country would not become an EU member.

However, she said she wanted to bring the partnership as close to membership as possible, speaking ahead of the EU-Canada summit, which is scheduled to begin this evening, CE Report quotes STA.

“Of course, for geographical reasons, Canada cannot become a full member of the European Union. However, both sides want to elevate our partnership to the highest possible level,” von der Leyen said in a speech on European-Canadian relations at the C.D. Howe Institute, an economic research institute in Montreal.

For this reason, she said, discussions are underway on making Canada the EU's “first associated member.” It would amount to “association without accession,” the Commission president explained.

“We can build a partnership that is closer to membership than anything we have done before,” she added.

The proposed status of an associated member, which does not currently exist under the EU's founding treaties, would reportedly involve closer cooperation between Brussels and Ottawa in developing policies across various fields, including artificial intelligence, climate, energy and security.

The two sides would also work more closely on implementing programmes such as Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe, while strengthening cooperation between European and Canadian institutions.

Partners Facing Similar Challenges

Von der Leyen first proposed making Canada the EU's first associated member in September, during her State of the European Union address to the European Parliament.

According to Brussels-based news outlets, the Commission president's proposal has received mixed reactions among EU member states. Due to opposition from a group of countries, including Germany and France, the term “associated membership” will not be included in the joint statement that leaders are expected to adopt at the EU-Canada summit.

The EU and Canada will nevertheless launch a so-called Partnership for the Future during the two-day summit in Canada's second-largest city. The initiative aims to create a shared space of prosperity and economic security. Among the examples of enhanced cooperation, von der Leyen mentioned addressing bottlenecks in global supply chains.

“At a time when our sovereignty is under pressure, we have two options,” she said. One is for each side to act independently, while the other is to pursue a strategic approach with trusted partners facing similar challenges but equipped with different tools, she explained.

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