EU removes 'associate member' language from Canada summit statement

The European Union announced that the draft joint statement for the upcoming EU-Canada summit will no longer contain the terms “associate member” or “associated membership” for Canada, according to German news agency dpa and Reuters. The revised text, slated for public release on Friday, instead calls for an “ever closer association” between the two parties and outlines a joint initiative to expand international connectivity through new subsea cable infrastructure linking Europe, Canada and Asia.

The change follows internal disagreements among EU member states. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had previously suggested that Canada could become the bloc’s first associate member, a proposal that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other leaders opposed, citing diplomatic concerns. The updated declaration also proposes a feasibility study on Canadian liquefied natural gas exports to Europe and programs to enable young Canadians and Europeans to work across the Atlantic.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is hosting the summit in Montreal, said the meeting will launch formal negotiations that could take up to a year. > "The good news is it doesn’t matter about specific names or nomenclature. What matters is the difference it will make to the lives of Canadians," Carney told reporters.

The shift comes as Canada seeks to diversify its economic and security ties away from the United States, where President Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on Canadian goods. Trump previously described the EU’s associate-member proposal as “laughable” and warned that the United States might retaliate against Europe if it viewed the move as hostile.