Canada and EU begin talks on closer ties at Montreal summit

Canada and the European Union are set to discuss closer ties at a two-day summit in Montreal, though a major announcement on a proposed new status for Canada is not expected immediately.

Prime Minister Mark Carney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are attending the meeting on Thursday and Friday. Canadian officials expect agreements on defence, critical minerals, research and trade, while the sides are also considering closer business links and more opportunities for students to study across the Atlantic.

The talks follow von der Leyen’s proposal last month to open the door to Canada becoming an “associate member” of the EU. The status does not currently exist. In Montreal on Wednesday, she said the two sides would begin discussing how to make Canada the bloc’s first associate member, describing the ambition as the closest partnership the EU has had with a non-European country.

But the terminology has caused concern among some EU states. Germany has questioned the phrase “associate member”, arguing it could suggest preferential treatment and noting that it has used the term in a different context for Ukraine and potentially Moldova, both seeking EU membership. Reports cited by the BBC say Germany and other countries pushed to remove the title from a draft summit statement, which instead refers to an “ever closer association”.

Germany’s ambassador to Canada, Matthias Lüttenberg, said neither Canada nor the EU was seeking full membership for Canada. The aim, he told CTV News, was to bring the country as close as possible to the bloc without joining it.

European officials have played down the prospect of a major announcement on the new relationship at the summit, saying details may be worked out in the coming months. Canada does not plan to pay a membership fee like EU states, according to Canadian officials; it is considering taking part in specific EU programmes that could benefit both sides.

Carney has said the summit will launch further formal discussions on deepening ties. The push comes as Canada faces an ongoing trade dispute with the United States, its neighbour and largest trading partner. Canada has recently secured access for its defence companies to the EU’s Security and Defence Partnership procurement programme, and signed an energy agreement with Germany in May covering planned long-term shipments of Canadian liquefied natural gas to Europe.

US President Donald Trump has called the associate-member idea “laughable” and threatened “very serious tariffs” on Europe if he regarded it as a hostile act. Canadian officials say the closer European relationship is not intended to offend anyone. Carney has said the name matters less than the difference the arrangement makes to Canadians.