Key facts
- EU countries dropped the idea of offering Canada "associate member" status.
- Softer language promising "ever closer association" will be used instead.
- Germany, Italy, Greece and France objected to the term "associate membership".
- The decision comes ahead of a landmark EU-Canada summit in Montreal.
- The EU and Canada will work to define the concept of an "ever closer association" by the 2027 EU-Canada Summit.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is hosting a summit with European Union officials in Montreal starting Thursday. The meeting comes after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's proposal to make Canada the EU's first "associate member" faced objections from several European countries. A draft statement seen by Reuters indicates that "an even closer association between Canada and the EU" will be created, with work to define this relationship continuing until next year's EU-Canada summit. Germany led a group of nations that argued against the "associate membership" concept due to its lack of legal status. Canada's pursuit of closer ties with the EU is part of Prime Minister Carney's strategy to reduce reliance on the US, though it risks angering President Donald Trump.