EU and Canada agree closer partnership, without ‘associate member’ status

The European Union and Canada have committed to a closer partnership on defence, trade and security, but stopped short of granting Canada the “associate member” status previously proposed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

A joint statement by von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney describes the new relationship as an “ever closer association” with the EU, without full membership. The two sides will work on a name for it before their next summit in 2027.

The agreement sets out areas for cooperation rather than creating a new membership category. The EU and Canada plan to exchange more intelligence on cyber threats, including those linked to artificial intelligence. Canada is also considering whether to contribute to a possible new EU loan to Ukraine.

They will explore whether Canadian liquefied natural gas can be exported to Europe and aim to make financial transfers between the two economies easier. The statement also commits them to the international rule of law, with particular reference to the International Criminal Court.

The summit builds on earlier steps towards closer ties, including EU access for Canadian companies to a defence procurement programme and plans to open EU research and student programmes to Canada. The two sides had begun formal discussions at an earlier Montreal summit, where the proposed “associate member” label had prompted concern among some EU states.

Carney called the summit a “historic day”, while von der Leyen described the relationship as the strongest kind of partnership. Their statement says the alliance is intended to support shared prosperity and economic security.