Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday he expects to conclude negotiations in June on making Canada the EU's first associate member. The designation was left out of a joint declaration launching a new economic and security alliance.
Canada and the EU are forging a new type of partnership that could reshape their economic and security relationship, potentially impacting trade flows and geopolitical alignments.
Canada and the European Union have set a June 2027 deadline to finalize the terms of a new associate membership agreement, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday. The proposed partnership aims to create the "deepest possible partnership short of accession" between the bloc and Ottawa. Carney's endorsement followed weeks of hesitation and came after a two-day summit in Montreal. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the concept as uncharted territory, while European Council President António Costa pitched it as a new model for non-European countries to integrate more closely with the bloc. Despite the upbeat rhetoric, some trade disputes, including carveouts from an EU anti-deforestation law and Canada's qualification for "Made in Europe" status under the EU’s Industrial Accelerator Act, remain unresolved.
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