EU and Canada to discuss deeper partnership at Montreal summit
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will meet in Montreal to negotiate an association framework that stops short of full EU membership.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union will keep exploring a partnership with Canada that goes beyond existing agreements but does not grant full membership. The upcoming Canada-EU summit in Montreal, beginning Friday, is expected to produce a declaration that omits the term "associate member," a position advocated by Germany and other EU members.
"Our idea is simple: it is an association without accession. We can build a partnership that comes closer to membership than anything we have done before," von der Leyen said.
"We both want to bring our relationship to the highest level possible," she added.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney indicated that the precise label of the alliance is less important than its impact on Canadians.
"What matters is the difference that it will make to the lives of Canadians," Carney said.
The summit will address cooperation on artificial intelligence, climate policy, energy, and digital trade, and may allow Canada to join certain EU programmes such as the Erasmus youth exchange. Discussions are also expected on a plan for the European Investment Bank to finance Canadian critical-mineral projects, which are vital for green technologies.
Political analyst Frédéric Merand noted that the talks serve as a "political impetus" for Canada to diversify its economic ties away from the United States and to attract broader investment, while highlighting the existing free-trade agreement and historic links between the two regions.